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NPR's Peter Overby reports on Senator John McCain's meeting with President Bush at the White House late yesterday, in which they talked about campaign finance reform. McCain and Wisconsin Senator Russell Feingold (fine-gold) have again introduced legislation that would tighten controls on political money. The meeting between the President and Senator McCain was described as a general discussion of the issue.

NPR's Peter Overby reports on today's budget surplus forecast by the Congressional Budget Office. The CBO is projecting a surplus of more than three-trillion dollars over the next decade -- or 5.6-trillion if you count the Social Security surplus. Republicans say that means there's plenty of room for a big tax cut. Democrats argue that the projections of a huge surplus may be overly optimistic in the long term. They are supporting smaller tax cuts.

NPR's Anne Garrels reports that fourteen months after Russian forces entered Chechnya to reassert Moscow's control, they are locked in a guerrilla war. Rebel attacks take a steady toll of casualties among the Russian troops. Civilian administrators have done little to nothing to rebuild the republic, which was devastated by the Russian campaign. President Vladimir Putin announced today he was cutting back Russian troop levels and transferring control of the military operation from the Defense Ministry to the FSB security agency.

NPR's Anne Garrels reports from Grozny that Russia has yet to begin any reconstruction work in the city, which was leveled by Russian forces last year. Hardly a building remains intact. Heat and electricity are sporadic. Russian forces are doing virtually nothing to eliminate the suffering of the civilian population. Soldiers and police continue to round up and beat young Chechen men suspected of being rebels and then demand payment for their return.

Josh Levs of member station WABE reports that Indian American residents of the Atlanta area are mourning friends and relatives who perished in Friday's earthquake. They're also raising money and organizing relief efforts to assist the survivors. It's not clear how many have come from Gujarat to the Atlanta area. There are an estimated 40,000 Indian Americans in Atlanta. Community members say as many as 5,000 could be from Gujarat

On his first official business day in the White House, President George W. Bush swore in scores of new staff and pledged his administration to the highest standards of ethics. Mr. Bush also met with congressional leaders from his own party and with a group of Democratic senior statesmen who do not now hold office. The White House announced that the president would meet with current Democratic leaders tomorrow. NPR's Don Gonyea reports.

NPR's Jack Speer reports the nation's foreign trade deficit declined slightly in November. The difference between what U-S companies shipped abroad and what foreign firms sent to the U-S fell for a second straight month. The trade deficit remains near a historical record high though, and as the economy shows signs of weakening analysts are expressing concerns about what the high trade deficit might mean for the economy.

NPR's Nina Totenberg reports on a deal announced today between President Clinton and Independent Counsel Robert Ray. They have agreed that Ray will not indict the president. In exchange, Mr. Clinton will agree to admit he knowingly misled the public in his deposition in the Paula Jones sexual harassment lawsuit. In that deposition, the president denied he'd had an affair with Monica Lewinsky. Ray had been considering indicting Mr. Clinton on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.

NPR's Tom Gjelten concludes a five-part series on President Clinton's foreign policy record, with a report on the Clinton Middle East legacy. The administration's record on Iraq and Iran has been disappointing. And though Mr. Clinton made the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians a central priority of his administration, violence between Israelis and Palestinians has worsened.

NPR'S Don Gonyea reports on President Bush's first week in office. During a busy week, the President dealt with abortion, worked on plans to create an Office of Faith Based Initiatives, and met with members of congress and even a few governors in an effort to promote bipartisanship. The President then closed out the week by holding conversations with several international leaders, announcing his first international state visit will be to Mexico this February.