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Writer and designer Jennifer Sharpe collects musical oddities. This time, Sharpe shares some selections from an unusual genre she calls "kid funk," including 6-year-old Angela Simpson's 1970s rendition of Langston Hughes poetry.

The Education Department recently emailed unusual guidance to the companies that manage its $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio, throwing the May 1 deadline into doubt.

More than 6,000 mountaineers have reached this highest point on Earth — but only nine Black people are known to have ever reached that pinnacle.

Billy Joel doesn't perform on his latest CD, a collection of classical pieces he composed. The 'piano man' explains why — and reveals what he's learned about his craft (6:58-7:45) Billy Joel: Fantasies & Delusions, Op. 1-10. Sony/Columbia.

The Gorillaz' debut album sold more than 6 million copies worldwide, and the group was nominated for MTV awards, Brit awards, even a Grammy. Their recent tour sold out premier venues in North America. Not bad for a bunch of cartoon characters. NPR's Susan Stone goes behind the curtain, Tuesday on All Things Considered.

Host Susan Stamberg continues her discussion with singer/songwriter Billy Joel. The rock icon dedicated his song New York State of Mind to the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. (4:09-6:42) Billy Joel's latest CD is called Billy Joel: Fantasies & Delusions, Op. 1-10. It's released by Sony/Columbia.

There are an estimated 6,000 western private security contractors in Iraq. Often times, the line between defense and offense can blur as contractors are drawn into heavy firefights with insurgents. There's no real authority structure to control these contractors, and some U.S. lawmakers worry that it's setting a dangerous precedent in a war zone. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports.

Under pressure from a panel investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the White House Saturday declassified the President's Daily Brief document from August 6, 2001. The briefing, titled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.," has been mentioned often in testimony before the panel. Hear NPR's Liane Hansen, NPR's Pam Fessler and New York Times correspondent David Sanger.

The White House released the President's Daily Brief from August 6, 2001 Saturday night. The document, titled "Bin Laden Determined To Strike in U.S.," contains information about possible airline hijackings and al Qaeda sleeper cells in the United States. The Sept. 11 commission members have been pressing the Bush administration for its release. Hear NPR's Pam Fessler.

It's been seven years since detective Jane Tennison last applied her world-weary determination to solving a case on Masterpiece Theatre's Prime Suspect. But on April 18, acclaimed British actress Helen Mirren revives Tennison's character, returning to PBS in Prime Suspect 6: The Last Witness. Mirren speaks with NPR's Lynn Neary.