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Risking beatings by the Taliban, Afghan women have taken to the streets to protest against the hard-line regime, its new curbs on their rights — and Pakistan's influence in their country.

President Biden announced a reset of his plan to tackle the pandemic, with tougher new vaccine rules for federal workers and contractors and more testing.

An estimated 67 undocumented immigrants, mainly from Mexico and Central America, who worked at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11 are still considered missing two decades after the terrorist attacks.

The reggaetón superstar kicks off our "El Tiny" takeover of the Tiny Desk (home) concert series.

NPR's Rob Gifford talks to ATC host Robert Siegel about today's execution of a high-level Chinese government official on charges of accepting bribes. Cheng Kejie, a vice chairman of the legislature, is the most senior official to be put to death in a widening anti-corruption campaign that now involves trials in five southeastern cities. Increasing public anger over official corruption is considered a major threat to domestic security and the government pledges to do something about it. But it's unclear whether the government is willing to take action against any and all officials, no matter their rank or connections.

The day after a federal judge blasted the executive branch for its treatment of fired Los Alamos scientist Wen Ho Lee, the president and attorney general talked about Lee's treatment. Clinton says keeping Lee imprisoned without bail was unjustifiable, especially as negotiations were underway to let him go on a plea agreement. Earlier in the day, Reno had said she stood by the government's handling of the case. She said Lee had the opportunity from the beginning to talk frankly with investigators and get out of jail. NPR's Barbara Bradley reports.

NPR's Tovia Smith reports on the case of Rebecca Corneau, the Massachusetts cult member who was jailed last month in an effort to make sure her baby is born safely. Corneau has declined to appeal. Another pregnant woman, known as Barbara F., tried to challenge the ruling, saying it would have a chilling effect on *all* pregnant women. Yesterday, Massachusetts' highest court denied that effort.

Signs marking California Historic Route 66 were being stolen almost as fast as they could be posted. Now the California Route 66 Association has a solution - stenciling the route number onto the pavement with paint. Robert talks with Maria Mutschler, treasurer of the California Route 66 Association.

The purchase "is the latest reprehensible choice from a company that has profited from addicting users to its deadly products," the American Lung Association said.

A new report by the U.N. human rights office warns that artificial intelligence has the potential to facilitate "unprecedented level of surveillance across the globe by state and private actors."

Rodrigo's spiky "good 4 u" isn't just a breakup song: It inserts her into a tradition of art, including one particularly beloved cult horror film, about the right of teenage girls to get angry.

It has not been an easy campaign so-far for Dick Cheney, the Republican nominee for vice president. Cheney has been White House Chief of Staff and Secretary of Defense, as well as a member of Congress. But this is his first exposure to the special scrutiny and pressure of a national campaign. NPR's Nina Totenberg traveled with Cheney and filed this report.

NPR's Mandalit Del Barco reports on an ordinance before the West Hollywood City Council allowing landlords to ban smoking in their rental properties.

Linda reports on one of the big publishing events of the fall: the release of The Mark - the eighth novel in the Left Behind series, published by Tyndale press. It's a huge crossover success which began selling in Christian bookstores but can be found in airport bookstores and on the New York Times bestseller list. The story is the Biblical prophecy of the End Times, set in the near future.

NPR's Diplomatic Correspondent Ted Clark reports on the closing stages of the Millennium Summit at the United Nations. Capping today's schedule — a signing by more than 150 world leaders of a final declaration in which they vow to spare no effort to end war, poverty and environmental degradation.

Cuban President Fidel Castro, in the United States for the first time since his last U.N. visit in 1995, has kept a generally low profile. Five years ago, he was wined and dined by the business, media, and foreign policy elite in New York. This year has been different. Castro will be the guest of honor this evening at a church reception, but media and business leaders have shown little interest in seeing him. Tom Gjelten reports that the growing U.S. interest in Cuba does not translate into greater eagerness to deal with Fidel Castro, who is increasingly seen as irrelevant to Cuba's future.

We hear about the reaction in Japan to the Firestone hearings in Congress. Firestone is only one of several Japanese companies whose business practices are under scrutiny. Noah talks with LA Times Tokyo Correspondent Sonni Efron about how Japanese companies are dealing with the recalls within their corporate culture.

Linda talks with Andy Kohut, Director of the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, about the polls indicating the standings in the Presidential race, and how the gender gap is playing a part in the race this year.

Noah talks to Dr. Charles Yesalis, an epidemiologist and expert on performance enhancing drugs at Penn State University, about drug use among the Olympic athletes. Yesalis says the new I.O.C. test for EPO won't detect use by athletes who quit taking the drug a week or so before the games. (5:00) >>> Anabolic Steroids in Sport and Exercise, by Dr. Charles Yesalis, is published by Human Kinetics Publishing, Jan. 2000.

Michele Kelemen reports from Moscow that Russia's FSB intelligence service is actively pursuing a growing number of espionage cases, now that its former boss, Vladimir Putin, is president. Journalists, former military officers and defense analysts are held for months, and sometimes years, before going to trial behind closed doors. At least one prominent defense attorney notes, however, that the FSB does not exercise the same unbridled power as its Soviet-era predecessor, the KGB.