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Lisa talks with author Adrian House about his new bookFrancis of Assisi: A Revolutionary Life. Francis, who lived from 1182 to 1226, started out as a party-boy. At age 24, he underwent a religious conversion, and began a spiritual journey that continues to inspire millions of people throughout the world.

NPR's Rob Gifford reports from Northern China on political corruption in China's provinces. The latest incident involves a member of the Communist Party who was a figure in the local people's Congress and a mob boss. Critics say major political reforms are needed in order to erase the link between organized crime and the government.

The House and Senate have been unable to reconcile differences over a supplemental spending bill, largely because of disagreements over a House-sponsored amendment aimed at curbing illegal immigration. The debate within the Republican Party is a prelude to a broader discussion still to come.

NPR's Anne Garrels in Baghdad reports on the Mukhtar, or mayor, of one district of the Iraqi capital, appointed by Saddam Hussein's Baath Party. The Mukhtar denies that he acted as Saddam's spy in the neighborhood, and says he was only responsible for humanitarian issues. But many in the neighborhood dispute that assertion.

President Bush has proposed a plan for Social Security that allows individuals to place certain payroll taxes in private investment accounts. Senior News Analyst NPR's Daniel Schorr explains that the idea is somewhat controversial, even within the ranks of the president's own party.

Consumer advocate Ralph Nader announces that he will run for president. Nader, who ran for president in 2000 on the Green Party ticket, said on NBC's Meet the Press that he plans to run as an independent. Hear NPR's Liane Hansen and NPR's Mara Liasson.

Host Bob Edwards speaks with NPR's Guy Raz on the capture of Tariq Aziz, deputy prime minister in the former Baath Party government of Saddam Hussein. He is the highest-ranking Iraqi government official so far apprehended by the United States.

NPR's Juan Williams talks with former senator and one-time Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole about the challenging period between winning a party nomination and officially getting it. Dole was the Republican nominee in 1996.

Some supporters of Nader's 2000 run for president as a Green Party candidate have urged the consumer advocate not to run this year. Political correspondent NPR's Mara Liasson discusses Nader's move with two Democratic governors: Michigan's Jennifer Granholm and New Mexico's Bill Richardson.

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is presenting a two-play cycle called Continental Divide. The David Edgar production portrays a governor's race from the separate perspectives of the Republican and Democratic parties. Dmae Roberts reports.