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There was a 2.6 percent increase in housing starts in April from March, the Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development say.

At a summit in Brussels, the European Union agreed to create a single overseer for its 6,000-plus banks. The move is seen as an important step in preventing future financial meltdowns. The European Bank will lead the efforts and the new overseer will have the power to intervene in any bank in the 17 eurozone countries.

Boston drivers celebrate the opening of a major section of a 3.5-mile tunnel that connects major highways in the congested downtown, shaving time off many commutes. The "Big Dig" took a dozen years to construct at a cost of $6.5 billion. NPR's Robert Siegel talks with Rich Kirkland of Metro Network Shadow Broadcasting in Boston.

News analyst Daniel Schorr says the latest attempt at renewing middle east peace talks faces many hazards. President Clinton called Wednesday the deadline for the two sides to demonstrate enough potential to work towards another summit. Prime Minister Barak faces a deadline of February 6 when Israelis vote on whether or not to keep him in office---and Yasser Arafat faces the prospect of having to deal with Ariel Sharon, should Barak lose the election.

Host Bob Edwards talks with Robert Schmuhl, author of Statecraft and Stagecraft: American Political Life in the Age of Personality. They discuss tonight's speech by President Bush, his first address to Congress. (4:04) (Please note: The introduction to this interview misstates the size of President Bush's tax cut. The correct figure is $1.6 trillion.)

Linda Wertheimer talks with NPR's Don Gonyea, who is traveling with the president today, one day after Mr. Bush gave his budget address to a joint session of Congress. The president got good reviews on his oratory, but Democrats claim that the plan favors the rich. Mr. Bush, in visits around the country to sell his plan, insisted that the Democrats were playing "class warfare," and that the current state of the economy warrants his $1.6 trillion tax cut.

Ahmir Thompson, aka Questlove, is the drummer for the Grammy-winning hip-hop group The Roots. The sextet melds musical styles: rock 'n' roll, jazz fusion, funk, poetry, shout-outs to hip-hop pioneers, black nationalism and groove-laden neo-soul musings. (This interview originally aired Feb. 6, 2003.)

The Supreme Court rules in favor of Oregon's physician-assisted-suicide law in a 6-to-3 decision. The justices find the state has the right to allow doctors to prescribe lethal doses of drugs for terminally ill, mentally sound patients.

There was a standing ovation at baseball's Miller Park in Milwaukee this weekend, as a new athlete took the field for the first time. Standing about eight feet tall -- including his sombrero -- "El Picante" was the star of the show during the Brewers' 6th-inning entertainment: the sausage races.

Chris J. Strolin and his team of contributors from around the world are attempting to redefine each and every word in the English language with a limerick. So far, they've completed 6,228 limericks. The dictionary is called The Omnificent English Dictionary in Limerick Form. Mr. Strolin tells NPR's Scott Simon how he came up with the idea and how they've redefined antidisestablishmentarianism.