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NPR's Linda Wertheimer interviews two Republican strategists, Frank Donatelli of the American Conservative Union, and Don Devine, a former Reagan aide, about what the worsening situation in Iraq means for President Bush's re-election prospects.

The International Clown Hall of Fame in Milwaukee honored one of the industry's most prized clowns this past week. Wisconsin Public Radio's Brian Bull reports.

New York City Police Officer Daniel Rodriguez is known to millions of people as the police officer that sang "God Bless America" at a World Trade Center memorial service after the 2001 terrorist attacks. He discusses his decision to leave the police force to return to his first love, music. Hear Rodriguez and NPR's Steve Inskeep.

U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who was tasked with leading the formation of Iraq's new interim government, says he did not get his choice for candidates to fill some top spots. But he says comments he made Wednesday calling U.S. civilian administrator Paul Bremer "the dictator in Iraq" were in jest. Brahimi talks with NPR's Steve Inskeep.

As socially-conscious consumerism spreads, the latest in "sweatshop-free" clothing is the "No Sweat Sneaker." The shoes are meant to help improve living conditions for factory workers around the globe. But the proponents of the anti-sweatshop movement don't always agree on what constitutes humane working conditions at Third-World factories. NPR's Margot Adler reports.

Iraqi interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawai announces that nine armed militias comprising some 100,000 men will disband. Under the plan, the militiamen will be eligible for jobs in the police, army or security services, and may also qualify for civilian government jobs. The militia controlled by the radical Shiite cleric Muktadr Sadr is not part of the pact. Hear NPR's Michele Norris and NPR's Deborah Amos.

The Hilliard Ensemble is a Renaissance music group that also applies its talents to modern compositions. The group has a repertoire that spans five centuries. David D'Arcy reports.

Steve Ryfle is a former Los Angeles Times reporter. Fifty years ago Godzilla, Japan's giant radioactive reptile, made his first film appearance. Japanese director Ishiro Honda made the original Godzilla movie in 1954. The film is coming back to theaters in a new uncut version. Ryfle's book about Godzilla is Japan's Favorite Mon-Star: The Unauthorized Biography of 'The Big G.'

James Tobin is the author of a biography of World War II correspondent Ernie Pyle who was beloved by the public, the G.I.s and the generals alike. He witnessed the great American campaigns of the war -- North Africa, Sicily, Italy, D-Day, Normandy, the liberation of Paris, and Okinawa. Eleanor Roosevelt was a fan of his work, saying "I would not miss that column any day if I could possibly help it." Pyle was killed in Okinawa just three weeks short of the war's end. Tobin's book is Ernie Pyle's War: America's Eyewitness to World War II (published in 1988). Tobin's newest book, To Conquer the Air: The Wright Brothers and the Great Race for Flight has just been released in paperback. (Original airdate: 4/07/03) (This interview continues into the second half of the show.)

As Congress prepares to write a budget to guide this year's tax and spending decisions, some Senate Republicans join Democrats in calling for a "pay as you go rule," which would mandate that any future tax cuts be offset by spending cuts. House Republicans vehemently oppose such measures. The dispute reveals a GOP divided over fiscal policy. Hear NPR's Steve Inskeep and Ross Baker, a political science professor at Rutgers University.