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Last year, a cajun dance hall in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, called La Poussiere, allegedly denied entry to an African-American patron. The federal Justice Deptartment has sued the club saying it violated the 1964 Civil Rights Act. We traveled to the region to investigate the case...and to talk about race relations with the whites and blacks who live there. This is part one of a piece that continues in the second half hour of the show.

Bill Zeeble of member station KERA in Dallas reports on the performance this weekend of the rarely-heard Khachaturian Concerto which features the flexatone, an eerie-sounding percussion instrument which is very difficult to play.

Danny speaks with writer Tina Rosenberg about her new book, called The Haunted Land: Facing Europe's Ghosts after Communism (Random House). They discuss how the people of the former East Germany and Czechoslovakia are dealing with their communist pasts.

Daniel talks with Deborah Hoffman, director of a new documentary "Complaints of a Dutiful Daughter." In the film, Hoffman documents her mother's struggle with Alzheimers disease. And though the topic is a tragic one, Hoffman says she was actually able to find humor in the experience.

Michael talks to Peter Samuel who recently wrote a paper for the Cato Institute entitled "Highway aggravation...the case for privatizing the highways." Samuel argues that if roads were turned over to private companies they would be both better maintained and less congested.

Critic Bob Mondello reports that actor Jim Carrey will be making 20 million dollars for his next film. Hollywood, Bob says, is wondering just how deep its pockets go.

Daniel talks with physicist Andrew Fracknoy (FRAK-noy)...about the discovery of a belt of comets on the edge of our solar system comprised of 200-million chunks of ice. The discovery was announced this week at an annual meeting of astronomers.

Daniel talks with New Age musician Paul Winter who recently played his saxophone in Belt Woods Maryland, the site of the oldest forest on the East coast and the highest density of song birds in North America. Winter is playing with the birds of Belt Woods to try and raise awareness about the plight of the forest, who's owners, the Episcopal Church want to cut down.

NPR's Peter Kenyon reports that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has unexpectedly freed two Americans who had been jailed in Iraq. The men, William Barloon and David Daliberti, were arrested and sentenced to 8 years in prison after they entered Iraq from Kuwait by mistake last March. The Americans were freed after US Congressman Bill Richardson (of New Mexico) met with Saddam.

For the holiday weekend, some statistics for the road.

Reporter Jyl Hoyt from member station KBSU reports on plans by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reintroduce grizzly bears into areas of central Idaho. But the local population is divided over the issue.

Thirty years ago today, the nation underwent a health care revolution when President Johnson signed the Medicare bill into law. NPR's Patricia Neighmond reports on the impact Medicare has had on the health of America's elderly.

Michael talks with Emory Univeristy political science professor Merle Black and his brother, Rice University professor Earl Black about this past week's Supreme Court decision barring race-based congressional districts. Both say the decision could result in fewer minority members of Congress and a continued erosion of Democratic Party support in the South.

Deidre Berger reports on the past week's events in the North Sea, where Shell Oil changed it's plans to dump an oil rig in the ocean, after protests from Greenpeace.

Jacki discusses the latest events in Bosnia with NPR's Andy Bowers in Sarajevo and NPR's Sylvia Poggioli in Belgrade. Today, the top UN general in the former Yugoslavia met with the Bosnian Serb military leader. They tried, but failed, to work out an arrangement for the Serbs to withdraw their heavy weapons from Sarajevo. Meanwhile, NATO officials met in Brussels to consider whether to resume military attacks against the Serbs.

Jacki talks to Richard Slotkin, author of the book "Gunfighter Nation, the Myth of the Frontier in 20th Century America," (HarperPerennial) about the prevalence of violence in American culture since the first settlers landed here.

This past week, Russian and American scientists announced they had definitely identified the remains of the last Russian tsar, Nicholas the Second, and his family. The final i.d. came as the result of DNA testing. Jackie talks about the Tsar...and his bones...with Robert K. Massie...author of Nicholas and Alexandra.

Danny talks with psychotherapist Robert Akeret, author of Tales from a Traveling Couch (Norton Books). The book is Akeret's personal account of re-visiting former patients to see how their lives have developed over many years. And to ask himself whether or not therapy made any significant difference in their lives.

Michael visits the Library of Congress here in Washington D.C. On display thru the Fourth of July weekend are the actual drafts of the Decleration of Independance made by thomas Jefferson. It's the first time the actual pieces of paper, corrections and all, have been shown in public. He also talks with History professor Joseph Ellis of Mt. Holyoke College about what Jefferson thought of all the tinkering that happend with HIS version of the Decleration of Independance.

NPR's David Welna spends an evening on patrol with rookie police officers in Haiti. They have few uniforms, limited patrol cars, and often have to work in the dark because their generators are out of fuel, but they are optimistic about their ability to police Haiti after interantional troops go home.

Daniel talks with Gary Millhollin (mil-HAHL-in) director of the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control. Today is the 50th anniversary of first atomic test. Millhollin says there is a greater chance that nuclear weapons would be used today than at any time during the Cold War.

Critic Bob Mondello chronicles the influence that the atomic bomb has had on Hollywood movies. Some movies plots have shown the drama of narrowly-averting nuclear war, others have depicted the aftereffects of a bomb, and yet others have poked fun at the cold war.

A story by Carmen Deedee.

7 - Daniel talks with NPR's John Ydstie, who's in Halifax, Canada, where the Group of Seven economic summit ended today. The so-called G-7 spent most of their time on political issues...Chechnya and Bosnia. And today, Russian President Boris Yeltsin, who's been in Halifax since yesterday, met one on one with President Clinton.

NPR's Edward Lifson reports on block 37 in Chicago... an empty lot in the middle of the downtown area. The lot waws bulldozed in the 1980s real estate boom, but a planned development was never built. On Friday it was announced that Sears Roebuck is considering building on the site.