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Linda and Noah read letters from All Things Considered listeners.

NPR's Snigdha Prakash reports on a Massachusetts-based internet startup that plans to take the idea behind frequent flyer programs and apply it to an entirely new area: college savings. UPROMISE says it is signing up credit card companies, grocery chains, car companies and will take the rebates these companies offer and put them in a college savings investment account. Financial advisors are skeptical that such programs are a good idea for most people.

Noah checks in with Frankie Andreau, a domestique with the US Postal team, about racing in the Tour de France. Today riders cranked up Mount Ventoux, a climb of more than six-thousand feet. It's regarded as the toughest part of the race. Andreau's role on the team is to support to the leader, rider Lance Armstrong. Noah also talked with Andreau earlier this month.

NPR's Ted Clark reports the Mideast peace talks continued at Camp David today but without President Clinton who left for a few hours to attend to other matters including a visit to Congress.

NPR's Linda Gradstein in Jerusalem reports the ongoing peace summit at Camp David is prompting dueling demonstrations in Israel, with supporters and opponents of the peace process taking to the streets.

Cuban Americans in Miami today launched a flotilla of small ships headed for waters off Cuba. The anti-Castro exercise is to mark the anniversary of the death of 41-Cubans who fled the country six years ago on a tugboat. NPR's Phillip Davis has the story.

The Justice Department is investigating the videotaped beating of a black suspect by Philadelphia police officers yesterday. The incident was captured on tape from a TV news helicopter which and replayed repeatedly on national television. Philadelphia police commissioner John Timmoney says while the videotape appears inflammatory, it is not yet clear whether police used excessive force to subdue Thomas Jones. Police say Jones had hijacked a police car, and exchanged gun fire with officers before he was cornered by police. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports.

Linda talks with Andrew Kohut, Director of the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, about the center's latest poll on how the presidential candidates' messages are playing with the public.

NPR's Patricia Neighmond reports on two studies in this week's New England Journal of Medicine, that show how emergency rooms could save millions of dollars in X-Rays and CAT scans.

NPR's Mike Shuster concludes a 4-part series on national missile defenses with a report on the political considerations in deciding whether to develop such a system. In 1996, President Clinton dropped his opposition to proceeding with development. He agreed to continue research on missile defenses but didn't commit to a specific deployment date. That has enabled the Republican Congress to keep missile defenses alive. The research and development is very expensive, and forging ahead with it has damaged U.S. relations with Russia and China.

NPR's Jack Speer reports that corporate earnings are coming in strong, but are not strong enough to outweigh the fear of higher interest rates.

Host Madeleine Brand talks to NPR's Ted Clark about President Clinton's role in the Middle East peace negotiations being held at Camp David which also involve Israel's President Barak and Palestinian leader Arafat and their aides. President Clinton had dinner with the two leaders last night, but Barak and Arafat have not held direct discussions.

Host Madeleine Brand talks to NPR's Rob Gifford about today's meeting between U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen and China's President, Jiang Zemin. The issues they will be discussing include Taiwan, U.S. plans for a missile defense system, and arms proliferation.

Janet Heimlich reports from Austin, on the way public defenders in capital murder cases are chosen in Texas. County judges appoint private attorneys to represent indigent murder defendants. Critics say the system is flawed because there's no guarantee that a defendant will get a competent lawyer, or that the judge will approve funds to properly investigate the defendant's case.

Martha Barnett the incoming president of the American Bar Association urged the nation's lawyers to support a death penalty moratorium, saying there is widespread unfairness and even gross injustice in the way it is applied.

NPR's Debbie Elliott reports a Florida jury will soon decide how much in punitive damages the tobacco industry should pay to some half-million Florida smokers. The same jury has already found that the tobacco companies made a dangerous and defective product. It awarded nearly thirteen-million dollars in compensatory damages to three plaintiffs. Now, the attorney for the smokers is asking for a judgement of as much as 196-billion dollars to punish the industry for its past conduct. But lawyers for the cigarette companies say that kind of an award would put the companies out of business.

NPR's Richard Harris reports on the future of the international space station. Russia launched a new module for the station yesterday after two years of delays. This move brings the space station closer to being a permanent outpost, though it will probably be another six years before the station is finally complete.

Noah talks with Brian Graunke, a resident of Medford, Oregon who was a victim of identity fraud. He and his wife were tipped off to the problem when Sprint called them to ask about an application for an account that was made in their names. They had not submitted the application. Identity theft has become one of the top concerns of American consumers, according to the Federal Trade Commission. A Senate Judiciary subcommittee held a hearing on the subject yesterday.

Many people feared violence and protests would tarnish the Thirteenth International AIDS Conference in Africa, which ends tomorrow in Durban, South Africa. Some participants even withdrew because of concerns about their safety. But as NPR's Richard Knox reports, the meeting has taken place virtually without incident.

Host Madeleine Brand talks to reporter Phil Mercer who is in Suva about the latest developments in Fiji. Deposed Fiji Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry and 17 other political hostages were freed today after being held for 56 days by nationalists demanding an end to ethnic Indian political power.

Trish Anderton of New Hampshire Public Radio reports on the impeachment of a state judge in New Hampshire for the first time since 1790. David Brock was the Chief Justice of the State Supreme court; now he faces a trial in the state senate that could last more than a month.

Host Madeleine Brand talks to Capicine Favet, spokesperson for WM Event, organizers of the Giant Bastille Day Picnic in France about tomorrow's celebration. The banquet table stretches from northern Dunkirk to France's border with Spain.

NPR's Tom Goldman reports on the economics of small-market baseball. Unlike major league football, professional baseball revenues aren't widely shared among franchises. Teams like the New York Yankees and the Atlanta Braves earn significant money from TV contracts, and that allows them to afford the sport's top talent. But smaller-market teams must rely on fan loyalty to fill the ballpark. And while they may nurture young, rising stars, these teams know that talented players are likely to go where the money takes them.

NPR's Jim Zarroli reports that due to the cost of producing television shows, some networks are considering charging their affiliate stations for the use of their signal. Local stations, who used to be paid by the networks for access to their audiences, are fighting the move. They say if they are forced to pay to access the programming they rely on, many stations may go out of business.

Commentator Andrew Lam remarks on the substance of e-mail conversation. He says a friend of his complains that although she hears from him more by e-mail now, she misses him more and knows him less than when he wrote letters. Their conversation is shallower. There's a high price for digital communication; language is streamlined and intimacy lost.