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NPR's Rob Gifford reports that Hong Kong, in response to its experience during the Asian economic crisis is trying to diversify its economy. The city has become rich over the years on the basis of real estate speculation and finance. Now, it is building a huge cyberport in hopes of turning Hong Kong into the internet hub of Asia. The problem is that internet startups are based on speculation and wild speculation is what got Hong Kong into trouble during the Asian economic crisis.

In the second part of a two-part series on images of the President in film, Pat Dowell reports on how show business and politics have become intertwined. The movies treat the president's role with a high degree of symbolism...from a wise, almost divine figure during the thirties and forties, to a mythical hero and tough guy in the movies of today. Meanwhile, the real executive office has learned how to use the tricks of Hollywood to its advantage.

NPR's Wade Goodwyn reports from Dallas on Dick Cheney's five-year tenure as Chief Executive of Halliburton Company, the world's largest provider of oil field equipment and services. Using his experience as Defense Secretary, Cheney transformed Halliburton into a much larger and more profitable company. He also used the connections he'd made at DOD to expand Halliburton's international operations. As a result, Cheney and the company both have profited handsomely.

NPR's Nina Totenberg reports on a very conservative appeals court that made a series of important and controversial decisions that made it to the Supreme Court this past term. The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals was upheld by the Supreme Court on its ruling that a key part of the Violence Against Women Act was unconstitutional. But the Supreme Court rejected the 4th Circuit's decision that the Miranda warnings to a criminal suspect were not necessary if a court were confident the defendant's confession was given voluntarily.

Quinn Klinefelter of member station WDET reports that promoters of the Detroit Grand Prix are hoping to move the car race from its current home on Bell Isle to a proposed site at the state fairgrounds. Michigan's Governor John Engler supports the idea, but Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer is opposed. Archer says although he supports a new site, the proposed fairground location, would cause too many problems for the surrounding residents.

NPR's Peter Kenyon reports on today's Senate debate over a bill that would give a tax break to some married couples. Sponsors of the measure say it fixes a discrepancy that causes some married people to pay more income tax than they would if they were filing as singles. Senators opposed to the bill say it also gives a tax cut to couples who don't pay the so-called marriage penalty, but in fact pay less filing jointly than they would singly.

United Nations arms inspector Scott Ritter is returning to Baghdad this Saturday at the invitation of Saddam Hussein. The Iraqi leader has agreed to provide Ritter and a documentary film crew access to weapons facilities throughout the country. Ritter will attempt to judge whether Iraq has rebuilt its arsenal since U.N. inspectors left the country 19 months ago. Linda talks to Colum Lynch, United Nations Reporter for The Washington Post, about Ritter's trip.

NPR's Julie McCarthy reports that the owner of a clothing store on Malta today provided valuable testimony for the prosecution in the trial of two Libyan men accused of blowing up Pam Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. The shop owner identified one of the Libyan suspects as the man who bought clothing in his store about two weeks before the passenger jet blew up in midair on December 21st, 1988. The clothing has been linked to the suitcase that contained the bomb. 270 people were killed in the explosion.

NPR's Cheryl Corley reports on the dilemma facing states that have passed bans on so-called "partial birth" abortions. When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against a Nebraska law that outlawed the procedures, it cast Constitutional doubt on similar laws in twenty-nine other states. Abortion opponents in several of those states are working to craft new bans. They hope rewritten laws will be able to pass Constitutional muster. But it may not be an easy task.

Computers can greatly improve the lives of people with disabilities, but Charlotte Renner reports that blind people can't access much of the very visual content on the World Wide Web. Adaptive software can help, but some web designers are trying to create sites that can be accessed by people who can't see well enough to point and click with a standard mouse. (4:30) (Note: The website mentioned in this story is http://www.cast.org. This link will open in a new browser window.)