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NPR's David Welna reports on the very different perceptions in Havana and Washington of the Helms-Burton bill, signed into law today by President Clinton. Backers of the bill in Congress say it will hasten Fidel Castro's downfall by tightening the US embargo. But Cuban officials, while denouncing the bill, say they don't expect it to have much economic impact. In Washington, President Clinton's top adviser on Cuba says the bill gives the president less room to maneuver in dealing with Castro.

NPR's Tom Goldman reports on the economics of small-market baseball. Unlike major league football, professional baseball revenues aren't widely shared among franchises. Teams like the New York Yankees and the Atlanta Braves earn significant money from TV contracts, and that allows them to afford the sport's top talent. But smaller-market teams must rely on fan loyalty to fill the ballpark. And while they may nurture young, rising stars, these teams know that talented players are likely to go where the money takes them.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg mounts a campaign against noise pollution, the top complaint on a police "quality of life" hotline. New Yorkers are annoyed by the racket from car horns and personal stereos -- and from loudspeakers coaxing people into bars and restaurants. NPR's Margot Adler reports.

Jackie Kennedy Onnasis' estate has been drawing top dollars all week long at Sotheby's auction house. Noah Adams talks with Michael Marsden, dean of the College of Arts and Science at Northern Michigan University in Marquette who has written about popular culture, about this estate sale. Marsden says he's not surprised by the amount of money people have paid for Jackie O's belongings being auctioned. Rather, Marsden says, people attach a kind of profound value to memorabilia that can be very high. He says this dates back to the Middle Ages when people begin to collect the relics of saints.

Tess Vigeland of member station WBUR reports that the Boston Latin School has settled out of court with a family that sued the school to protest a special entrance provision for minority students. As part of the settlement, the city's school board will drop special racial admissions categories for the city's prestigious Boston Latin School, and for two other top schools. The student and her family sued after she was denied admission despite receiving higher test scores than some minority students who were admitted.

They discuss one of this season's top players, Center Tim Duncan of Wake Forest, who has resisted offers to go professional before finishing college. Wake Forest is ranked number two in the nation, largely because of Duncan. Tomorrow, he and his teammates take on the University of Maryland, which is ranked number five.

NPR's Eric Weiner reports that Japan's worst economic downturn since World War II has radically changed expectations of young college graduates. In years past, the country's corporate giants would go to the top schools and actively recruit new employees, who generally were given jobs for life. Now it is the students who are chasing employers. And many of them are not finding jobs. Some have given up on full-time employment and simply bounce from one part-time job to another while living with their parents.

Southern California Edison, one of California's cash-strapped electric utilities, defaulted to some of its creditors today. It failed to repay, at least temporarily, a 596-million-dollar wholesale electricity bill. The move brings the company a step closer to bankruptcy. The utility said the action was necessary to allow it to continue operations while state and federal officials seek a regulatory solution to California's power crisis. The state, meanwhile, declared another top level power emergency today, citing a shortage of natural gas needed to generate electricity. Scott Horsley reports.

Noah Adams talks with reporter Tom Gibb about a massive fire which has crippled an enormous 40-story offshore oil rig located 75-miles off Brazil's Atlantic coast. Officials are trying to prevent a spill of the 400,000 gallons of oil on board. The rig may sink within 48 hours. Three explosions on Thursday damaged a pillar supporting the rig; the explosions killed one worker and left nine others missing and presumed dead. The offshore rig was Brazil's top oil producer in the rich Campos Basin.

The fine art of "hacking," or elaborate practical joking, is a storied tradition at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Students at M.I.T. have perched a life-size police car on top of a domed building, wrapped an enormous jock strap around the athletic center, and performed a host of other diabolical pranks. Liane speaks with the school's Assistant Safety Officer, David Barber, who is in charge of dismantling these pranks the next day.

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.

You can buy "full destroyed" high top sneakers. The sneakers come shredded and dirty. For a mere $1,850, you too, can look like you don't care how you look.

A top Palestinian official says he's hopeful that a "small window" of opportunity exists for peace with Israel in the wake of this month's cease-fire agreement. But Nabil Shaath, foreign minister for the Palestinian Authority, says Israel is moving too slowly on several issues.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair visits Iraq's new prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, in Baghdad. British officials say the leaders spoke about the eventual departure of foreign forces from Iraq. Maliki has said his top priority is halting insurgent attacks and stemming sectarian violence that has wracked the country.

This Sunday, two of the world's top solo explorers will attempt to do what no one has ever done: travel 620 miles on an unsupported mission to the North Pole in the total darkness of Arctic winter.

Secretary of State of Condoleezza Rice is making her first trip to Iraq as the nation's top diplomat. NPR's Peter Kenyon is in Baghdad, and he talks to host Liane Hansen about Rice's visit and the United States' efforts to combat insurgents along the Syrian border.

Store shelves these days are packed with products claiming to be "eco-friendly." But it's hard to know exactly what that means. An exhibition in New York tackles that question with the help of 10 top designers. The Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum — together with the Nature Conservancy — asked the designers to create surprising products out of renewable materials from 10 different areas in the world.

Workers continue to clear rubble and pull bodies from the wreckage at the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad. At least 20 people, including the top U.N. envoy in Iraq, died in the Aug. 19 blast. U.S. civilian administrator Paul Bremer says the United States needs better intelligence and more cooperation from the Iraqi people to stabilize the situation in the country. Hear NPR's Anne Garrels.

Karen Hughes, a top advisor to President Bush, says the Bush administration's decision to allow National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice testify before the Sept. 11 commission proves it wants to be open with the American public about its actions before and after the attacks. Hughes has written a new book about her life in politics, Ten Minutes from Normal. She speaks with NPR's Juan Williams.

U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who was tasked with leading the formation of Iraq's new interim government, says he did not get his choice for candidates to fill some top spots. But he says comments he made Wednesday calling U.S. civilian administrator Paul Bremer "the dictator in Iraq" were in jest. Brahimi talks with NPR's Steve Inskeep.