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A Kansas family barely noticed the spiders sharing their home, until their daughter discovered they were living with the infamous brown recluse. A nightly six-month hunt turned up some 2,000 recluses in their house. Yet no one in the family was ever bitten. Researchers say the shy spider has been wronged by its fearsome reputation.

Trial lawyers in Texas are fighting a different kind of legal battle, opposing legislative efforts to cap awards in medical malpractice cases. Though some research indicates otherwise, doctors insists limits on awards keep health insurance rates down. NPR's Wade Goodwyn reports.

Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) reiterates and expands his apology for comments about the nation's racially segregated past. He rejects the idea that he should resign as Senate Majority Leader. Hear NPR's Debbie Elliott, E.J. Dionne of the Brookings Institution and Bill Kristol of The Weekly Standard.

NPR's Scott Simon talks with Tom Brokaw, anchor of the NBC Nightly News, about his memoir A Long Way from Home.

He directed and choreographed the new film adaptation of Chicago. It stars Richard Gere, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee Zellweger and Queen Latifah. Previously, Marshall won an Emmy for Best Choreography for his work on the movie-musical Annie. He also directed and choreographed the acclaimed revival of Cabaret.

Scientists have been watching with alarm as the world's glaciers and arctic regions are showing more and more signs of melting. They suspect that global climate change -- fueled by industrial and vehicle emissions -- are to blame. But as NPR's Eric Niiler reports, this arctic thaw is also revealing a trove of ancient artifacts from people who dropped them thousands of years ago.

The 108th Congress has barely opened but freshman Rep. Max Burns is already running for re-election. The 54-year-old former professor and Fulbright Scholar figures he'll have to work early and hard to keep his seat. NPR's Juan Williams reports on the Georgia Republican's first days on Capitol Hill.

Puzzle master Will Shortz quizzes one of our listeners, and has a challenge for everyone at home. (This week's winner is Ali Farquhar from Westin, Mass. She listens to Weekend Edition on member station WBUR in Boston.)

Host Liane Hansen speaks with Andy Babiuk, author of Beatles Gear (published by Backbeat Books), about this past week's find of some 500 tapes recorded in 1969 and stolen from the Beatles' archives in the mid-1970s.

It's often hard to tell where Nicholson Baker ends, and the characters of his novels begin. NPR's Jeffrey Freymann-Weyr profiles the author, who has a reputation for finding magic in the everyday moments of ordinary lives. Listen to Baker read two excerpts from his latest novel, A Box of Matches.