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NPR's Rob Gifford reports that the second most senior figure in Hong Kong's government has resigned. Anson Chan was appointed by the outgoing British administration, before Hong Kong reverted to Chinese rule in 1997. She was known as a ardent supporter of democracy and civil liberties. However, she denies she left her post because of any disagreement with the Beijing-appointed chief executive of Hong Kong.

Later this month and new online service called Questia will debut. It will provide a library containing 50,000 volumes of literature, scholarly journals and texts. The company hopes to eventually reach 250,000 volumes in the next three years. Questia is targeted mostly to students and will allow them to cross-reference, footnote and do a bibliography all online. Robert talks with Troy Williams, the CEO and President of Questia Media, about the new company and what it has taken to get started.

Music critic Meredith Ochs listens to 40 years of recordings by Chris Strachwitz. Forty years ago Strachwitz started on a journey to record great American music. His focus was on roots music; folk, blues, cajun, and zydeco. He liked to record the artists in their homes, beneath pine trees, and in other natural settings. Meredith Ochs says that this five CD collection tells the story of a great American journey. (6:00) The five CD set is Arhoolie Records 40th Anniversary Collection, The Journey of Chris Strachwitz. See http://www.arhoolie.com.

NPR Film Critic Bob Mondello says he's trying hard to keep Hollywood titles straight in his mind this year.

NPR's Pam Fessler reports on President Clinton's last economic report to Congress, which he sent to Capitol Hill today. The president rejected fears that a recession is coming. Speaking to reporters at the White House today, he said he hopes the Bush administration and Congress will work to pay off the national debt and will resist big tax cuts or spending increases.

Bob Garfield, co-host of NPR's On The Media, examines why the news media are so smitten with Federal Reserve chief Alan Greenspan.

NPR's Michele Kelemen reports that a panel of Swedish and Russian historians today released the conclusions of a ten-year study on the fate of Raoul Wallenberg. He was the Swedish diplomat credited with saving thousands of Jews in Nazi-occupied Budapest. He was later arrested by Soviet forces who captured Hungary from the Germans. The Swedish authors of the new study conclude that there is no hard evidence that Wallenberg died in the Soviet Union in 1947, as the Russians assert. The report questions whether Sweden did all it could to secure Wallenberg's release.

NPR's Snigdha Prakash reports that AOL and Time-Warner completed their merger today shortly after the FCC gave its conditional approval. The deal combines the nation's largest internet service provider with the second largest cable operator. It is valued at more than one-hundred-billion dollars. In a prepared statement, the newly merged company said its "scale, scope and reach" would enable it to capitalize on the digital revolution. Analysts say declining ad revenues may hurt the new company in the short run, but were mostly upbeat about its long-run chances.

William Hewlett, co-founder of the Hewlett-Packard Company has died at the age of 87. Karen Lewis is company historian for Agilent -- a company that spun-off from H.P. She talks to Noah Adams about how H.P. got its start.

Mona Simpson is the author of three, large sprawling novels, one of which, Anywhere But Here, found its way to the movie screen. Her new book, Off Keck Road, is a slender novel that our reviewer Alan Cheuse says has reach beyond its length. (1:45) Off Keck Road, is published by Knopf.