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Calls for security at the border have intensified as an unprecedented number of migrant children have started crossing into the U.S. Texas Gov. Rick Perry is sending 1,000 National Guard troops to the area, but border security is more complex than it appears.

Takoma Park, Md.-based Appliance Distributors Unlimited is one of the largest dealers of home appliances in the metropolitan Washington area. It has taken steps to permanently reduce its energy use. It's moving to energy-efficient lighting, recycling and other steps.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the Army Corps of Engineers came under fire for the failure of the New Orleans levee system. But engineering concerns aside, critics say federally funded flood-control projects are to blame for luring new development into flood-prone areas.

Drug maker Merck says it will close or sell a manufacturing plant in Danville, Pa., that employs about 450 people. But despite negative press about Vioxx, residents are standing by the company, which supports local schools and provides some of the best jobs in the area.

A hospital in Estes Park, Colo., escaped the flood damage that affected much of the area this month. But the small hospital in the mountains now relies on a single road to evacuate critical patients. A bad snowstorm could stop traffic and ground helicopters, leaving the hospital isolated.

It's unclear whether the Trump administration's new "zero tolerance" policy at the border will have its intended effect of deterring illegal border crossings. Some in the San Diego area welcome the crackdown, believing lax immigration enforcement plagues the border lands.

New Orleans is opening its doors to businesses and residents in nearly half of the city's zip codes. But power is out still in many areas, and the water isn't safe. Health Department officials warn about letting people return too soon.

Vice President Al Gore kicked-off his Mississippi River campaign tour today. NPR's Anthony Brooks reports that, with a hoarse voice, Gore is charging through the heartland searching for votes. People interviewed along the way give their reviews of Gore's speech last night accepting the Democratic presidential nomination.

ADR is automated dialogue replacement, and that's Hollywood jargon for just one of the tricks the film industry plays on you when movies are produced. Daniel goes inside Hollywood to examine the making of movies, and specifically, how the voices you hear on the screen may be entirely different from what you're led to believe.

Sweet Honey in the Rock is a Grammy Award-winning, African-American female a cappella ensemble. Ed Gordon talks to founding member Carol Maillard about the group's unique sound, which is rooted in the hymns, gospel music and spirituals of the black church, as well as jazz and blues. The group's latest CD is Raise Your Voice.

Turn Me Loose captures the life and death of civil rights leader Medgar Evers through poetry. The collection of poems is told in the imagined voices of the people in Evers' life, including his killer. Author Frank X Walker shares how he tried to connect readers to one of America's most volatile times.

Tapes released by the commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks give voice to the confusion that reigned that day in America's air-defense response. The panel says the Pentagon fumbled its chance to intercept at least one of the hijacked planes, and jetfighters did not receive orders to shoot down the airliners in time. Hear NPR's Larry Abramson.

Leonard Cohen's poetry career began 50 years ago with the 1956 publication of Let Us Compare Mythologies. His new volume of poetry is called Book of Longing. Cohen, known better as the deep-voiced writer of songs that straddle the folk-rock fence, is also working on an upcoming album to be released later this year.

The United Nations and other aid agencies scramble to dispatch supplies to southern Lebanon, during what Israel says will be a 48-hour pause in airstrikes. The French and Iranian foreign ministers travel to Beirut, both voicing support for an immediate cease-fire -- and outrage over an Israeli attack that killed more than 50 civilians.

The hauntingly soulful voice of singer Jenny Lewis has drawn legions of fans to the L.A. band Rilo Kiley. Now on tour in support of Under the Blacklight, Rilo Kiley visits Washington, D.C.'s 9:30 Club for a full concert, originally webcast live on NPR.org Sept. 26.

The co-star of the new HBO miniseries The No. 1 Ladies' Detectives Agency, earned a Tony for her work in the play Caroline, or Change and drew critical acclaim for her portrayal of "Maggie the Cat" in a recent Broadway revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Soon she'll be the voice of Disney's first black princess.

With just a gently played acoustic guitar and a soft voice, Gonzalez makes lovely, memorable music. His radical reworking of others' songs, along with his own delicate folk, have made Gonzalez an indie favorite in the U.S. Hear him in a full concert, recorded live from Washington, D.C.

Green Gartside is the driving force behind the various incarnations of Scritti Politti, which has been making music on and off for 35 years. Driven by Gartside's childlike voice and uplifting melodies, Scritti Politti's smooth pop sound surfaced on the Top 40 in 1985, but has mostly been heard on pop culture's margins.

Saturday would have been Janis Joplin's 70th birthday. Joplin was dubbed the first queen of rock 'n' roll, and her voice is singular. She was rough around the edges, vulnerable and charismatic, and she paved the way for countless women in rock. This piece originally aired on Morning Edition on June 7, 2010.

Walter Mosley has written more than two dozen books featuring unforgettable black characters as lovers, thugs, bad guys, good guys — and guys who are a little of each. Mosley is now lending his voice to an effort by the American Library Association to introduce young people to books with diverse authors and characters.