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Noah talks with Pepper Schwartz, a sociology professor at the University of Washington. She was a lead witness for the plaintiffs in the same-sex marriage discrimination suit in Hawaii that was decided yesterday. They talk about the demographics of same-sex unions, and she tells stories about the motivations for marriage, impediments to marriage, and rituals being used in same-sex marriage ceremonies.

NPR's Martha Raddatz reports that President Clinton today announced his choices for a new national security team, nominating Republican Senator William Cohen of Maine as defense secretary and U.N. ambassador Madeleine Albright as the nation's first female secretary of state. He also named his national security advisor, Anthony Lake, to head the CIA and has asked Lake's deputy, Samuel "Sandy" Berger, to fill Lake's job. They were the first of several announced cabinet changes expected for the second Clinton administration.

NPR's Martha Raddatz reports that a number of former military officials are waging a high-profile campaign to pressure the United States to seek the elimination of all nuclear weapons. Retired Air Force General George Lee Butler today called for such a policy and said that nuclear weapons are costly, dangerous and indefensible. He had been the commander of the U.S. nuclear arsenal before retiring. Sixty generals and admirals from around the world are expected to release a statement tomorrow also calling for the reduction of nuclear arms.

The National Transportation Safety Board meets this week in Florida to review all data collected about last May's ValuJet crash. Transcripts from cockpit voice recordings reveal that the pilots knew just how much trouble their craft was in. Investigators will also review results of the data analysis to try and repeat the condition that led to the fire that brought down the plane. NPR's Dan Charles reports.

Noah Adams speaks with Madeleine Peyroux (pe-ROO), a twenty-two-year-old singer, who's just released her first CD, "Dreamland." Her career began on the streets of Paris when she was just 15 years old. She specializes in material from the 1920's, '30's and '40's including songs originally made famous by Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday. While her style pays homage to the originators, Madeleine Peyroux adds her own unique imprint to the material.

The Department of Energy is announcing a two-step plan to get rid of the nation's stockpile of plutonium waste. About 50 tons of the highly radioactive material have accumulated during the making of atomic bombs, weapons that are now being dismantled. NPR's Richard Harris reports on the government's plan to bury part of the waste and to combine the rest of it in fuel used by commercial nuclear plants.

Marj Halperin reports on the new "Children's Room" for kids who visit Chicago's family court. The children are anxiously awaiting the outcome of their custody, abuse, and foster care hearings, and while they wait they are often calmed by hands-on-art activities, live performances, and special phones where they can role-play about their fears with privacy.

between the State of Illinois and the City of Chicago over Meigs Field, the tiny airport on Lake Michigan, which is very convenient for state officials traveling to and from the capital in Springfield. The State legislature has voted to take control of the airport site, something Mayor Richard Daley promises to fight in court. Chicago wants to make a public park on the land.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports on the intense political crisis gripping Zaire, one of Africa's largest nations. A rebellion which began several weeks ago in the east of the country is steadily spreading, and Zaire's underpaid and poorly disciplined army is putting up very little resistance. To compound the problem, President Mobutu Sese Seko (mo-BOO-too SAY-SAY SAY-koh) has been out of the country for months, as he recuperates from cancer surgery on the French Riviera.

Noah reads from listeners' comments. To contact All Things Considered, write to All Things Considered Letters, 635 Massachusetts Avenue Northwest, Washington D-C, 20001. To contact us via the Internet, the address is ATC@ NPR.ORG.