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Apart from its better-known roles in bluegrass and Dixieland, the banjo was once a sought-after status symbol in late 19th-century America. Young ladies learned to play parlor music on the banjo; there were banjo societies and banjo virtuosi; and manufacturers fought wars over who could make the fanciest banjos. On top of that, this was primarily a northern phenomenon. It's chronicled in a new book, America's Instrument: The Banjo in the 19th Century, by Philip Gura and James Bollman. Paul Brown reports. (7:45) (America's Instrument: The Banjo in the 19th Century is published by University of North Carolina P

A sound montage of some of the voices in this past week's news, including White House spokesman Joe Lockhart on the Middle East summit at Camp David; former South African President Nelson Mandela at the closing ceremony of the international AIDS conference; Texas governor George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore at the NAACP Convention in Baltimore; Judge Robert Kaye, who presided over the civil lawsuit in Miami against the top five tobacco companies; Phillip Morris attorney Dan Webb and smokers' attorney Stanley Rosenblatt on the $145 billion punitive damages verdict.

NPR's Richard Harris reports that the Defense Department says it is starting to refocus its investigation of illnesses among Gulf War veterans as a result of recent revelations that some troops may have been exposed to chemical weapons during clean-up efforts after the war. The Pentagon's top doctor, Steven Joseph, says the realization is "a watershed" in trying to understand the mysterious ailments. The Pentagon now presumes some soldiers have been exposed to chemical weapons, though no illnesses have been clearly linked to the chemicals.

Babu Chhiri Sherpa, a guide well known to climbers of Mount Everest has fallen to his death. Noah Adams talks with Heidi Howkins, a mountaineer and author of the book K2: One Woman's Quest for the Summit. Howkins was on a climb with Babu Chhiri when he broke the record for the longest stay at the top of Mt. Everest without bottled oxygen. Babu Chhiri also set a record for the fastest climb of Mount Everest -- 16 hours and 56 minutes. (4:00) K2: One Woman's Quest for the Summit, by Heidi Howkins, is published by National Geographic Adventure Press.

Vice Premier Qian Qichen is in Washington. He is the highest ranking Chinese official to visit since the Bush administration took office. Qian will meet with the president tomorrow at the White House. China's top concern right now is a decision Mr. Bush must soon make on U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. Taiwan wants to buy advanced anti-missile technology (Aegis destroyers) but China is adamantly opposed to such a sale. If the sale goes through, some analysts say China will drop the more moderate stance it has recently adopted toward Taiwan. Other analysts say China's views should not be a factor in any U.S. decision to sell weapons to Taiwan.

Ursula Burns is one of the first Black women to rise to the top of corporate America.

Earlier this week, the U.S. sent its top cybersecurity official to NATO in a joint mission to prevent and thwart cyberattacks on Ukraine.

In the weeks and months immediately after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, a working group of top military lawyers considered how to handle captured prisoners. Ret. Rear Admiral Donald Guter was the Judge Advocate General of the Navy at that time.

Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay plans to give up his seat, one week after one of the Texas Republican's top aides pleaded guilty in the corruption investigation of lobbyist Jack Abramoff. In addition to a tough battle for re-election, DeLay is facing corruption charges in Texas.

Apple Computers announces a new feature many thought would never happen: the ability to use Windows on a Macintosh. Apple, which now uses chips from Intel, a top provider for Windows-based machines, says its Boot Camp software allows users to install Microsoft Windows XP.