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Daniel talks with Diane Ackerman about her new book, "Rarest of the Rare: Vanishing Animals, Timeless Worlds" (Random House), which is about her journey to a small island near Japan, an island called Torishima, which is home to the rare bird known as the short-tailed albatross. The albatross lives 40 to 60 years and has the capacity for fly for 4 or 5 years without landing (it does float on the water every so often)...it even can sleep while flying.

By a vote of 229-191, the House today passed an anti-terrorism bill after stripping away most of the key anti-terrorism provisions. An unusual coaltiion of gun and civil liberties advocates successfully blocked sections of the bill that would have made it easier for law enforcement to tap telephones and deport aliens suspected of having terrorist connections. NPR's Brian Naylor reports that proponents of the bill hope to get some of these controversial provisions restored when they negotiate a compromise with the Senate on its own version of the bill.

A House and Senate conference committee reached a compromise on mandatory testing of newborn babies to determine if they are HIV positive. The requirement would go into effect in states now receiving federal money for AIDS treatment in 3 years, if the rate of new AIDS cases transmitted by mothers has not been reduced by 50% OR 95% of newborn babies had not been tested. Opponents say that means we now have mandatory. Others say testing is already near the mark and the rate of perinatally transmitted AIDS is already dropping, i.e. this compromise forestalls mandatory testing. Joe Neel reports.

The Associated Press reports that a subcommittee of the House ethics committee will recommend that Speaker Newt Gingrich be reprimanded. A reprimand is a less serious penalty than censure, which would make Gingrich ineligible to serve as Speaker. The full ethics committee is considering complaints that Gingrich used funds from a tax-exempt organization to support political activities. He has admitted to failing to get proper legal advice on the activities, and to providing inaccurate statements to the ethics committee. The committee has been expected to come to a final decision on his penalty by the end of this month. NPR's Peter Kenyon has a report.

of revised Welfare Reform legislation yesterday. The latest version retains federal standards for medicaid eligibility and maintains food stamps as a federal safety net. At the same time it turns the main welfare program into a block grant with which states can design their own programs. It also cuts off many benefits after five years. President Clinton praised the changes, and the bill now heads for conference committee to be reconciled with a tougher House version.

NPR's Mara Liasson reports that President Bill Clinton announced today that he will sign the welfare reform bill resulting from a compromise between the House and Senate. One of the President's campaign promises was to "end welfare as we know it" but he vetoed other welfare legislation passed by the Congress. There was great political pressure on the President coming from both sides on this legislation. If he vetoed it, the Republicans would charge that he reneged on his campaign promise, but many advocates for the poor and for children charged that this legislation would hurt poor children.

Documents released by the White House today show Democratic donors proceeded as though their contributions could buy them special foreign policy influence with the Clinton administration, including bringing Chinese officials into contact with the president. The documents include memos in which the staff of the National Security Council cautioned the administration to be careful in their dealings with contributors who had foreign policy interests. In one case, national security advisor Anthony Lake advised the president not to meet Chinese officials sponsored by contributor Charlie Trie (TREE) and the meeting never took place. NPR's Peter Overby reports.

NPR's Peter Kenyon reports that the Democratic National Committee announced today that it would no longer accept certain campaign contributions, after widespread criticism about foreign contributions it accepted last year and its practice of rewarding donors with access to the White House. The party's new leaders, Colorado Gov. Roy Romer and Massachusetts businessman Steve Grossman, said the Democrats would not accept donations in excess of $100,000 or from subsidiaries of foreign-owned corporations, even if operating in the United States. Donations would also not be allowed by foreign nationals with permanent resident status. President Clinton addressed the Democratic meeting, also calling for campaign finance reform.

While investigating a report of suspected child abuse, New York City police got a surprise: they uncovered a cache of weapons hidden in a false closet in a house in Brooklyn's Crown Heights neighborhood. Thirty-five people were taken into custody, believed to be members of a small group called the Provisional Party of Communism. While only five have been charged, the case will go to a grand jury for further investigation into who the group is, and what they were planning. NPR's Melissa Block reports.

NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports from Tirana, Albania, on the eerie calm that has taken over the capital. Most residents are waiting to see if President Sali Berisha (solly buh-REESH-uh) will respond to an ultimatum that he resign...an ultimatum that comes from rebels in the southern part of the country. In Tirana, armed police are trying to recover control of the airport in order to re-open it tomorrow. Other cities in Albania are still terrorized by armed gangs. One report said most court houses have been burned or damaged, the judicial files burned. Nearly all the country's jails have been destroyed and the prisoners freed.