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Commentator Hollis Gillespie is a flight attendant now - but she's had lots of jobs and she's been fired from many of them. Once, though, she turned down an offer to be a skycap. She was embarrassed, afraid that she'd encounter past enemies or old flames at the airport on their way somewhere exciting. Now, she regrets her decision.

The bacterium D. radiodurans can survive thousands of times more radiation than any other living creature -- because it has a unique ability to repair genetic damage extremely efficiently. Scientists have been trying to discover how the bug pulls of this nifty trick for 40 years. NPR's Jon Hamilton reports.

Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix says that two months of investigation on the ground in Iraq have failed to produce any "smoking guns." Blix is preparing to brief the U.N. Security Council on the inspections process. NPR's Vicky O'Hara reports.

NPR's Richard Gonzales reports that thousands of California's convicted sex offenders have failed to register their addresses with local police, despite a requirement that they do so every year. An analysis by the Associated Press shows that close to half of rapists and child molesters have failed to register since the state set up a database in compliance with a 1996 federal law. National victims' rights groups said they believe the problem is not limited to California.

In Beijing, Assistant U.S. Secretary of State James Kelly continues efforts to end the impasse over North Korea's nuclear program. The United States wants China, North Korea's closest ally, to pressure Pyongyang to give up its nuclear ambitions. Anthony Kuhn reports.

Homeland Security nominee Tom Ridge appears at a Senate confirmation hearing Friday. Ridge is expected to win approval but will likely face questions about the administration's spending plans for homeland security. NPR's Pam Fessler reports.

U.N. weapons inspectors in Iraq examine the 11 empty chemical warheads they discovered at an ammunition storage area. Iraq insists the weapons are old. NPR's Tom Gjelten and NPR's Mike Shuster explore the significance of the find and the potential for war.

Federal prosecutors submit evidence they say merits a life sentence for Richard Reid, who pleaded guilty to attempting to blow up a jumbo jet with explosives hidden in his shoes. Before that could take place Reid was subdued by passengers and crew members aboard an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami. Sentencing is Jan. 30. Alex Ashlock reports.

In 1995, in the wake of two shootings at women's health clinics in Boston, a group of leaders from opposing sides of the abortion debate agreed to hold four secret meetings to prevent further acts of violence. The meetings continued for seven years. NPR's Margot Adler visits the women at the Public Conversations Project offices, located in a small home in Watertown, Mass., to talk about the effect of their conversations. Online, hear the women's stories and read more about the 30th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

As Assistant U.S. Secretary of State James Kelly heads to Beijing for talks on North Korea, China offers to host discussions between the United States and North Korea in an effort to resolve the their standoff. Anthony Kuhn reports.

Drugmakers spend billions of dollars each year trying to persuade doctors to prescribe their medicines. One company currently is in federal court, charged with illegally marketing its drug Neurontin for uses not approved by the FDA. And a family in Minnesota is asking why doctors prescribed the epilepsy drug to treat their son Dustin for manic-depression. NPR's Snigdha Prakash reports.

Last week we asked listeners to phone in their questions concerning the standoff between the U-S and North Korea. Today we answer some of those question with the help of Ambassador Wendy Sherman who is the former special advisor on North Korea during the Clinton administration. She's now a partner at the international consulting firm -- the Albright Group. Also joining the conversation: Donald Oberdorfer, a professor at Johns Hopkins Nitze School of Advanced International Studies. He's also the author of "Two Koreas: A Contemporary History." (12:30) Oberdorfer's book is published by Basic Books, 1999.

South Korea is joined by China, Russia, Japan and Australia in supporting U.S. diplomatic efforts to get North Korea to suspend nuclear weapons development. NPR's Vicky O'Hara reports.

The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments on the powers states have to regulate the managed health-care industry. A Kentucky law, seeking to give consumers wider choices in selecting doctors, is being challenged by the health-care industry. Hear NPR's Julie Rovner.

General Electric workers are upset over increases in their portion of health-care premiums. The strikers hope their actions send a message to GE management on what's important when negotiations for a new contract begin in May. Rachel Gotbaum of member station WBUR reports.

Kathleen Edwards is a Canadian singer-songwriter who pairs stark lyrics with instrumentals that are sometimes surprisingly upbeat. Meredith Ochs reviews her debut album Failer.

A San Diego school district experiments with fast-food vending machines, replacing candy, sodas and chips with healthier foods and snacks like yogurt, vegetable- and fruit-plates. A nutritionist says it proves kids will chose healthier foods when given the chance. Kenny Goldberg of member station KPBS reports.

A federal judge, has ruled that ABC television's I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here is not a copy of the CBS reality show Survivor. Commentator James Poniewozik remarks on the judge's ruling.

Some say the real divide on the Korean peninsula is not between North and South but between young and old. Young South Koreans -- those too young to remember the Korean war -- favor rapprochement with the North. The older generation remains deeply suspicious of the North and favors the United States' get-tough approach. NPR's Eric Weiner reports from South Korea's capital, Seoul.

Brazil's new president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, is leading a South American initiative to help resolve the crisis in neighboring Venezuela, where a general strike has crippled the nation's oil industry. Venezuela's opposition questions the leftist Lula's impartiality and is eager for U.S. involvement. The United States has endorsed an electoral solution to the crisis. NPR's Martin Kaste has the story from Rio de Janeiro.