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Alfred W. McCoy's new book, A Question of Torture, chronicles the CIA's development and use of torture since the Cold War. He speaks with Steve Inskeep about the past, present and effectiveness of torture.

The World Health Organization meets this weekend in Washington D.C. to discuss strategies for preventing tobacco-related health problems. Debbie Elliott speaks with Dr. Armando Peruga, a participant and the team leader for Pan-American Health Organization's tobacco control and consumer health program.

Pope Benedict XVI arrives in Poland on a visit aimed at encouraging Poles to retain their Catholic faith, even as they integrate with a mostly secular European Union. Before departing Rome, the German-born pontiff said the trip was in part a tribute to his predecessor, Polish-born Pope John Paul II.

The crisis in Lebanon is a sign to many Arab leaders that the region's Shiite population is growing in strength. Several Arab governments, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt, have openly condemned Hezbollah's actions in southern Lebanon. This position puts these leaders out of step with their populations, who admire Hezbollah's actions.

In Beirut, the exodus of foreigners is in high gear as fighting between Hezbollah and Israel continues across Lebanon. U.S. Marines landed in Beirut to help evacuate Americans. At the same time, Israeli bombing of targets in Lebanon continued and skirmishes between Hezbollah and Israeli soldiers again took place along the border.

Fighting in Darfur, in western Sudan, is on the rise. But there is now a new twist: One of the rebel groups that had been fighting the government and its janjaweed militias, has now joined forces with the government.

A home builder in Southern California is battling a softening real esate market by taking advantage of an abundant local resource: actors. The Centex company has hired four actors to play a family "living" in one of their model homes -- a performance called Homelife.

A new documentary takes a loving look at the Silver Belles, a leggy troupe of dancers who drew crowds to famous nightclubs and theatres during the height of the Harlem Renaissance. Decades later, the women are still dancing, and still drawing the crowds.

A constitutional crisis may be bubbling in Washington, where the search of a congressional office last week has lawmakers questioning the Executive Branch's limits. NPR's Melissa Block talks with Akhil Reed Amar, professor of law and political science at Yale University. Professor Amar is writing on the issue for Slate.

Edmund White has been writing about gay culture in fiction and nonfiction since the 1970s. He has a new autobiography, My Lives. White is director of the creative writing program at Princeton University.