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NPR's Michele Kelemen reports from Moscow that Russian authorities are investigating several business tycoons for crimes ranging from tax evasion to embezzlements. Some see this as the beginning of a long-needed crackdown on the so-called oligarchs, moguls who have had cozy ties with the Kremlin. Other Russians worry these cases could be politically motivated.

Commentator Jeffrey Tayler visited the village of Tarasawka in southeastern Belarus, near where the Chernobyl disaster occurred. There he meets one of the "old believers"-- a woman who has tried to maintain traditions extending back to the earliest days of the Russian Orthodox Church. In spite of all she has seen and experienced -- World War I, the Bolshevik Revolution, civil war, Stalin's famine, World War II, the Chernobyl disaster, and the collapse of the Soviet Union -- it is the deathof her son she cannot forget.

Commentator Matt Miller says, he has an idea that will save Television executives from airing boring programs and serve a societal purpose. If death penalty fans consider capital punishment to be a deterrent, he says, airing executions should persuade people not to kill one another.

Israeli Prime-Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat have joined President Clinton for peace talks at Camp David outside Washington DC. The two leaders left sharply divided public opinion at home -- Prime Minister Barak narrowly survived a no-confidence vote in the Parliament yesterday -- to attempt to make progress in their negotiations, which have been stalled for some time. Linda talks with NPR's Ted Clark who is at the media center near Camp David.

Commentator Daniel Ferri -- a grade school teacher in Chicago -- relates the story of his relationship with one of his students. Ferri gets off on the wrong foot - so to speak - with the boy - and is relieved at the boy's ability to forgive his teacher.

Noah talks with Tom Debaggio, an herb grower and writer with early onset Alzheimer's. His wife Joyce and son Francesco also participate. This is the third conversation Noah has had with Tom.

General Barry McCaffrey testified before a House subcommittee today on his White House Office of National Drug Control Policy's efforts to get its message out through the media. McCaffrey defended past efforts at trading ad time for anti-drug messages in TV show scripts. And though he did not specifically address it in his testimony, in his PRINTED statement he indicated that his office would be exploring ways to collaborate with Hollywood. NPR's Brooke Gladstone reports.

Storyteller Kevin Kling talks about the summer his voice changed; the summer he went fishing with his dad, and talked with the loons.

NPR Special Correspondent Susan Stamberg profiles painter Ed Ruscha. The California artist is the subject of a retrospective at the Hirschorn Museum in Washington, D.C.

Kate Seelye in Damascus reports Bashar Al-Assad has, as expected, been chosen as Syria's new president. But his overwhelming victory in yesterday's referendum masks growing discontent in the country.

NPR's Claudio Sanchez reports on a new media campaign designed to provoke pre-election discussion about how to improve American education. Television commercials will advocate better choices for families of all income levels. The group that sponsors the campaign is led by businessman Ted Forstmann. Forstmann is "on record" advocating government-paid tuition vouchers. But another participant, Senator John McCain says he doesn't support that. Former Reagan Administration official Robert Bennett says other options include support for home schooling and more student access to high technology.

NPR's Richard Knox reports from the 13th International AIDS conference in South Africa, on a new strategy for treating AIDS. Doctors at the National Institutes of Health reported in Durban, South Africa, that they have had success with an on-and-off regimen of AIDS drugs. Patients could safely stop the drugs for a month or two, then start them again. But many warn patients not to try this until studies had proved that it is not dangerous.

NPR's Aaron Schachter reports from Los Angeles where police officers are gearing up for protestors at next month's Democratic National Convention. Police staged a mock street demonstration yesterday and invited the press. Skeptics say the scripted event was designed to boost the reputation of the beleaguered LAPD.

Although overall HIV infection rates in the U.S. are relatively low, there are disturbing pockets of infection among some parts of the population. NPR's Jon Hamilton reports that In response, health officials have designed prevention programs especially for groups at high risk.

NPR's Julie McCarthy reports that the owner of a clothing store on Malta today provided valuable testimony for the prosecution in the trial of two Libyan men accused of blowing up Pam Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. The shop owner identified one of the Libyan suspects as the man who bought clothing in his store about two weeks before the passenger jet blew up in midair on December 21st, 1988. The clothing has been linked to the suitcase that contained the bomb. 270 people were killed in the explosion.

A new courthouse scheduled to open this week in Las Vegas is the first building to incorporate new architectural guidelines adopted after the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah building in Oklahoma City in 1995. Noah talks to Mehrdad Yazdani, Director of Design at Dworsky Asscociates in Los Angeles, California, about the building.

Linda talks to Samuel Lewis, Senior Policy Advisor to the Israel Policy Forum, about the peace talks at Camp David between Israel and the Palestinians. They compare today's talks with talks between Israel and Egypt at Camp David in 1979. Lewis was US Ambassador to Israel 1977-1985 and Policy Planning Staff Director for the State Department, 1993-1994.

NPR's Howard Berkes reports on today's announcement by the Federal government to change the designation of many gray wolves in the U.S. from the "endangered" to "threatened." The government says this is the result of successful efforts to rebuild wolf populations, but some environmentalist say it may leave them vulnerable to becoming endangered again.

The African Methodist Episcopal Church has elected its first female bishop. Reverend Vashti Murphy McKenzie, the Pastor of Payne Memorial A.M.E. Church in Baltimore, Maryland, was elected along with three other Bishops at A.M.E. convention in Cincinnati last night. She talks to Linda Wertheimer about her new role in the church.

Vice President Al Gore brought the NAACP convention delegates to their feet today. Welcomed as a "member of the family," the Democratic presidential candidate served up Scripture, promises to fight hate crimes and discrimination, and tough talk about his Republican rival and GOP leaders in Congress. NPR's Anthony Brooks reports from Baltimore.

NPR's Rob Gifford reports that Hong Kong, in response to its experience during the Asian economic crisis is trying to diversify its economy. The city has become rich over the years on the basis of real estate speculation and finance. Now, it is building a huge cyberport in hopes of turning Hong Kong into the internet hub of Asia. The problem is that internet startups are based on speculation and wild speculation is what got Hong Kong into trouble during the Asian economic crisis.

Reviewer Mark Jenkins reviews the CD by Indian Sitarist Ananda Shankar and a British DJ known as State of Bengal. It's a pop mix of hip beats and Indian pop music. (3:30) Note: The CD is "Ananda Shankar and the State of Bengal." It's on the Real World Records label.

NPR's Richard Knox reports from the International AIDS Conference in Durban, South Africa that a widely used spermicide, once thought to prevent the spread of HIV, may actually increase the risk of transmission. New research suggests nonoxynol-9 can increase the likelihood that some women will be infected with HIV. The study was presented today.

When United Airlines and US Airways announced that they wanted to merge, the plan included the creation of a new airline - DC Air - which would be owned by Media Mogul Robert Johnson, of Black Entertainment Television. Commentator Leon Wynter says the prospect is a windfall for Johnson, who Wynter contends has turned his media empire into America's official black brand.

NPR's Ted Clark examines the emerging relationship between the United States and North Korea. During the last six years, North Korea has gradually ended its isolation and moderated its confrontational approach toward the US and American allies. In return, the United States has supplied food aid. South Korea also has provided incentives to draw the North out of its isolation.