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NPR's Ina Jaffe reports on a plague that is threatening the sunny image of Beverly Hills. Something is causing some of the city's signature palm trees to lose their heads. The tops, or crowns, of a number of trees have simply broken off and crashed to the ground. But with $1.5 million in its "urban forestry" budget, the city is working hard to root out the cause and keep it from spreading. After all, just imagine what a palm crown weighing a ton and a half could do if it fell on someone's Ferrari!

Compensation expert GRAEF ("GRAFE") CRYSTAL. He used to design compensation packages for CEOs. But he's since become critical of the widening gap between what top executives make and what workers do. He recently conducted a preliminary survey of executive compensation in the nation's largest corporations. The survey found that the pay of chief executives has been rising, while that of workers has stagnated.

- Daniel speaks to Khulu Sibiya, the Editor in Chief of City Press, a leading newspaper in South Africa, about the recent revelations that have surfaced during the country's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Several top ex-leaders including the former President of South Africa Pieter W. Botha are alleged to have had a major role in killings during the years of apartheid. The allegations were made this week during confessions by several high ranking police officers who admit to taking part in the killings.

Linda talks with Joe Jackson, a pop music correspondent for the Irish Times. They discuss the new CD collection of old Irish hymns called "Faith of our Fathers," which has hit the top of the pop charts in Ireland. (STATIONS: "Faith of Our Fathers," featuring Frank Patterson, Regina Nathan, the Monks of Glenstal Abbey and the Irish Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus, is not yet available in the United States. It is expected to be released in March of this year, on the RTE label, catalogue number RTE CD198.) (8:00) ((ST

Musicians Joe Hunter and Jack Ashford were part of the group of musicians known as the Funk Brothers whose sound defined Motown in the 1960s and 70s. They worked with such legendary performers as Diana Ross and the Supremes, the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, The Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, The Miracles and many more. The Funk Brothers are the subject of the new documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown.

The United States Olympic Committee is wracked by turmoil. Again. Members of the group charged with promoting America's Olympic fortunes are bickering so incessantly that Congress will hold a hearing next week. A top corporate Olympic sponsor says the bureaucratic infighting could wind up harming athletes. NPR's Howard Berkes reports.

Commentator Rawlins Gilliland, a public speaking-consultant and former National Endowment for the Humanities Poet-in-Residence, says other people's music seems to form a soundtrack to his life. It's a constant background din -- as he drives with his top down, talks on his cell phone, stops at a gas station, works out at his gym, visits a park, and finds a birthday party in progress on his own block.

NPR's Mara Liasson reports on today's congressional hearing on the continuing Clinton pardon dispute. The House Government Reform Committee called Democratic donor Beth Dozoretz to testify about her knowledge of lobbying on behalf of a pardon for fugitive Marc Rich. Dozoretz invoked her fifth amendment right against self-incrimination and answered no questions. The panel also questioned former top Clinton aides. Clinton had waived his right to executive privilege, allowing them to testify.

NPR's Brian Naylor reports on Attorney General John Ashcroft's first news conference since taking office. Ashcroft, whose treatment of a black judge was an issue in his confirmation, highlighted his plans for civil rights. Ashcroft said enforcing laws against discrimination is one of his three priorities. He did not confirm or deny news reports that Atlanta lawyer Larry Thompson and Washington attorney Theodore Olson are in line for top jobs at the Justice Department.

The fine art of "hacking," or elaborate practical joking, is a storied tradition at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Students at M.I.T. have perched a life-size police car on top of a domed building, wrapped an enormous jock strap around the athletic center, and performed a host of other diabolical pranks. Liane speaks with the school's Assistant Safety Officer, David Barber, who is in charge of dismantling these pranks the next day.