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Central states cry foul over federal attempts to save prairie dogs and their habitats. Nebraska and others say the prairie dog is a pest, not an endangered species. Prairie dogs have lost 99 percent of their original range in North America. NPR's Greg Allen reports.

Lawyers for some of the nation's largest retailers say Visa and MasterCard illegally thwarted for years the growth of debit-card networks, The Wall Street Journal reports. The allegations stem from recently unsealed court documents from a class-action suit that includes Wal-Mart and Sears. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.

NPR's Rachael Myrow reports on how technology could help prevent some embarrassing situations. The latest development from the world of karaoke, brings a 'pitch-correction' machine that puts even notoriously bad singers in the right key.

Nearly 800,000 children worldwide die each year of measles, according to a new report. In some places, only 5 percent of children receive needed vaccines. In some West African nations, hospitals have converted measles wards into space for people with HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. NPR's Joanne Silberner reports.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg mounts a campaign against noise pollution, the top complaint on a police "quality of life" hotline. New Yorkers are annoyed by the racket from car horns and personal stereos -- and from loudspeakers coaxing people into bars and restaurants. NPR's Margot Adler reports.

NPR's Sarah McCammon speaks with Georgia State Senator Butch Miller about the recent voting bill he co-sponsored.

Diane Orson reports lawyers in the trial of Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel are at odds over the prosecution's use of a dramatic multi-media display that looked like a TV news report. High-tech presentations are increasingly popular with some lawyers, but others see it as a dangerous trend.

NPR's Rachael Myrow reports on problems at one of the nation's largest hospital chains. Just a month ago, Tenet Healthcare was one of the stars of the medical-services industry, beloved by Wall Street. That was before the Medicare audit, the telephone calls from the SEC, the investigation of two company doctors in Redding, Calif., and the precipitous plunge in Tenet's stock price.

A U.S. district judge rules against a New York law that bans the wearing of masks during public demonstrations. The judge says the law amounts to "viewpoint discrimination" by singling out a Ku Klux Klan-like group that applied for a parade permit -- and is therefore unconstitutional. NPR's Margot Adler reports.

A New York City council committee strikes a blow for quieter cultural pursuits among the chattering classes.