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Music critic Meredith Ochs listens to 40 years of recordings by Chris Strachwitz. Forty years ago Strachwitz started on a journey to record great American music. His focus was on roots music; folk, blues, cajun, and zydeco. He liked to record the artists in their homes, beneath pine trees, and in other natural settings. Meredith Ochs says that this five CD collection tells the story of a great American journey. (6:00) The five CD set is Arhoolie Records 40th Anniversary Collection, The Journey of Chris Strachwitz. See http://www.arhoolie.com.

California narrowly avoided cutting off electricity to part of the state yesterday as power reserves fell below critical levels. Rolling blackouts across the state may still be necessary in the near future. NPR's Ina Jaffe reports on how the electricity grid choreographs these rolling blackouts.

NPR's Pam Fessler reports on President Clinton's last economic report to Congress, which he sent to Capitol Hill today. The president rejected fears that a recession is coming. Speaking to reporters at the White House today, he said he hopes the Bush administration and Congress will work to pay off the national debt and will resist big tax cuts or spending increases.

Western governors are meeting in Sacramento today to work out a deal on energy transfers to California. The state continues to struggle for a solution to its energy crisis as they deal with critically low power reserves and nearly bankrupt utility companies. NPR's Richard Gonzales reports.

NPR's Michele Kelemen reports that a panel of Swedish and Russian historians today released the conclusions of a ten-year study on the fate of Raoul Wallenberg. He was the Swedish diplomat credited with saving thousands of Jews in Nazi-occupied Budapest. He was later arrested by Soviet forces who captured Hungary from the Germans. The Swedish authors of the new study conclude that there is no hard evidence that Wallenberg died in the Soviet Union in 1947, as the Russians assert. The report questions whether Sweden did all it could to secure Wallenberg's release.

California's energy crisis is having significant repercussions in the Northwest, and maybe renewing old animosities, as Tom Banse reports, from Olympia, Washington.

Bob Garfield, co-host of NPR's On The Media, examines why the news media are so smitten with Federal Reserve chief Alan Greenspan.

MILES remembers Chech musician Milan Hlavsa leader of the band The Plastic People of the Universe. He died on Jan 5th from cancer.

Minimalist Composer Steve Reich on his composition Its Gonna Rain inspired by the Cuban Missle Crisis.

Environmental groups opposed to the nomination of Gale Norton as Interior secretary joined their voices in protest today. They say Norton, the former attorney general of Colorado, expounds theories of land use well outside the mainstream of contemporary legal thinking. But Norton has the backing of conservatives who say she simply follows a strict interpretation of the Constitution and the intent of the founding fathers. NPR's David Welna reports.

President-elect George W. Bush will be inaugurated a week from tomorrow, and the city of Washington is getting ready for a larger number of protests than is usual. Robert speaks with Terrence Gainer, Deputy Chief of Police for Washington D.C. about the preparations.

Sheehan reviews 13 Days the new film about the Cuban Missle Crisis starring Kevin Costner.