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NPR's Richard Harris reports on a new study which finds that a drug commonly used to treat heart failure is much less effective in black patients than it is in whites. The study suggests that doctors need to be more vigilant when treating black patients with heart failure. And it also has raised questions about when it is appropriate to focus on race in medical research.

Steve Tripoli of member station WBUR in Boston reports on Roman Totenberg, the 90-year-old concert violinist whose decades in music are now bridging the gap between two very diverse musical periods. A concert tonight in Boston will honor Totenberg on his birthday. (Roman Totenberg is the father of NPR's legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg).

Bob Garfield, co-host of NPR's On the Media reports on permission specialists -- the people who get the suspects in the "cops" type shows to sign on the dotted line to allow their stories and images to be used in these "reality shows." There are lots of reasons why few suspects hesitate to sign -- some hope it will help their case, some just want that 20 seconds of fame before being put away for 20 years, and some, they say, are just stupid.

NPR's Barbara Bradley reports that the Bush administration has decided to end the practice of consulting the American Bar Association about potential nominees for federal judgeships before making their names public. For nearly 50 years, both Republican and Democratic presidents have consulted the ABA about judicial nominees before announcing them. Conservatives are pleased with the decision because they say that the ABA has a liberal bias.

Fighting has flared up again in the Balkans, in a demilitarized zone between Kosovo and Macedonia. NATO troops in the area are attempting to suppress that violence between ethnic Albanians and Macedonia security forces. But even as the region heats up, the Bush administration is moving to trim the ranks of Americans now on a peacekeeping mission in neighboring Bosnia. President Bush has said he wants the European Union to shoulder more of the burden in the region. NPR's Tom Gjelten reports.

Noah Adams talks with NPR's Nina Totenberg about the Bush administration's reported decision not to submit judicial nominations to the American Bar Association for screening. The president of the ABA, Martha Barnett, met with White House Counsel Al Gonzalez and Attorney General John Ashcroft today. She says she was not told the ABA would be losing its traditional role. Barnett says Gonzalez and Ashcroft said the administration is still considering what to do.

NPR's David Molpus reports on yesterday's Supreme Court decision allowing employers to force their employees to forego a court trial, and head straight for binding arbitration in cases of job disputes. The idea is to reduce the caseload of an already clogged legal system, but employee advocates say arbitration usually gives the employer an unfair advantage.

NPR's Vicky O'Hara reports on the U.S. visit of China's Vice Premier, Qian Qichen , the highest ranking Chinese diplomat to visit the new administration. Speaking publicly at the State Department last night, Qian expressed hope that China-U.S. relations would improve. Tuesday night in New York, he was highly critical of American plans to sell Aegis destroyers to Taiwan.

NPR's Guy Raz reports that this past weekend some ten thousand European fans converged on Berlin for a country/western music festival. Germans -- long fascinated with the American West -- are among Europe's most avid devotees of country/western. {The festival this weekend featured German language bands, line dancing, and performers in Indian headdresses attempting to re-create Native American dances.}

Phillip Davis reports that a media review of uncounted presidential ballots in Miami-Dade County showed a net gain for Al Gore of 49 votes. The interim review, sponsored by The Miami Herald and USA Today, suggests that had state officials accepted a Gore campaign request for recounts in four counties -- Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Volusia -- Gore still would have lost the election by 140 votes.