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to withdraw his nomination to head the C.I.A. He cited his three grueling days of confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill, fearing that a vote might be delayed for weeks.

Commentator Mickey Edwards says the Republicans should be putting all their energy into ensuring that the GOP maintains control of Congress. He says while a division of power between the White House and Capitol Hill would seem to lead to gridlock, the fact is that in the last two years it has made for compromise and progress.

magazine about the strength of evidence against the President in the Paula Jones sexual harassment suit. Taylor believes the evidence in the Jones case is more persuasive than Anita Hill's accusation of Clarence Thomas.

NPR's Adam Hochberg reports on the growing concern of some university administrators over alcohol abuse on campus. At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, they've taken the unusual step of banning alcohol from fraternity "rush" events, a phenomenon in which alcohol has traditionally played a major role.

NPR's Richard Harris reports on a new study that explains why sand dunes and beaches sometimes emit mysterious singing or booming sounds. It turns out that the microstructure of sand particles varies from place to place, and this structure determines what sand sounds like when you walk on it or when it slides down a hill.

In Mexico's southern Chiapas mountains, men, women and children work in primitive conditions to mine amber from the rock. Working by candlelight deep in the mountainsides with none of the security features found in modern mines, these Mexicans pry the honey-colored fossil from the hill. NPR's Gerry Hadden reports from Simojovel , Mexico.

NPR's Peter Kenyon reports that the President's tax-cut proposals will be coming to Capitol Hill tomorrow. Mr. Bush is urging lawmakers to hold the line at one-point-six-trillion dollars. But business interests are also trying to jump aboard the bandwagon, which could make the final package much bigger.

Host Lisa Simeone talks with Louis P. Masur, author of 1831: Year of Eclipse (Hill and Wang/2001). Masur, who teaches history at the City College of New York, talks about some of the key events of 1831: the rise of the abolitionist movement, Nat Turner's rebellion, the tension between states' rights and national priorities, and the arrival of the steam locomotive in the United States.

A special 11-part weekly series, airing Fridays on Morning Edition, highlights the creation of the American musical traditions that give this country its own unique sound. In the second part, NPR's Paul Brown reports on the origins of the country guitar and how an instrument of the upper crust made it to the hills.

President Bush signs executive orders to reform the U.S. intelligence community. White House aides say the orders will strengthen the power of the CIA director and establish a national counterterrorism center. The measures don't rule out reform proposals circulating on Capitol Hill. Hear NPR's Mary Louise Kelly.