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NPR's Michael Sullivan reports on U.N. Secretary Kofi Annan's unsuccessful appeal to leaders of Afghanistan's Islamic Taliban government to stop the destruction of two huge Buddha statues. Secretary Annan was told that the statues, which are carved from a rock cliff near the central Afghan town of Bamian , are mostly destroyed.

In the first of a series of conversations with members of President Bush's cabinet, host Bob Edwards talks to Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony Principi. They discuss some of the problems confronting his department. Secretary Principi says one of his priorities is eliminating the backlog of claims for veterans benefits. He says the Department of Veterans Affairs provides medical care to more than four million veterans a year and that more money is needed to improve the quality of that care. President Bush is requesting one billion dollars for the department for next year.

Scott talks to Geoffrey Rush, who has been nominated for an Academy Award for his performance as the Marquis de Sade in the film Quills.

NPR's Steve Inskeep reports on the relationship between the U.S. and Colombia. The U.S. has gradually become more involved with the troubled nation, and President Bush is trying to decide what kind of policy to pursue for the future.

An excerpt from Napster Rap by singer Eric Schwartz. His music is available via Napster, and through his website at .

NPR's Senior Cultural Correspondent Susan Stamberg starts Morning Edition's March series on loyalty. She talks with George P. Fletcher of the Columbia University Law School. He is author of the book, Loyalty: An Essay on the Morality of Relationships.

A sample of residents from Seattle offer their reactions to Vice-President Dick Cheney's hospitalization for heart problems.

A rapidly growing number of Fortune 500 companies offer employees with same sex partners the same benefits once reserved for married couples. And half of the biggest coprorations have written policies against discrimination based on sexual orientation. The changing busines climate is making it easier for many gays and lesbians to be open at work about their sexuality, but fear and uncertainty still keep others in the closet.

NPR's Kathleen Schalch reports that the Senate has overturned a law that would have required businesses to protect their workers from repetitive stress injuries. Business leaders say this so-called "ergonomics rule" would cost them too much.

NPR's Robert Smith reports that students of Princeton University and their parents are gasping in relief -- over tuition. The university plans to bolster its financial aid so that undergraduates won't have to take out student loans. This will likely give Princeton a keen edge in attracting the best students, and it has other Ivy League schools scrambling.