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Today, according to statements from the Taliban in Afghanistan, ancient Buddhist statues carved into a mountain have been destroyed despite attempts by U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to prevent it. Host Lisa Simeone talks with Humanities Professor Crispin Sartwell who says that destruction of idols has a long tradition in Western history. (5:00).

An explosion in a rural school house in China last Tuesday is believed to have been caused by children making fireworks to supplement the teachers' income. Host Lisa Simeone speaks with NPR's Rob Gifford in Beijing about child labor in China.

NPR's Mike Shuster reports that jury selection begins today in Los Angeles in the federal trial of Ahmed Ressam , the Algerian man who's accused of trying to smuggle bomb making materials into the United States. He was arrested in December of 1999, while crossing from Canada into Washington State. Prosecutors will argue that Ressam was part of a conspiracy to blow up public facilities during the Year 2000 celebrations.

In the first of a series of conversations with members of President Bush's cabinet, host Bob Edwards talks to Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony Principi. They discuss some of the problems confronting his department. Secretary Principi says one of his priorities is eliminating the backlog of claims for veterans benefits. He says the Department of Veterans Affairs provides medical care to more than four million veterans a year and that more money is needed to improve the quality of that care. President Bush is requesting one billion dollars for the department for next year.

There are plans for a massive new natural gas pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico. The 750-mile pipe will carry natural gas from Alabama to the Florida peninsula. As NPR's Debbie Elliott report, It's a first for the environmentally-sensitive eastern Gulf.

An excerpt from Napster Rap by singer Eric Schwartz. His music is available via Napster, and through his website at .

Host Lisa Simeone talks with the translators of a new English edition of Leo Tolstoy's classic novel, Anna Karenina (Viking Penguin/2001). Larissa Volokhonsky and Richard Pevear are a husband and wife translating team. She's Russian, he's American. They talk about the delicate art of translation.

NPR's Steve Inskeep joined a dozen U.S. senators who are working on a Habitat for Humanity project in Capitol Heights, MD.

Host Lisa Simeone talks with KUNC station manager Neil Best about the recent sale of the public radio station in Greeley, Colorado. The University of Northern Colorado sold the station to the "friends of KUNC" after a battle for control with Colorado Public Radio, based in Denver.

Host Lisa Simeone talks with NPR's Gerry Hadden about the end of the Zapatistas' trek to the capital to push for legislation that will guarantee the rights of indigenous people.

NPR's Martin Kaste reports on recent upheavals in the Brazilian Senate. The Senate's former president is threatening to topple the current government. And some think he has the evidence to do so.

Scott talks to Geoffrey Rush, who has been nominated for an Academy Award for his performance as the Marquis de Sade in the film Quills.