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A national heat wave has Americans dripping in sweat from San Diego to Boston and the strain on the electrical grid is causing power outages. Record amounts of electricity are being used today, and air quality in some regions is reaching unhealthy levels.

Increased diplomatic efforts are unlikely to bring a quick end to the week-old war between Israel and Hezbollah militants. An Israeli general says the fighting could continue at least another week, if not longer.

The investigator of this year's disaster at the Sago coal mine in West Virginia issues a preliminary report that narrows the possible causes of the explosion. Still, the report states that, after the explosion, "everything that could go wrong, did go wrong."

A congressional committee took up the topic of global climate change Wednesday, focusing on an eight-year-old study suggesting that the world is warmer now than it has been in a thousand years. Congressman Joe Barton (R-TX) used the hearing to question the study and the debate over global warming.

Although some foreigners are escaping Lebanon by boat, many people have been forced to evacuate over land into Syria. Damascus has opened its borders -- waiving visa fees and relaxing strict border controls. The evacuees are traveling by bus, taxi, truck -- even on foot.

One company has abandoned the concept of a regular workday. Best Buy, the giant retailer of electronics, is encouraging much of its corporate staff to work whatever hours they want, and to do so wherever they please. The company says productivity is booming.

Technology contributor Mario Armstrong talks with Farai Chideya about how the Internet can help with real estate transactions. Mario also covers technology for Baltimore-area NPR member stations WYPR and WEAA.

Israeli warplanes attack Lebanon for the sixth consecutive day, killing at least 17. Hezbollah responds by sending rockets deeper into Israel. Hezbollah rockets killed eight people Sunday in Haifa. In Lebanon, foreigners are fleeing the war zone.

Conservative commentator Dinesh D'Souza's new film "2,000 Mules" alleges massive voter fraud in the 2020 election, but NPR has found the filmmakers made multiple misleading and false claims.

Israeli forces block Lebanon's ports and put its international airport out of commission, while extending a search for two captured Israeli soldiers near the border. The conflict has sparked two days of heavy fighting between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas in southern Lebanon.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas greets a new parliament with a call for moderation from the incoming Hamas majority. He also urged the United States and European powers not to disrupt funding to Palestinians.

A show in Washington, D.C., features paintings, lithographs and other representations of the banjo. One of America's most endearing musical instruments also played a turbulent role in racial history.

Members of Congress hope to block a deal that would place control of several U.S. ports in foreign hands. Dubai Ports World has agreed to buy a company that operates six major seaports. Federal officials insist the purchase does not pose a security risk.

The last one-room school in the state of Hawaii closed in 2005, just a few weeks before the school year began. There had been a school in the village of Ke'anae, on the north coast of Maui, for 96 years.

The United Nations says Iran has ignored the Security Council's call to suspend all nuclear fuel enrichment. Instead, the U.N. says Iran has accelerated its program. Bush administration officials say it is now time for the Security Council to act against Iran.

In Salinas, Calif., tens of thousands agricultural workers heed the call for a national work boycott by staying away from the fields. As Ben Adler of member station KAZU reports, they had union and industry support for the action, designed to demonstrate immigrant worker strength.

A few miles from the Turkish border, in the former mining town of Vale, stands the House of Culture. Once the heart of the community, the huge structure is now a monument to post-Soviet decline. One flamboyant resident of Vale, known by locals as "Uncle Gocha," has worked without pay for 15 years to keep what's left from collapsing.

The German government has admitted that its foreign intelligence agency, the BND, has spied on German journalists. Media reports say some of the country's best-known investigative journalists were targeted as the BND tried to find out what they were working on and who their sources were.

Recruiting and hiring thousands of additional federal Border Patrol agents is a key part of President Bush's plan to reduce illegal immigration. But tough entry requirements and low pay are making it difficult for the Border Patrol to find and retain enough new agents to meet that goal.

Charles Sheeler tried to explore the path between photos and paintings. Much admired for his meticulous, carefully composed photography, he put down his camera and picked up paintbrushes instead. His works are on exhibit in Washington, D.C.

Commentator John McWhorter is the author of Winning the Race: Beyond the Crisis in Black America. He thinks the new FX TV show "Black/White" is full of stereotypes and cliches about what life is like for black America.

Dutch parliamentarian Ayaan Hirsi Ali gained fame for criticizing conservative Muslims for what she considered the oppression of women. Now, the Somalia-born activist faces losing her Dutch citizenship for lying to win asylum there. Madeleine Brand speaks with Perro de Yong, European editor for Radio Netherlands, about the story.

Iraqi forces loyal to the Shiite-led government were responsible for the recent abduction of about 50 employees from a security company; almost 20 of those abducted have been killed. Sunni political leaders have repeatedly accused the Shiite-led Ministry of the Interior of kidnapping and killing Sunni Arabs.

Boeing is paying a $615 million fine for defense contract wrongdoings. At the same time, the company continues to pursue new deals for defense contracts. One watchdog group says the agreement points to anti-trust problems in the defense industry.

There will be demonstrations both for and against the war in Iraq this weekend in cities across America, which marks the third anniversary of the invasion. But Washington, D.C., will not be targeted this time. Opponents of the war have a new strategy.