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Ford is announcing today that it will increase the average fuel economy of its sports utility vehicles by 25 percent over five years. As NPR's Jack Speer reports, the company said it was responding to environmentally-conscious consumers who want their vehicles to burn less gas. Ford, which pioneered the trend toward big, gas-guzzling SUVs, appears to be shifting course under the direction of chairman William Ford Jr., an avowed environmentalist. But Ford's move may be prompted by economics, too. SUVs are highly profitable and high gas prices could put that lucrative market at risk.

NPR's Joshua Levs reports a Georgia judge has ordered evidence from a nineteen year old murder case to be turned over for DNA testing to determine whether the man executed for the murder was innocent. Ellis Wayne Felker was convicted in 1983 for the rape and murder of a teenage girl. At the time of his conviction, DNA analysis did not exist. Felker was executed for the crime in 1996, after pleas by his lawyers to have evidence submitted for DNA analysis were turned down by the courts. Yesterday's ruling was on a request by four news organizations, who told the court they would pay for new DNA tests on that evidence.

Writer Robert Bingham died this spring in New York City at the age of 33. With the posthumous publication of Bingham's first novel, Lightning on the Sun, reviewer Alan Cheuse mourns a great loss to contemporary literature.

Linda talks to Bill Minutaglio, of the Dallas Morning News, and author of First Son: George W. Bush and the Bush Family Dynasty. They discuss George W. Bush, his religious convictions, and the intersection of faith and politics. Minutaglio contends that Bush has moved more to the center during the presidential campaign than the Christian Coalition might like. But the Coalition still views Bush as an opportunity for influence in the White House. (4:30) Please note, First Son: George W. Bush and the Bush Family Dynasty, by Bill Minutaglio is published by Times Books.

Morning Edition's monthly series on the lives of Centenarians, One Hundred Years of Stories, features people from across the country who are one hundred years old--or older. In today's report producer Neenah Ellis talks with Margaret Byrd Rawson. During her lifetime, she pioneered research into dyslexia and continues to pursue her studies today despite the heavy burden of aging has placed on her.

George W. Bush will claim the presidential nomination of the Republican Party in Philadelphia next week, reaching a new high in a political career that began without much fanfare in Texas more than two decades ago. NPR's Steve Inskeep reports on George W. Bush's early forays into business and politics in West Texas.

NPR's Aaron Schachter reports on a little known option for minor criminals in Southern California. If a judge approves, a prisoner may be allowed to leave the crowded and dangerous county jail for "nicer" accommodations in a small city lock up. The pay-to-stay program costs detainees anywhere from 40 to 145 dollars a night. Some lawyers who know about the program say it's a legitimate way to keep clients safe. Civil libertarians say it's inherently unfair, since it gives an advantage to those with money.

Linda talks with Jere Longman about the U.S. Woman's Soccer Team, the challenges they faced and how the team's success influenced the way women in sports are viewed. Longman is a sports writer for The New York Times and author of Girls of Summer: The U.S. Women's Soccer Team and How it Changed the World. (5:00) Girls of Summer: The U.S. Women's Soccer Team and How it Changed the World, by Jere Longman is published by Harper Collins, July 2000.

Robert talks with Paul Ferrara, Director of the Virginia Division of Forensic Science, about the practice of gathering DNA samples. Ferrara is attending the National Law Enforcement Summit on DNA Technology in Washington, DC.

Sixty years ago today, Bugs Bunny debuted in A Wild Hare. Linda and Robert have a few notes about Bugs' creation and we hear clips from the cartoon.

Ten years ago this week, Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA. The law prohibits employers from discriminating against workers based on their physical or mental disabilities. Stephen Smith of American Radio Works reports on how well the law has worked for people who faced discrimination at work because of their mental disorders.

Robert talks to Charlie Pacas, an aquatic specialist at Banff National Park, about a plan to remove non-native fish from Moraine Lake. The lake is within Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. The lake was stocked with non-native fish which are pushing out the indigenous bull trout.

NPR's Eric Westervelt reports on the resurgence of downtown Philadelphia, the site of next week's Republican Convention. This is the first national political convention Philadelphia has hosted since 1948. During the 1990's, the city underwent major renovations, after suffering decades of decline.

Latino USA's Maria Martin reports on the results of a survey of political attitudes among Latinos across the country. 1,000 Latinos were polled on campaign issues such as the economy, immigration policy, and gun control, among other things.

This week, Polish-born Jan Karski, one of the first people to report an eyewitness account of the Nazi Holocaust to the West, died in Washington D.C. Host Jacki Lyden speaks with Karski biographer Tom Wood. Wood is the author of Karski: How One Man Tried to Stop the Holocaust. Jan Karski was a liason officer for the Polish underground during World War II and a retired history professor at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. He was 86.

NPR's Richard Knox reports from Durban, South Africa on a little-noticed study at this year's AIDS Conference. It found that the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV, is older than anyone suspected.

Harriet Jones reports on the continuing effort to identify the dead from the massacre in Srebrenica. She visits the town of Tuzla where scientists are using the latest DNA identification techniques to attempt to give grieving families a sense of closure.

After a Florida jury announced a $145 billion verdict against the nation's biggest tobacco companies, the companies' lawyers say they will appeal. They also say, that if forced to pay, the settlement will bankrupt the tobacco giants. Anti-smoking activists disagree. NPR's Jim Zarolli reports.

Figures from the Centers for Disease Control show AIDS is now the leading cause of death for African-Americans aged 25 to 44 years old. Jacki talks with Rev. Eugene Rivers, pastor of the Azusa Christian Community in Dorchester, Massachusetts about his crusade to fight the spread of AIDS and HIV among Africans and African Americans. Rivers has issued an open letter to churches and other organizations to urge them to step up activism in Africa and the across the U.S.

Jacki talks with Jacques Klein, the head of the U.N. Mission in Bosnia about a memorial service held to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the massacre of more than seven thousand Bosnian Muslims, mostly men and boys. This week, thousands of women returned to the Serb-controlled Srebenica, many for the first time.

Hard-line Israeli conservatives rallied in Tel Aviv today in the largest demonstration in Israeli history. They want to oppose any concessions by Prime Minister Ehud Barak at the Camp David Peace Talks. NPR's Linda Gradstein reports, that's the opposition is not necessarily the majority sentiment in Israel.

Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa speaks to the participants of the 13th International AIDS Conference in Durban, South Africa. We have an excerpt of his remarks.

Jacki speaks with Jany Hansal, the President of DESA, a woman's humanitarian organization based in Dubrovnic, Croatia. Since 1993, DESA has been helping former refugees from the Balkan Wars cope with loss and tragedy in their lives by reviving the ancient crafts of their region. For more on DESA, go to http://desa.dubrovnik.org. (5:00) (Note: Site will open in a new browser window.)

The violent death of a hockey dad by the hands of another hockey dad at their children's scrimmage in Massachusetts last week has prompted a national soul-searching about parents' violence over their children's games. Some parents admit that they can relate to Thomas Junta, the truck driver who pummeled Michael Costin to death. NPR's Tovia Smith reports.

NPR's Kathleen Schalch reports the U-S has announced that it ready to resume normal trade with Vietnam. The two countries almost had an agreement a year ago, but the Vietnamese government balked at the fine print. This time, the former combatants appear ready to do business. The motivation for the two sides? US investment in Vietnam lags far behind European countries and Japan. Despite tentative steps to open up to the world, Vietnam remains a very poor country.