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Jazz trumpeter and singer extraordinaire Louis Armstrong was born on this day in 1901, in New Orleans, Louisiana. We hear a note on his accomplishments on the 99th anniversary of his birthdate.

Writer ALEC WILKINSON remembers his friend and mentor WILLIAM MAXWELL who died Monday at the age of 91. Wilkinson is a staff writer for the New Yorker, and has been there since 1980.His book, –Midnights: A Year With the Wellfleet Police— (Hungry Mind Press) was recently released in paperback. (Note: this is a new interview, not a repeat.)We listen to rebroadcast of a 1995 interview with WILLIAM MAXWELL. MAXWELL was fiction editor of the New Yorker from 1936-1976 and worked with such authors as J.D. Salinger, John Cheever, John Updike, Eudora Welty and scores of others. MAXWELL was the author of a number of novels, including "Time Will Darken It," and "So Long, See You Tomorrow," as well as several short story collections. In 1995 a collection of his stories was published in the book "All The Days and Nights." John Updike has said Maxwell's voice is "one of the wisest in American fiction. It is, as well, one of the kindest. " (REBROADCAST from 3/29/95) (THIS INTERVIEW CONTINUES INTO THE SECOND HALF OF THE SHOW)12:28:30 FORWARD PROMO (1:29)12:29:00 I.D. BREAK (:59)12:

John tells the story of a 30- year old friendship and a 55-year old Gibson guitar.

NPR's senior news analyst Daniel Schor reviews this weeks news.

John with some thoughts about the reasons people vote or not vote for certain candidates.

Commentator Gary Beach argues a pending bill to grant H1B visas to an additional 200,000 mostly Asian high tech workers won't solve the problem of a persistent shortage. He says drawing high tech workers from Asia also antagonizes that region, which needs people to start its own industries.

Linda talks sportswriter Stefan Fatsis about the NBA, its free agents, and salary caps. Grant Hill, for example, signed on with the Orlando Magic for a 97-million-dollar contract, rather than stay with the Detroit Pistons for 100-million-dollars. Stefan explains why Hill's making less as a free agent.

NPR's Michele Kelemen reports from Moscow that the collapse of the Soviet sports establishment --and the financial hardships that accompanied it -- haven't dampened the desire of Russian athletes to compete. Even in the frozen reaches of Siberia, they're practicing beach volleyball...hoping one day to play on an actual beach and, perhaps, make it into the Olympics!

NPR's Brooke Gladstone reports on how the nation's broadcasters and cable channels covered the Republican National Convention, and who watched.

NPR's Michael Sullivan reports that the Taliban, which governs most of Afghanistan, has lost much of the goodwill it enjoyed when it came to power six years ago. The Afghan people initially thought the Taliban would bring peace and stability to a country engulfed by war. But the Taliban has continued to pursue an offensive against the military alliance that still controls the northern part of the country. The Taliban also has failed to address the problems that make life in Afghanistan a misery for most people. The economy is in shambles, opium production is rampant and the strict version of Islamic law enforced by the Taliban has greatly restricted the lives of women who previously had enjoyed wide freedom.

Linda talks with Washington Post Columnist and Brookings Institution Senior Fellow E.J. Dionne, and Weekly Standard Senior Editor David Brooks, who were both in Philadelphia for the Republican Convention.

NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports from Rome that L'Unita, the official mouthpiece of the Italian communist party, folded this month amid dwindling sales and mounting debt. At the end of the Cold War, the Italian Communist party changed its name, but even so the Italian left lost its political clout. With the closing of L'Unita, Italy has lost a cultural institution that for decades featured the writings of leading western intellectuals, as well as East European dissidents.