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Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan says rising energy costs have trimmed economic growth by about three-quarters of a percentage point in 2004. Higher fuel prices could mean a struggle this winter among Americans who use oil to heat their homes. NPR's Chris Arnold reports.

A bar conversation in Dublin about Ireland's status as the home of "the world's loudest bat" intrigued Abinadi Meza. If humans could hear the bat, it would be like a jumbo jet taking off next to our ears, the claim went. It was enough to send Meza out with electronic gear to try to find the bat, and capture its sound.

Actress Uta Hagen died Wednesday at her home in Manhattan at age 84. Hagen gained her biggest Broadway success in the early 1960s with her portrayal of Martha in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. She also taught dozens of actors how to ply their trade. NPR's Neda Ulaby reports.

NPR's Robert Siegel interviews Emma Allen about her article in The New Yorker called "The Best Drinks of 2015." She walks us through mixing a drink from her list, which anyone can make at home.

For people with AIDS and HIV, having a home could mean the difference between life and death. Small things matter -- for instance, drugs to treat infection often need refrigeration. As part of NPR's Housing First series, WNYC's Beth Fertig talks to activists and organizers fighting to provide shelter for some of the nation's most vulnerable people.

Faith in his electability and respect for his experience have helped make Sen. John Kerry the frontrunner in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. Still, Kerry's perceived patrician coldness and his wealthy background could prove a liability. Rival Sen. John Edwards, who cultivates a down-home persona, may pose the biggest threat. Hear NPR's Bob Edwards and Andrew Miga of the Boston Herald.

British PM Tony Blair heads to Washington to address Congress and meet with President Bush. The leaders are likely to discuss their justification for the war in Iraq. They are also expected to discuss two British terror suspects being held at Guantanamo Bay. Blair faces pressure at home to persuade Bush to release the men for trial in Britain. Hear Warren Hoge of The New York Times.

Pfc. Jessica Lynch returns home to a flag-waving welcome in Palestine, W.Va., and speaks to the media for the first time since her dramatic rescue in April. Lynch had been recuperating at an Army hospital in Washington, D.C., from injuries she received when her unit was ambushed in Iraq March 23. Hear Jeff Young of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

California's fire season begins with two wildfires raging in Southern California, where more than 4,000 homes have been evacuated. Experts predict an especially harsh summer because warm weather in April caused an early snow melt. Hear NPR's Robert Siegel and Rick Ochoa, manager of the National Fire Weather program.

As members of Congress head home for their spring break, they have little to tout in the way of legislative success. A pattern has developed: Republicans propose legislation, Democrats attach amendments that win support from moderate Republicans, and the Republican leadership pulls the bills before a vote, apparently out of deference to the White House. Hear NPR's Howard Berkes and NPR's David Welna.