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New techniques are allowing companies to create big, brilliant white diamonds like the kind found in a traditional engagement ring. But the traditional diamond industry is fighting back with technology they say that can distinguish a man-made gem from the real thing.

President Bush will address the nation Monday evening. His topic will be immigration, and his address follows a week of increasing controversy between the administration's national security efforts and protecting civil liberties. Host Liane Hansen talks with NPR Senior Washington Editor Ron Elving about the president's efforts to take the political initiative as his approval ratings continue to fall.

Writer Roger Angell died Friday of heart failure, according to The New Yorker.

Pennsylvania's highest court is weighing a challenge to a state law that expanded mail-in voting. The challenge was put forth in part by 11 Republican lawmakers who voted for the law.

Gordon Chambers talks about his new album Introducing... Gordon Chambers.

Retail giant Wal-Mart has applied to get into the banking business. Reporter Alix Spiegel examines Wal-Mart's move, and the reasons behind the historical separation of commerce and banking.

News and Notes tech contributor Mario Armstrong talks about avoiding the "gizmo tipping point" where you might have more electronic devices than you really need.

E.J. Dionne, a columnist for the Washington Post and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and David Brooks, columnist for the New York Times talk with Robert Siegel about the situation in Iraq three years after the U.S.-led invasion.

Steve Inskeep talks with former President Bill Clinton about his foundation's work to lower the cost of AIDS treatments in developing countries. Thursday, the Clinton Foundation announced it had negotiated cheaper long-term drugs and faster AIDS tests.

Ed Gordon talks with Sean Wilsey, co-editor of The Thinking Fan's Guide to the World Cup, about the FIFA World Cup international soccer tournament, which starts Friday with matches in two cities in Germany. Wilsey says the goodwill generated by global interest in the World Cup can best counter racism among some soccer fans in Europe, who deride black and Latino players — even from their own favorite teams.

The political climate has changed drastically since a 10-year assault weapons ban passed in 1994. The lack of political will and other barriers stand in the way of it even coming to a vote today.

Melissa Block talks with Colin Meloy of the Decemberists, whose new CD Picaresque was recorded in a church in their hometown of Portland, Ore. Meloy likes to write songs that describe events outside his actual experience.

She is neither a misunderstood genius nor a child celebrity. She has not witnessed the extraordinary. Yet Amy Krouse Rosenthal wants you to know about her life. Her new memoir is an encyclopedia of herself, in alphabetical order. Mallory Kasdan profiles the writer.

Author Judith Moore's darkly humorous and unflinching memoir recounts growing up "heavy" with an abusive mother. Moore revels in the delights of a cheeseburger, and the subtle victory of rising above her past.

U.S. combat veteran Bryan Stern runs a nonprofit called Project Dynamo that extracts people from hostile places. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the organization has rescued more than 400 people.

Author and poet Maya Angelou talks about her latest work, a book of recipes and recollections she's put together that combine her love of cooking and good food with her deeper love of the people she shares her table with.

Critics of President Bush say he misled the nation. In speeches, the president and Vice President Dick Cheney now accuse their critics of rewriting history. We check the facts with a pair of reporters who covered some of that history.

About 1 in 20 high school seniors now acknowledges taking OxyContin, a prescription drug for managing severe pain that, when abused, can be powerfully addictive. The consequences can be tragic.

Iranian voters go the polls to choose a successor to outgoing president Mohamed Khatami. Mike Shuster discusses the election and its possible impact on U.S.-relations.

The beginning of January marks the deadline for most college admissions applications. The Unversity of Virginia's freshmen may not be anxious to revisit this period, but they can anyway: A play called Voices of the Class, 2009 offers adaptations of their application essays.

Tur's parents ran a helicopter news service in LA in the '80s and '90s. While she loved the rush of flight, her family dynamic was a volatile one. Her memoir is Rough Draft.

There's concern the U.S. push to send more natural gas to Europe will increase climate warming emissions. But energy experts say the crisis might actually speed up the shift to cleaner energy.

The omicron outbreak has slowed dramatically in the U.S. But cases are rising in Britain due to an omicron subvariant. There are signs the U.S. could also see a bump in cases in the coming weeks.

The Biden administration extended the freeze on student loan payments yet again, this time until September, and announced a reset for borrowers in default.

The COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on the economy. Black-owned businesses were especially hard hit, though one street in Brooklyn persevered. The reason? Women.