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Number 21 on the Billboard top 100 this week: India Arie, with her first CD, Acoustic Soul. She has drawn impressive comparisons to Roberta Flack, Tracy Chapman and Bill Withers. Reviewer Sarah Bardeen says that Arie deserves the success. India Arie's Acoustic Soul is on Motown Records.

Siobhan Armstrong is one of today's top Irish harpers. From the BBC Studios in Dublin, she plays a pair of tunes by the most famous of all Irish harpers, Turlough Carolan: "Carolan's Favorite Jig" and "Farewell to Music."

President Bush nominates Trade Representative Rob Portman as the White House budget director. Portman is a Washington insider and longtime friend of the president. Bush also selected Susan Schwab, the deputy trade representative, to move up to the top trade job, replacing Portman.

At the top of the West, hip-hop is thriving. From the righteous rhyme of Blue Scholars and Ohmega Watts to the infectious party-rap of The Saturday Knights, here's a taste of the region's best hip-hop.

Investigators looking into the space shuttle Columbia accident say NASA workers made safety a top priority, but may have become so comfortable with successful missions that they didn't keep track of small issues that can turn deadly. NPR's Richard Harris reports.

Baghdad's nearly 5 million residents prepare for a war that seems inevitable. The streets of Baghdad are surprisingly calm, and a top aide to Saddam Hussein appears in public to refute rumors he had defected. NPR's Anne Garrels reports.

Unemployment benefits expire for nearly 800,000 Americans as a congressional logjam holds up a possible extension. The new Congress, which meets in January, is expected to take up the issue as a top priority. NPR's David Molpus reports.

Summer is a time to drop the top on the convertible, crank up the tunes, and enjoy the ride... Join NPR's Ned Wharton, music director for Weekend Edition Sunday, for some high-octane music including selections from The Reputation, Professor Ratbaggy and The Churchills.

Saddam Hussein's top scientific adviser surrenders to U.S. forces in Baghdad. Lt. Gen. Amer al-Saadi has been tied to Iraq's chemical weapons program, though he insisted as he gave himself up Saturday that Iraq has no weapons of mass destruction. Hear NPR's Anne Garrels.

In 2000, pianist Yundi Li took the gold medal at the Warsaw International Chopin Competition, becoming the first pianist in 15 years to be deemed worthy of the top prize. The young musician performs Chopin's Scherzo No. 2 in NPR's Studio 4A.