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NPR's Ivan Watson reports on Pakistani reaction to the new policy of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service that requires visitors from two dozen Muslim nations to register with the I.N.S. or risk being deported. Many Pakistanis voice outrage at the new policy, and Pakistan's foreign minister is urging Washington to exempt Pakistani citizens.

NPR's Larry Abramson reports on librarians' concerns that anti-terrorism laws will require them to violate their patrons' privacy. Librarians are holding workshops to learn about their responsibilities and options.

Some protests are motivated by war, or civil rights violations. Others are sparked by issues of somewhat less dire concern. But that doesn't necessarily lessen the emotion behind them. Witness Paulette Lsyshyn's effort to get the Gem canning jar company to reverse its decision to stop production of a certain size of lid. NPR's Lynn Neary talks with Paulette Lsyshyn of Leoville, Saskatchewan, Canada, about her countrywide petition.

In Brazil, seasonally heavy rains and flashfloods have caused deadly landslides. More than 100 people have died in the last month, most of them residents of urban shantytowns perched precariously on steep hillsides. Some say more needs to be done to curb the urban sprawl. Others say people have a right to put a roof over their heads. NPR's Martin Kaste reports.

NPR's Robert Siegel talks to University of Iowa film professor Rick Altman about filmmaker Edwin Porter. One hundred years ago today, Porter received the copyright on Life of an American Fireman, a film that's regarded, along with his other 1903 film The Great train Robbery, as the first to use the conceit of editing to compress time and space. Porter's pioneering work influenced all subsequent filmmakers. Altman says audiences quickly learned to follow the new way of telling stories. Editing saved the faltering movie industry, which up to Porter's work in 1903 mostly used single, uncut shots of real world events. Porter cut away from an action to show events happening at the same time elsewhere.

A brief summary of some of the other important stories on today's program.

New figures from the 2000 Census show Hispanics now make up 13 percent of the United States' population. The new data suggests Hispanics may have overtaken blacks as the largest minority population, but critics say it depends on how the numbers are tallied. NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports.

NPR's Debbie Elliot tells NPR's Lynn Neary about opening statements in New Orleans on the latest class action suit against the tobacco industry. An estimated three million smokers, some who are not ill, want the tobacco industry to pay for health screening for tobacco-related illnesses, called medical monitoring. The tobacco industry says medical monitoring is an unproven remedy, and that they shouldn't be held responsible for smokers ignoring the warning labels and smoking anyway.

In Los Angeles, a restaurant chain with high overall health ratings is being sued by consumers for minor violations. A nail salon is being sued for the common practice of using the same nail polish bottle for multiple clients. These are just two of a long list of consumer lawsuits being filed against small businesses in California. Now the state is considering charging those doing the suing with trying to shake down the businesses. NPR's Ina Jaffe reports.

A new White House mandate would require that 4-year-olds leaving the Head Start program take a literacy test. The Bush administration wants to make sure the program -- created to help increase the school readiness of children in low-income families -- is preparing children to read. NPR's Claudio Sanchez reports.