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Ken Khachigian, senior adviser to Fred Thompson's exploratory presidential campaign, says Thompson has caught up with top GOP candidates in fundraising. It helps that Americans have some comfort and familiarity with Thompson, he tells Michele Norris.

Jon Miller reports from Lima on Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori's strategy towards the crisis in the Japanese ambassador's residence, where leftist rebels still hold 74 hostages. Fujimori refuses to consider the hostage-takers' demand that he free their imprisoned comrades, but at the same time he is actively seeking a negotiated solution. The Peruvian leader is resisting pressure from his military to storm the residence. He has even sent a top advisor to meet with jailed rebel leaders.

Carolyn Jack reports from Toronto on the growing demands for the resignation of Canada's top military officer. General Jean Boyle has come under fire in the course of an official inquiry into the killings of Somali civilians by Canadian peacekeepers. The inquiry has uncovered allegations of a coverup of the military's handling of the 1993 torture and murder of a Somali teenager. The calls for Boyle's removal escalated when he defended himself by questioning his staff's integrity and moral fiber.

Bob Dole is just back from a visit to northern California, where he campaigned for himself and for a Republican congressional candidate. Most House and Senate candidates want the top of the ticket to appear in the district to take advantage of the presidential candidate's coattails. But in the California case and others, the local congressional hopeful may be more popular, and Dole may not have much to offer in the way of assistance. NPR's Elizabeth Arnold reports.

The Senate Armed Services committee questioned Army officials today about allegations that senior members of the service have sexually harassed women under their command. Before the hearing, the New York Times published charges by a retired sergeant major that her then-boss, the top enlisted man in the Army, had harassed her and other officials took no action on her complaints. NPR's Barbara Bradley has a report.

A Senate newly controlled by Republicans means key changes at the top of powerful committees. And with a brand-new GOP leader, committee chairmen may wield additonal influence. Alaska's Sen. Ted Stevens takes over as head of the Appropriations Committee. NPR's Elizabeth Arnold offers a profile.

Code breaker Leo Marks died January 15th at the age of 80. He served as one of Britain's top code makers during WWII. There he revolutionized the military's code making methods. He wrote about his experiences in Between Silk and Cyanide: A Codemaker's War 1941-1945. Marks was also a screenwriter. His most famous film was the 1960's cult-classic Peeping Tom.

President Bush today tried to keep the focus on the tax cut plan he will submit to Congress tomorrow. But the shooting just off the White House grounds got most of the media attention. Earlier in the day, top aides to the president had scrambled to deny stories that said they were shutting down White House offices devoted to AIDS research and to promoting better race relations. NPR's White House correspondent Don Gonyea reports.

The Bush administration condemns the assassination of a top commander of the Kurdish resistance in northern Iraq. A State Department spokesman says the United States had been working closely with Gen. Shawkat Haji Mushir. Mushir's death is blamed on a Kurdish Islamist movement with al Qaeda ties. NPR's Ivan Watson report.

Always wanted to be a character in a novel? Here's your chance. This week, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts is holding an Immortality Auction, in which the highest bidders will buy their way into novels by some of England's top writers. It's all to raise money for a London-based charity. Liane talks with Jon Baguley, who directs fundraising for the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture. (4:00) (NOTE: for more information on the auction and participating authors, visit http://www.bo