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Buckthorn is a challenging invasive species to eradicate, so land managers have taken to novel methods for eradicating the plant. Adam Maleski is a technician with the Crow Wing County Soil and Water Conservation District, and he joined John Bauer on the KAXE/KBXE Morning Show to discuss the way goats are helping in the fight against buckthorn. Click the "Listen" player at the top of the page to hear the full conversation.

American troops captured an Iraqi they call an important operative in the terror group ISIS. But the U.S. says it has no plans to get back into the detainee-holding business. After the man is interrogated, the Americans plan to hand him over to Iraq's Kurdish government. The raid and capture augurs a new phase in the ongoing war against the Islamic State, top U.S. officials say.

Negotiations continued between the White House and House Speaker John Boehner on Tuesday to avoid the fiscal cliff. Earlier in the day, Boehner prepared his fellow House Republicans for the likelihood that taxes will have to rise on top earners. He's also now talking about a "plan B" if talks fail to come to a deal. Tamara Keith joins Melissa Block from Capitol Hill.

NPR's John Burnett reports that as the nation debates President Bush's proposed $1.6 trillion tax cut, state lawmakers in Texas have a queasy feeling of deja vu. Texas slashed taxes under then-Governor Bush and now many legislators wish they hadn't. With health costs soaring and sales tax revenues rising more slowly than predicted, the state finds itself wondering how to pay for unforeseen expenses.

Rock critic Ken Tucker gives us his top picks in pop for 2004. He runs down his 10 best albums, and then talks about some trends of 2004, such as the return of punk, the year of the hip-hop producer, crunk music, and the potential end of an era as iPods and single song downloads replace album purchases. Ken Tucker is also a film critic for New York magazine.

As part of our series about students and teachers, musicologist Bruce Nemerov describes the way that one song is recorded by several different musicians in different decades of the 20th century. The older musicians are teaching the younger musicians through the song "Sitting on Top of the World." We hear the song as recorded by Al Jolson, The Mississippi Sheiks, Howlin' Wolf, Eric Clapton, Bill Monroe and The Grateful Dead.

NPR's Michael Goldfarb reports that the spat between Greece and Turkey over a disputed island in the Aegean Sea appears to be over. The U.S. intervened yesterday before the dispute exploded into war. President Clinton and top members of his Administration made phone calls to both Greek and Turkish leaders telling them of U.S. concern. The island is only 10-acres. The only inhabitants are goats.

Akiva Eldar, a political analyst for the newspaper Ha'aretz, joins Robert by phone from Jerusalem to talk about the Middle East peace process. A top Israeli negotiator returned today from a visit to Egypt, and signaled that Israel wants to "build on progress" made at the recent Camp David accords. Palestinians are also showing signs of flexibility in their positions, including the September 13 deadline for an independent Palestinian state.

At each Olympics, the winner of the 100 meters becomes known as the fastest man in the world. The race lasts a tad over 9 seconds, but it requires tremendous physical and mental preparation. It's not unusual for an elite sprinter to engage a scientist to analyze the biomechanics of his gait. But as NPR's Tom Goldman reports, at race time simplicity is best. Top runners say they are able to clear their minds of extraneous thoughts during their races.

A House committee opened hearings today into the White House's improperly obtaining FBI background files on top Republicans. While the committee looks into the matter, the White House has appointed Charles Easley, a career civil servant originally appointed during the Reagan administration, to be the new head of security. He'll run the office which obtained the files. NPR's Peter Kenyon has more on the story.

- Daniel speaks with investigative reporter Scott Armstrong about the nature of FBI background checks. The FBI has over 3 million files on a wide range of people from top presidential aides to low level workers who have access to certain government offices. Armstrong argues that the creation of these files is a waste of money and time, particularly considering that very little relevant information is uncovered by background checks.

NPR's Andy Bowers reports from Moscow that President Boris Yeltsin has ordered his entire cabinet to resign, except for the top two men. Prime Minister Victor Chernomyrdin and his deputy Anatoly Chubais will stay on to form a new government. Giving control to Chernomyrdin and Chubais is seen as an attempt by Yeltsin to gain control of the Russian economy and push for economic reforms begun in the early 90's.

The FBI announced today that it has arrested a civilian Navy intelligence analyst for allegedly giving classified information to South Korea. Robert Kim, a U.S. citizen who was born in South Korea, worked for the Office of Naval Intelligence. He is accused of gathering top-secret documents through his computer this year and passing them to an attache with the South Korean Embassy in Washington. NPR's Martha Raddatz reports.

NPR's Debbie Elliot reports that, despite the attention that's been focused on black churches, arson is a major problem for houses of worship, regardless of the race of the congregation. Attorney General Janet Reno said today that preventing church fires and arresting the culprits remains at the top of the Justice Department priority list and federal officials recently met with church leaders in Mobile, Alabama to talk about arson prevention.

Bob Dole is just back from a visit to northern California, where he campaigned for himself and for a Republican congressional candidate. Most House and Senate candidates want the top of the ticket to appear in the district to take advantage of the presidential candidate's coattails. But in the California case and others, the local congressional hopeful may be more popular, and Dole may not have much to offer in the way of assistance. NPR's Elizabeth Arnold reports.

The top military commander in Iraq releases more information on the operation that led to the killing of Saddam Hussein's sons, Uday and Qusay Hussein. Members of the former Iraqi regime identified the bodies, and dental records indicate a near-perfect match on both men. Lt. General Ricardo Sanchez also announces the capture of no. 11 on the U.S. most-wanted list in Iraq. NPR's Guy Raz reports.

The New York Times names Bill Keller as executive editor, more than a month after the newspaper's top editors resigned following a plagiarism scandal. A former Times managing editor and Pulitzer Prize-winning foreign correspondent, Keller replaces Howell Raines, who resigned after former reporter Jayson Blair was found to have plagiarized and fabricated stories. Hear NPR's Rick Karr.

A U.N. envoy meets with Iraq's top Shiite Muslim cleric, seeking to resolve the dispute over the cleric's call to elect a transitional assembly. U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi says he agrees with Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani's demand for elections but is unsure whether a vote could be held before a June 30 U.S. deadline for a power transfer. NPR's Deborah Amos reports.

Top U.S. intelligence officials confirm that North Korea has an untested ballistic missile believed capable of reaching the western United States. At a Senate subcommittee hearing, CIA Director George Tenet and Vice Adm. Lowell Jacoby, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, also say it's likely North Korea has at least one nuclear weapon. NPR's David Welna reports.