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Former President Reagan's state funeral is being held at the Washington National Cathedral, which towers over the nation's capital. Bishop John Bryson Chane, the dean of the cathedral, says it was created as "a national house of prayer for all people." NPR's Steve Inskeep reports.

Before going out on his own, he backed B.B. King and played with Ray Charles. He eventually became musical director for Charles' band and he credits what he learned about playing soulful music from Charles. His CD Hank Crawford: Memphis Ray and a Touch of Moody collects music from his previous recordings: More Soul, From the Heart, Soul of the Ballad, and Dig These Blues. (Rebroadcast from May 20, 1998.)

A new memorial honoring those who served in World War II is dedicated on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Thousands of veterans gathered to hear President Bush, former Sen. Bob Dole and other speakers. Nancy Marshall reports.

Tests that can reveal a person's risk of a disease are an advance of modern medicine, but they are also perceived as a double-edged sword. The ability to diagnose the disease or to predict its arrival has outstripped the ability to treat it. NPR's Linda Wertheimer talks with NPR's Joe Palca.

The parade of big-budget summer movies is under way with The Day After Tomorrow, and true to form, special effects play a big role. NPR's Scott Simon talks with Allan Magled, visual effects supervisor for Soho VFX, about the history and magic of his craft.

Both President George Bush and Sen. John Kerry take part in Memorial Day services to honor America's war dead. The president laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington Cemetery, while Kerry visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington. NPR's Pam Fessler reports.

Now that the Coalition Provisional Authority has pulled out, the U.S. Army is taking over the Iraq reconstruction program. As the CPA staffers are snapping the luggage on the way out the door, the knives are out from the military. The culture clash between these two organizations was vast and there has been grumbling since the beginning, but now that this "era" is almost over, military guys are sticking in a dusty boot and giving the CPA a kick on the way out the door. NPR's Deborah Amos reports.

Some 265 girls and boys competed this week for the 77th Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee. We listened in on some of the participants. The decisive word was "autochthonous." A 14-year-old David Tidmarsh, of South Bend, Ind. -- who tied for 16th in last year's event -- triumphed over a 13-year-old from Colorado who was eliminated by the word "schwarmerei." Hear NPR's Robert Siegel.

As George Tenet prepares to leave his post as CIA director, critics call for reforms that would give the position greater direct oversight over all U.S. intelligence agencies, including the FBI. FBI Director Robert Mueller is also resisting a reform initiative that would create a domestic spying agency. Hear NPR's Larry Abramson.

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with veteran journalist Richard Ben Cramer about his new book How Israel Lost: The Four Questions.