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Talk of tax cuts continues to dominate both chambers of Congress. The tax writing committee of the House this week approved a second phase of President Bush's proposed $1.6 trillion package of tax cuts, this one eliminating the so-called marriage penalty and increasing the child tax credit. But on the Senate side, talk turned to another concept -- the granting of a swift tax rebate that might pump new money into the consumer economy relatively quickly. No sooner did one Republican mention the idea than several leading Democrats adopted it. NPR's Steve Inskeep reports.

Noah Adams talks with Ben Miller about the closing of Fresh Kills, the world's largest landfill and the largest manmade object on earth. Fresh Kills opened in 1948 and received its last barge of New York City garbage this week. The garbage mounds will be covered with dirt and seeded with vegetation, but it will take decades for the waste to decompose. Miller is the author of Fat of the Land: Garbage in New York -- the Last 200 Years.

Noah Adams speaks with Wall Street Journal sportswriter Stefan Fatsis about golf. Specifically, Stefan notes that last weekend, Annika Sorenstrom's record setting tournament round of 59 was a bit overshadowed by a tournament victory by Tiger Woods, who hadn't won a tournament since last year. The Ladies PGA Tour gets less attention than the men's but the quality of play is just as good. Tiger Woods' 'slump' is hardly that. And many pros on the men's tour are using a new golf ball which they believe improves their play.

NPR's Guy Raz reports that the hills over the city of Tetovo were quiet today, in the aftermath of Sunday's assault by Macedonian troops on ethnic Albanian rebels. NATO's Secretary General, Lord Robertson, was back in Macedonia today for more crisis talks. He called on all parties to engage in political dialogue.

In part three of our Radio Expedition to Central Africa, NPR's Alex Chadwick follows two field biologists into the forest in search of a large ape-like creature that may be an unknown species of gorilla or large chimpanzee. As they explore, Esteban Sarmiento of the American Museum of Natural History and George Schaller of the Wildlife Conservation Society, find a nest that suggests the presence of gorillas and other evidence that lean toward chimps. They also find lion tracks and ape feeding sites in a forest full of vibrant sights and sounds.

NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr ruminates on his recent trip to Cuba, 40 years after his first visit.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has asked convicted Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh to spend his remaining time on earth as a vegan. Commentator John Ridley says PETA's choice for celebrity spokesperson is a stroke of genius.

NPR's Julie McCarthy reports on the trial of Parry Wacker, a man caught smuggling 58 Chinese people into Britain last year. Only two of the illegal immigrants survived the journey and Wacker is being charged with manslaughter.

NPR's Van Williamson reports from Chestertown, Maryland, on tomorrow's launch of the schooner, "Sultana" onto the Chester River. Professional builders and volunteers spent four years constructing the vessel, which is more than 50 feet long and weighs 52 tons. It's modeled after a cargo vessel, built in 1768, that the British Navy used to patrol for smugglers. At the time, Chestertown was a deepwater port, 20 miles up the Chester River from the Chesapeake Bay. Today it's a tourist destination.

NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr wonders why President Bush "chose this moment to open a national and international argument" about missile defense.