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Lori Anne Madison is the youngest-ever competitor in the National Spelling Bee, which is being held in Washington, D.C., this week. She might also be the only competitor who often studies while swinging upside down.

For many, summer is a time of transition: weddings, graduations, job interviews. And that means it's also a season for thank-you notes. Despite the ubiquity of e-mail, experts tell Michele Norris that a handwritten note remains the best way to express your gratitude.

Julianne Shepherd of The Fader discusses this week's new music releases, including albums by Sigur Ros, Three 6 Mafia, Hercules and Love Affair, and Ry Cooder.

The venerable New York investment firm Goldman Sachs has a long track record for producing political bigwigs. Treasury Secretary-nominee Henry M. Paulson Jr. has served as both chairman and CEO since 1999. The company boasts a return on equity of upwards of 40 percent.

The man British authorities charged with poisoning former KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko has responded with his own accusations. Andrei Lugovoi, another former KGB officer, says Litvinenko was a British agent trying to get compromising materials about Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Each year on Memorial Day weekend, West Virginia's best storytellers compete for the prestigious title of "Biggest Liar," in a tall- tale contest that draws large crowds. Two contest judges, including a five-time champion, spin a couple of whoppers.

Even as it loses its chief executive, the CIA's recently retired third-ranking official is under investigation for possible improper relations with a defense contractor, says Newsweek magazine correspondent Michael Isikoff. Federal investigators are investigating CIA Executive Director Kyle "Dusty" Foggo.

Alistair Campbell, British Prime Minister Tony Blair's top media strategist, steps down amid accusations that he helped exaggerate evidence on Iraq's weapons programs. The British media had dubbed Campbell the "real deputy prime minister." Campbell cites family reasons for his resignation. Hear NPR's Guy Raz.

Japan can call itself the world champion of baseball. The Japanese team captured the inaugural World Baseball Classic by beating Cuba 10-6 in the championship game San Diego.

In nearly two dozen interviews, Houstonians expressed everything from admiration and relief to skepticism and dread following the seizure of leader Nicolás Maduro.

With its Friday release of some three million pages, the Department of Justice says it has released all of the files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Downloading popular songs to use as personal cell phone ring tones has turned into a $3 billion global industry. A growing revenue stream for songwriters and publishers, ring tones are now outselling digital downloads of music. NPR's Michele Norris talks to Geoff Mayfield, the director of charts for Billboard Magazine, which has just launched a "Hot Ringtones" chart.