January 29, 1998 All Things Considered (entire program) Requires the RealAudio Player

An index of the day's stories:

AL CLINIC -- A bomb ripped through a women's clinic in Birmingham Alabama this morning, killing an off-duty police officer and injuring a nurse. Authorities have not yet made an arrest in the case. It's the first time in more than a year that clinic violence had led to injury or death. Alabama Public Radio's Melanie Peeples reports from member station WBHM in Birmingham. (3:00)

TOBACCO ON HILL -- Congress today resumed hearings on the proposed tobacco agreement that the industry and states' attorneys general reached last year between the tobacco industry and state attorneys general. Tobacco CEOs asked lawmakers to approve the pact ..and some apologized for documents that showed the companies targeting cigarettes at young teens. But Republicans still have some doubts about approving the agreement. NPR's Brian Naylor reports. (4:00)

TRIE INDICTED -- The Justice Department announced today that Democratic fundraiser Yah Lin "Charlie" Trie has been indicted for fundraising violations and obstruction of justice. Trie is accused of illegally funneling foreign contributions to the Democratic National Committee during the 1996 presidential campaign, as well as to President Clinton's legal defense fund. NPR's Barbara Bradley reports. (4:00)

TEXAS RADIO REACT -- NPR's John Burnett visits a radio call-in show in East Texas to listen to reaction to the controversy surrounding the White House. In a state that has turned increasingly Republican, East Texas is is still heavily Democratic. It's the only part of the state carried by Bill Clinton in 1996. Some callers to the show were quick to defend the President, saying he's done a good job and the press and the proscutors should leave him alone. But others said they are uncomfortable about the perennial aura of scandal that seems to plague the Clinton administration. (7:00)

BABBITT -- At a House hearing today, Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt defended his department's decision to reject a proposed Indian gambling casino in Wisconsin. Republicans have accused him of basing the decision on contributions to the Democratic party by opponents of the casino. Babbitt says the plan was killed because of opposition from the town where the casino would have been located. Babbitt told members of Congress today, "The attacks on my integrity are uncalled-for and unwarranted." NPR's Peter Overby reports. (6:00)

CELL PHONES -- Cellular telephone companies are putting in place technology that will reveal the whereabouts of any cell phone user. It's part of a system that's intended to help emergency workers respond to 911 calls, many of which now come from cellular telephones. Privacy experts, though, say the system could also be a powerful tool to pry into people's personal lives. They're calling for safeguards to make sure the system isn't misused. NPR's Dan Charles reports. (7:00)

BLOODY SUNDAY PROBE -- NPR's Michael Goldfarb reports from London that Prime Minister Tony Blair of Great Britain has announced a full-scale inquiry into the Bloody Sunday killings in Londonderry, Northern Ireland in 1972. Fourteen demonstrators were killed by British paratroopers. Northern Ireland's Catholic community has always considered the initial inquiry a whitewash that exonerated the soldiers. The soldiers say they were fired-upon first, but some witnesses say no arms were ever found. (3:00)

HERITAGE -- Critic Tom Moon reviews the CD "Heritage", a project coordinated by fiddler Darol Anger (ANG-urr). Anger, who recently left the Turtle Island String Quartet, brings together a star-studded cast of musicians and singers in an effort to update a dozen or so traditional folk songs. Moon finds that these songs sound best when the arrangements are kept simple. (STATIONS NOTE: "Heritage" is on the Six Degrees label, distributed by Island Records. Catalog number 315-524-434-2.) (4:00) ((STEREO))

Starr Investigation I -- A judge has agreed to a request by Whitewater prosecutor Kenneth Starr to stop evidence-gathering in the Paula Jones sexual harrassment suit as he continues his investigation into allegations that President Clinton lied about a sexual relationship with a White House intern. NPR's Nina Totenberg reports. (3:00)

Starr Investigation II -- Whitewater investigators are continuing to pursue information about former intern Monica Lewinsky's visits to the White House and other records to build their case. NPR's Chitra Ragavan reports on this and how the White House is complying with subpoenas for such information. (5:00)

LETTERS -- Robert and Linda read from listeners' comments. To contact All Things Considered, write to All Things Considered Letters, 635 Massachusetts Avenue Northwest, Washington D-C, 20001. To reach us via the Internet, the address is ATC@NPR.ORG. (4:00)

GREENSPAN -- NPR's John Ydstie reports Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan called the U.S. economy "exceptionally healthy" in testimony before Congress today. Greenspan said the economic crisis in Asia has had little effect on the U.S. so far, but said the impact would be more noticeable in the near future. Greenspan said the expected slowdown might be a positive thing because the U.S. economy had been growing at an unsustainable pace. (3:00)

INDONESIA -- NPR's Mary Kay Magistad reports that Indonesians are breaking their month-long fast known as Ramadan, but this year, the country's serious economic problems have forced people to limit celebrations of the biggest event on their religious and social calendar. Indonesia's President Suharto formally ended the month of austerity with a sober message to his country saying sacrifice is needed to overcome Indonesia's economic turmoil. (4:30)

This piece is not available because of rights issues:
ALBRIGHT IN EUROPE -- Nick Spicer reports from Paris where U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is meeting with the French foreign minister. The stop is one of several in Europe as the Secretary tries to increase pressure on Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to allow U.N. inspectors to look at weapons sites. Albright said yesterday the U-S is prepared to use military action without international backing if necessary. (2:00)

WHAT TO DO THIS TIME? -- Robert talks with retired Lieutenant General Tom Kelley about the crisis in Iraq. Kelley was "the voice of the Pentagon" during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He says that the only solution to the continuing problems with Iraq's compliance with the United Nations' mandates is to attack presidential palaces and the Republican Guard, and to go after Saddam Hussein. (5:30)

IRAQ -- NPR's Eric Weiner reports from Baghdad that despite a UN sponsored plan to allow Iraq to sell oil to have money to buy food and medicine for its people, shortages of both are evident. And children are those suffering most; one third of the Iraqi children under five, the United Nations says, suffer from malnutrition. (5:00)

This segment is not available in audio because of rights issues:
CAPEMAN -- Paul Simon's first Broadway musical opens tonight. "The Capeman" tells the story of a young Puerto Rican who stabbed two other kids to death in 1959 in New York City. As Mario Murillo [more-EE-yo] reports, the musical's portrayal of Puerto Rican culture has come under a great deal of scrutiny from many in the Latino community. (7:30)