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Writer Jim Knipfel is known for his skewed visions of modern America — and for turning that same clarity on himself. Knipfel spoke with NPR's Margot Adler about his affection for Coney Island during a recent visit to the legendary Brooklyn neighborhood.

Who's on the short list to be John Kerry's running mate? NPR's Madeleine Brand talks to NPR's Ken Rudin about presidential candidate John Kerry's possible vice presidential picks.

NPR's Madeleine Brand speaks with Slate contributor David Edelstein about the death of screen legend Marlon Brando, star of Hollywood classics like On the Waterfront, A Streetcar Named Desire and The Godfather.

Forty years ago today, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a bill that changed the face of America. Recordings of the president's phone conversations reveal his tireless campaign to wrangle lawmakers in favor of the controversial bill. NPR's Steve Inskeep and NPR News Analyst Cokie Roberts reflect on Johnson's historic efforts.

NPR's Madeleine Brand speaks with Tess Vigeland of Marketplace about the latest U.S. employment figures, and what they say about the state of the American economy.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell visits a refugee camp and meets with government officials in Sudan. Powell says the discussions produced assurances from the Sudanese government that it would combat Arab militias that have been raping and murdering black African villagers. Fighting in the area has displaced some 1 million people in the last two years. Hear Powell and NPR's Michele Norris.

Nearly two months of running battles between U.S. troops and radical Shiite militiamen in the southern Iraqi cities of Najaf and Kufa may be over. The U.S.-appointed provincial governor says both sides will withdraw from the cities, home to some of the most sacred shrines in Shiite Islam. Hear NPR's Robert Siegel and NPR's Deborah Amos.

President Ronald Reagan has died at 93 of pneumonia after a long struggle with Alzheimer's disease. He gained the White House after defeating President Jimmy Carter in the 1980 general election. Reagan ushered in a Republican conservative political revolution that insisted, in his words: "Government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem." He survived an assassination attempt and the Iran-Contra scandal to serve two terms as president. He virtually disappeared from public life after revealing his illness in 1994. Hear NPR's Neal Conan.

After a day's journey, the casket of President Ronald Wilson Reagan arrives on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol. An official ceremony will mark the start of a period when Reagan's body will lie in state in the Rotunda, in the building's center. Hear NPR's Andrea Seabrook.

Tests that can reveal a person's risk of a disease are an advance of modern medicine, but they are also perceived as a double-edged sword. The ability to diagnose the disease or to predict its arrival has outstripped the ability to treat it. NPR's Linda Wertheimer talks with NPR's Joe Palca.