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NPR's Larry Abramson reports on Dennis Tito, the world's first space tourist. Tito returns to earth this weekend after a week's stay at the international space station. NASA was opposed to Tito's trip, which he arranged with the Russian space agency. But NASA still claims the day will come when they too will be allowing tourists into space.

A report from Baltimore's annual Kinetic Sculpture Race, in which Lisa helped pedal a 14-and-a-half-foot pink poodle around the Inner Harbor. All vehicles in the race have to be human-powered, and they have to go on land and in water. The race provides hundreds of contestants and spectators an opportunity for ingenuity and zaniness.

NPR's Elizabeth Arnold reports on the future of a Clinton administration regulation that limits road-building and subsequent logging in 58 million acres of National Forest land. Today, the Bush administration is expected to announce that it intends to modify the so-called "roadless rule" to allow state and local officials to challenge the restrictions on a case-by-case basis.

NPR's Vicky O'Hara reports on today's visit to Washington, D.C., by Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres. Peres will meet with President Bush to discuss a ceasefire initiative in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The proposal was the genesis of talks with Egypt and Jordan who are looking to help end the nearly eight months of violence in Israel.

NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports from Rome where media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi is the front-runner in the upcoming Italian general elections. Berlusconi is charged with a conflict of interest by his opponents, who fear that his vast business holdings would compromise the office. Berlusconi's candidacy even has the other heads of Europe worried.

Wisconsin's welfare system was overhauled four years ago in a set of lauded reforms that effectively reduced the welfare rolls. But NPR's Jackie Northam reports from Milwaukee that while less people are on welfare, many feel the state needs to go further to help those trying to become economically self-sufficient.

Today, President Bush expressed his own regrets about Sunday's collision between an American reconnaissance plane and a Chinese fighter jet. And he shrugged off the budget setback dealt by the Senate yesterday. The budget process is a long and winding road, the president said. NPR's Don Gonyea reports from the White House.

NPR's Robert Smith reports the crew of the EP-3 reconnaissance plane is back on American soil. The crew was welcomed to Hawaii in a simple arrival ceremony outside Honolulu. To many of the onlookers, members of the crew are heroes. The pilot, who landed the damaged plane safely in southern China, reassure family members that the crew was well and anxious to see them.

NPR's Jack Speer reports on credit scoring -- a numerical system based on your credit history that's used to determine whether or not you get a loan, and what interest rate you pay. It's been around for years, but credit bureaus have only recently begun letting people see their scores.

Host Bob Edwards talks with reporter Anthony Kuhn about the meeting today between U.S. and Chinese negotiators. Among the issues they'll discuss is the fate of the U.S. spy plane being held in Southern China.