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Look around your kitchen table and you'll see the work of Ambassador Ron Kirk. He's the United States Trade Representative, which is a cabinet-level position, and he's negotiated trade deals all around the world. Host Michel Martin talks to him about why he's choosing to step down from his post, and the importance of U.S. trade.

The stock market's long climb has some people concerned it may be a bubble about to burst — a bubble artificially pumped up by the Federal Reserve's easy-money policy. That's led to calls — even from within the Fed — for an end to the central bank's extraordinary efforts to keep interest rates low.

Iraqi and U.S. officials interviewed for the report by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction said the $60 billion the U.S. spent on reconstruction efforts in Iraq "should have accomplished more." The findings could portend what lies ahead for the U.S. in Afghanistan where it is also engaged in reconstruction.

When President Obama signs an updated version of the Violence Against Women Act on Thursday afternoon, the law will include new requirements for how colleges and universities handle allegations of sexual assault.

The energy giant says it has "thrown in the towel on solar." The industry has evolved since BP entered the ring, currently emphasizing cheap production rather than research and development. BP says it just wasn't making money, though it will continue investing in other renewable resources.

Nogales, Ariz., is home to one of the nation's busiest ports of entry. Trucks line up for inspection before heading to grocery stores in the U.S. But the sequester is forcing the ports to make cuts, leading some to fear higher prices for food and strained relationships with foreign trading partners.

In Russia, a prominent dancer with the fabled Bolshoi Ballet has confessed to ordering an attack on the company's director. The director suffered third degree burns after acid was thrown onto his face. For more on the scandals at the Bolshoi, Renee Montagne talks to writer Christina Ezrahi, author of Swans of the Kremlin: Ballet and Power in Soviet Russia.

The senator said he "would speak, until I can no longer speak," and he hit that wall early Thursday. His goal was to get the Obama administration to pledge it won't use drone attacks against American citizens on U.S. soil. He's put a bright spotlight on the issue.

Also: Self-portraits of famous authors; why two major spring novels have the same title; and literary statues from around the world.

The president dined Wednesday with Republicans. He has lunch today with the 2012 GOP vice presidential nominee. Next week: More discussions with Republicans over a meal.