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Researchers say they have used genetic engineering to create a mouse that is abnormally anxious and aggressive -- a strain that could help explain why some people are prone to anxiety or panic attacks. NPR's Jon Hamilton reports on new research published in the journal Neuron. Watch videos of normal mouse behavior, and the violent behavior of a genetically modified mouse.

The Federal Reserve has just released its analysis of the nation's wealth. The net worth of the typical family, according to the report, rose more than 10 percent in 2001. As in past years, though, the gap between rich and poor widened. NPR's Robert Siegel talks about the Fed's report with Nancy Kimmelman of SEI Investments in Oaks, Pa.

NPR's Jack Speer reports the stock market managed to break a five-day losing streak today, but it wasn't a big gain. Over the past week, the market rally that began with the New Year has mostly disappeared... and the major indexes are back near where they were on Jan. 1. The U.S. economy has also run into trouble. After growing at a decent pace during much of last year, the recovery faltered in the fourth quarter. Many economists are revising their forecasts for 2003.

A new book about Howard Lutnick, the CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, shows the personal and financial damage the Sept. 11 attacks caused the company. On Top of the World discusses how the brokerage firm survived after losing most of its employees in the terrorist attacks. NPR's Juan Williams reports.

North and South Korean officials meet in Seoul for talks on economic cooperation, but discussions are overshadowed by concerns about North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Meanwhile, U.S. envoy John Bolton says he expects the U.N. to begin discussions on the standoff by week's end. NPR's Eric Weiner reports.

The SEC takes up several proposals aimed at restoring investor confidence, approving new rules governing the relationship between accounting firms and the companies they audit. Commissioners will also vote on a rule requiring mutual fund companies to reveal how they vote on shareholder disputes. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.

New census figures show the number of Hispanics as very close to the number of blacks in the United States. Depending on how the figures are tallied, the number of Hispanics may be seen as having surpassed the number of blacks. Host Robert Siegel talks with John R. Logan about the numbers and the implications of the changing proportion of minority groups in America. Logan is Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Director of the Mumford Center, State University of New York, Albany.

A newly publicized study suggests that 40 percent of nuns in the United States have experienced some form of sexual trauma -- in some cases, at the hands of other clergy. NPR's Greg Allen reports.

NPR's Guy Raz reports from London that Britain's Conservative Party is having trouble challenging Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair. Since Blair moved into #10 Downing Street, the Tories have been stuck in the opposition. Political analysts credit Blair with co-opting Conservative issues and moving Labour toward the center.

Cartoonist Bill Mauldin, whose GI characters Willie and Joe won the hearts of countless Americans during World War II, dies at 81. Mauldin won two Pulitzer Prizes for editorial cartooning for his comic strip "Up Front with Mauldin." NPR's Bob Edwards has a remembrance.