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Illinois lawmakers worked until the early hours of Saturday to pass a $46.5 billion spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year, as well as a $1.8 billion package of mostly-temporary tax cuts that Democrats said are intended to soften the impact of inflation on working families.

Fifty years ago Thursday, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed for selling America's nuclear weapons secrets to the Soviet Union. In his new book, An Execution in the Family, the Rosenbergs' son, Robert Meeropol, revisits the much-debated case against his parents. NPR's Michele Norris talks with Meeropol.

A growing market for foods and other consumer products colored with "natural" red dye has sparked a booming industry in Peru. NPR's Martin Kaste reports that thousands of families make a living harvesting the source of the dye -- tiny insect called cochineals. See photos of the insects being harvested, and discover the true source of the red dye. (Please note this correction which aired in 'All Things Considered' on June 19, 2003: ..."my description yesterday of the Cochineal insect as a Peruvian beetle. While we could claim that this is a vague layman's usage of 'beetle' that would include even certain Volkswagens, that would not wash with Dr. Paul Johnson, professor of entomology at South Dakota State University in Brookings. He calls it, 'a serious entomological faux pas.' In a further unkind cut, Professor Johnson writes: 'I would expect such cavalier biology from your colleagues at Fox, but factual inaccuracies on NPR?! ... Beetles are exceedingly distinctive insects that are well-known and well characterized in any novitiate-level biology book, as well as advanced entomology references... Cochineal insects are not beetles and not even closely related, let alone not even similar in appearance (but rather) a species of scale insect. Shame on NPR for allowing Western entomo-phobic disregard for insects to influence the misrepresentation of biological facts.")

American forces in Iraq capture Abid Hamid Mahmud, Saddam Hussein's security chief and No. 4 on the U.S. list of 55 most-wanted Iraqi leaders. And U.S. troops raid farmhouses near the northern city of Tikrit in an effort to root out supporters of the former Baathist regime. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.

In the last of a three-part series on Iraq's diverse ethnic and religious groups, NPR's Ivan Watson reports the Kurdish controlled northern part of the country remains stable. The two ruling Kurdish factions seeking control of their region have combined forces and are seeking effective ways to assimilate with the rest of the country.

What would you do if you stumbled across a friend's very personal Web log? Should you stop reading subsequent entries out of respect for her privacy? Randy Cohen, who writes "The Ethicist" column for The New York Times Magazine, discusses that ethical dilemma and others in his latest appearance on the show.

The House and Senate intelligence committees launched hearings this week on the Bush administration's handling of pre-war intelligence on Iraq. But while Democrats call for a probe of whether the White House mishandled intelligence reports, Republicans insist the hearings do not amount to an investigation of wrongdoing. NPR's David Welna reports.

The New Leviathan Oriental Fox-Trot Orchestra may sound anachronistic, that's what it's all about. This 18-piece New Orleans group is dedicated to playing and preserving the music of the early 20th century. Host Bob Edwards talks with one of the orchestra's founding members, George Schmidt, about its latest CD, Burning Sands. It's a tongue-in-cheek collection of Middle Eastern songs, including "Rebecca Came Back from Mecca" and "Lena the Queen of Palestina."

While Capitol Hill is consumed with debate over the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, public opinion seems less vocal. NPR asked three reporters to ask three groups of people whether it matter if weapons of mass destruction are found in Iraq. Russell Lewis of member station KPBS reports that to a group of vets in San Diego, finding the weapons is something they believe will happen, and their faith that they exist in Iraq is unshaken. NPR's Tom Goldman found a group of people in Portland, Ore., who are much more skeptical of U.S. officials' claims that the weapons exist -- and believe lies may have been told to build support for the war. And Nancy Solomon found a group in New Jersey who have mixed feelings about finding weapons of mass destruction.

A rocket-propelled grenade is fired at a U.S. Army ambulance south of Baghdad, killing a U.S. soldier traveling inside. The attack is one of at least four launched against U.S. targets Thursday, killing two Iraqi bystanders and wounding at least a dozen others. NPR's Tom Bullock reports.