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President Bush toured the Gulf Coast Thursday, noting improvements since the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. In New Orleans, the president did not tour any of the city's still-deserted neighborhoods, and protesters called for a stronger federal commitment to fortify the city's levees.

Robert Siegel talks with Stephen Cohen, national scholar for the Israel Policy Forum, about the Gaza deal.

Sami Abdelshafi, co-founder and senior partner of Emerge Consulting Group, is cautiously optimistic about the new Gaza border-crossing agreement between the Palestinian people and Israel. Abdelshafi's company provides economic analysis to businesses, government groups and non-profits operating in Gaza.

Federal crop insurance was created in the dust bowl days of the 1930s to help farmers survive the ravages of nature. But changes in the program have created a new type of farmer: one who farms only for the insurance money.

Sentencing is expected Tuesday for Chai Soua Vang in the murder of six deer hunters last year. The shooting in northern Wisconsin followed a racially charged trespassing confrontation between Vang, who is Hmong, and the men. The tension lingers as hunters prepare for this year's hunting season. Gil Halsted of Wisconsin Public Radio reports.

France has authorized emergency measures after a dozen nights of rioting. Local officials can now impose curfews if they choose, and police have authority to conduct raids without warning. Severe punishment for rioters was promised, and the first sentences were handed down Monday.

Retail giant Wal-Mart is facing criticism over an internal memo that proposes aggressive moves to trim employee benefit costs, such as discouraging unhealthy people from taking jobs at Wal-Mart. The company, whose stock price has dropped over the last year, is under pressure from investors to cut costs.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made an unannounced visit to Iraq Friday in an attempt to ease sectarian tensions before next month's elections. Rice's first stop was the northern, Sunni-dominated city of Mosul. Later, she headed for Baghdad to meet with senior government officials in the capital's Green Zone.

As Hurricane Rita barrels into the Gulf of Mexico, NPR's Phillip Davis is watching the storm from the sky with hurricane hunters from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He speaks with host Michele Norris from a jet over the Gulf.

NPR's Puzzlemaster Will Shortz quizzes one of our listeners, and has a challenge for everyone at home. (This week's winner is Paige Byrne Shortal from Union, Mo. She listens to Weekend Edition on member station KWMU in St. Louis.)