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NPR's Mark Roberts reports from McCall, Idaho that there are dozens of major fires burning in 10 western states. US Army soldiers, are preparing to join regular firefighters in an effort to contain the wildfire in the Payette National Forest. Groups of soldiers are receiving training from members of elite firefighting teams.

NPR's Renee Montagne will speak tomorrow with Thomas Lynch -- a writer who is also a funeral director. Today we'll hear an excerpt from that interview. The name of the book mentioned Bodies in Motion and at Rest: On Metaphor and Mortality by Thomas Lynch is published by W.W. Norton & Company; ISBN: 0393049272

Co-host Madeleine Brand introduces a montage of vendors hawking their wares at the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia.

NPR's Richard Gonzales reports on a racial discrimination suit won in San Francisco by workers at Interstate Bakeries Corporation, makers of Wonder Bread. The jury gave the workers eleven million dollars in compensatory damages, and 120 million in punitive damages.

Russell Lewis of member station KPBS reports hot temperatures across California have led to soaring electricity demand and cost. In San Diego, the cost has forced some businesses to close and caused some experts to question the effectiveness of the state's utility deregulation.

Host Alex Chadwick talks with French-born medical anthropologist, Clotaire Rapaille, who's made a career of studying why people decide to buy certain products or vote for particular political candidates. Rapaille says he's cracked the code to understanding American culture.

It was forty years ago today that "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini," sung by Brian Hyland, written by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss, topped the charts.

Veteran newsman Robert Trout has the second of two reports about the history of the Republican party, through his own reporting on the last 17 conventions over a period of nearly seventy years. Today, Trout picks up in the late 1940's and early 1950's, and the fight between moderates and conservatives -- between the forces of Dwight D. Eisenhower and Robert A. Taft. Eisenhower won. But the pendulum swung back in the 1960's with the nomination of Barry Goldwater. Ultimately, Trout points out that the struggle between moderate and conservative still marks party proceedings today.

NPR's Brian Naylor reports on the Congressional voting record of Senator Joseph Lieberman, Al Gore's choice as his Vice Presidential running mate. Republicans plan to emphasize disagreements between Lieberman and Gore on various policies of the Clinton administration.

NPR's Laura Sydell reports that the Smithsonian Institution will return an important cultural artifact to a Native American group today. For the past 80 years, the brain of the last Yahi Indian has been part of the Smithsonian's collection of Native American remains.

NPR's Jack Speer reports on questions surrounding the future of Amtrak, the national passenger rail service. Almost 30 years after it was created from a group of bankrupt railroads, Amtrak still receives large federal subsidies. Even though there are more passengers on the rail service, it's still losing money and shows little sign of becoming profitable. Amtrak also is being criticized for delays in starting high-speed passenger rail service along the busy Northeast corridor.

NPR's Margot Adler reports on Senator Joseph Lieberman's identity as an Orthodox Jew and how it might affect Al Gore's prospects for winning the Presidency. Lieberman is known for his morality and moderation. He was the first Democrat in the Senate to denounce President Clinton's sexual behavior as immoral. And he's been highly critical of violence and sex on television and in popular music.

NPR's Steve Inskeep reports on Republican Presidential nominee George W. Bush's campaign tour through the Midwest. Yesterday Bush attended religious services in the small town of Plainfield, Illinois.

NPR's Julie McCarthy reports from London on the tributes to Sir Alec Guinness, one of the greats of the British stage, screen and television who died over the weekend at the age of 86. He was an exceptionally versatile actor, whose roles ranged from Hamlet, to upper-class eccentrics in Kind Hearts and Coronets to George Smiley in the televised versions of John le Carre's spy thrillers, to Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars. (4:00) Music played at 1 minute before the hour was the theme from "Lawrence of Arabia" as performed by the Ventures, from the CD "Now Playing", copyright 1975, EMI Records.

Noah talks to Esther Siegfried, Chief Conservator for the Laboratory of Fine Arts in San Antonio, Texas, about statues stolen from the San Juan Capistrano Mission. Other statues in San Antonio Missions National Historical Park have been removed until a way is devised to secure them safely.

NPR's Anthony Brooks reports reports on some of the assets that Al Gore hopes his running mate, Senator Joseph Lieberman, will bring to the Democratic Presidential ticket. Selecting Lieberman may help Gore distance himself from criticism aimed at President Clinton. And by choosing the first Jewish Vice Presidential candidate, Gore hopes to signal that he's prepared to be bold.

NPR's Snigdha Prakash says women receive a smaller share of venture capital money than men. She claims men and women approach business in different ways, and women are less aggressive about their ideas--which put them at a disadvantage.

Russell Lewis reports on San Diego residents who are taking a stand against high utility bills. Everyone--from members of local government to leaders of local churches--seems to be getting involved in the fight to reduce payments to San Diego Gas and Electric.

NPR's Allison Aubrey reports that a new study on the long-term effects of inhaler use has some good news for asthmatics. The study, published in this week's New England Journal of Medicine, says regular use of asthma inhalers can significantly reduce the likelihood the disease will become fatal.

NPR's Martin Kaste reports from Santiago on the secrecy that Chile's Supreme Court is maintaining, as to whether it will strip former President Augusto Pinochet of his immunity from prosecution. The court met on Tuesday but refuses to announce its decision, or even to say whether it has decided whether Pinochet should face trial.

NPR's Guy Raz reports from Berlin on Germany's centuries-old Meister system, which requires craftsmen to complete a lengthy training program before being licensed. German guilds are resisting pressure to relax their rules and conform to the standards of the European Community. EU rules say that a worker from one country should be free to practice his trade in another.

Hypnosis is often thought to be a gimmick, not a real state of mind. But a new study uses P-E-T scans to test the theory that hypnosis actually has a biological basis. NPR's Michelle Trudeau reports.

Host Alex Chadwick talks to Mark Smirnoff, editor of the Oxford American about the magazine's annual Southern Music issue, which contains a free CD. The music covers a wide range of styles and singers, all with some connection to the South.

NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr says that, judging from the careful phrasing of Condoleeza Rice's GOP convention speech last night, the Bush campaign is very wary of making any grand gestures concerning foreign policy.

Claire Doole reports from Geneva that the World Health Organization has accused the tobacco industry of waging a dirty tricks campaign to undermine global efforts to curb smoking. A study released today concluded that tobacco companies paid WHO scientists for provide information and pose, falsely, as independent consultants.