March 3, 1998 All Things Considered (entire program) Requires the RealAudio Player

An index of the day's stories:

Vernon Jordan at Grand Jury -- NPR's Chitra Ragavan reports that presidential confidant Vernon Jordan appeared today before the grand jury investigating allegations that he and President Clinton encouraged Monica Lewinsky to lie about her alleged affair with the President. Jordan has said he helped Lewinsky get a job and arranged for an attorney to help her in the Paula Jones sexual harrassment suit, but that he never encouraged anyone to lie. He also has said both the President and Lewinsky told him they had never had an affair. (5:00)

The Clinton Doctrine -- NPR's Martha Raddatz reports. The Clinton administration continues to insist that the U.N. warning of the "severest of consequences" means military strikes if Iraq fails to comply with the inspections agreement. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary William Cohen announced today that U.S. troops in the Persian Gulf would be vaccinated against anthrax this month. (4:30)

Flood Report -- NPR's Christopher Joyce takes a look at the latest flood forecast for the nation. El Niño will continue to produce heavy rains in California and in the Gulf states. But warmer temperatures this winter have kept snow accumulations lower than normal, lowering the risk of floods. (2:00)

Other Stories -- In other stories we're following today: Gates On The Hill, and McKinney Testifies. (:30)

Widows in Congress -- NPR's Ina Jaffe reports on women who run for Congressional seats left vacant by the deaths of their husbands. It used to be one of the only ways women got into office. But even today, two high-profile widows -- Mary Bono and Lois Capps -- are going after their late husbands' offices. (5:30)

Blues Woman -- Commentator Charisse Jones is a blues woman -- she loves the blues and can't understand why other young blacks don't. She thinks they would rather forget about the blues, that its too depressing, too much of reminder of hard times. She says they don't understand that the blues is a celebration of life, no matter what the circumstances -- and that the blues is the root of so much of the music people do love, like rock 'n' roll. (2:00)

India Election -- Linda talks with NPR's Jennifer Ludden about the ongoing elections in India. Political parties there are trying to cobble together some form of coalition government, after a general election produced no clear majority in India's Parliament. The Hindu Nationalist Party, or BJP, has the largest number of seats, and the centrist Congress party took the second-greatest number. There are concerns that the Congress party could unite with the multi-party group United Front to take control of Parliament. One way or the other, the resultant coalition will be India's fifth government in two years. (4:30)

Shorter Work Week -- In France, companies are grappling with a new government plan to cut into near-record unemployement. A bill in debate in the French Senate doesn't create new jobs, but spreads around to a larger number of people the jobs that are available. The theory is to cut the work week from 39 hours to 35 hours. Sarah Chayes reports from Paris that although it's not law yet, union and management are already negotiating to devise schedules that will work. (5:30)

Doby Elected -- Larry Doby, who became the first black player in the American League just three months after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame today. We'll hear an excerpt from a 1987 interview with Doby. (2:00)

Sacred Steel -- Several recent CDs highlight a little-known tradition in gospel music: instead of organs and standard guitars backing up the singers, choirs in House of God African American Holiness Pentecostal churches use lap-steel guitars, the ancestors to pedal steels. The sliding, crying tones provide a powerful counterpoint to the singing. The tradition seems to go back to the 1930's in Philadelphia. Many of the music's most notable performers now live in Florida. Bill Dudley reports. This item is unavailable due to copyright issues.

Gates on the Hill -- NPR'S John Ydstie reports that Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates vigorously defended his company against charges that his company engages in anti-competitive and illegal behavior in the marketplace. Gates appeared before a Senate panel examining Microsoft's business practices and told committee members the U.S. government's investigation of his company is hurting innovation in the industry. Microsoft critics say the real threat is Microsoft's dominant position in the industry. (4:30)

Captains of Industry -- NPR's Dan Charles looks at other wealthy entrepreneurs who've made the trip to Capitol Hill over the years to defend their business practices. Gates's wealth puts him in the same ranks as the industrialists of yesteryear -- Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller and Henry Ford. But Gates' approach to creating and keeping wealth is significantly different from these earlier barons. (4:00)

Money Men on the Hill -- NPR's Kathleen Schalch reports that Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan and Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin reiterated their support for the IMF today before a skeptical Congressional committee. Deputy Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers issued a strongly-worded warning to Indonesia, saying the U.S. will not support any additional IMF rescue funds unless there is progress on reforms. (3:30)

Disabled Workers -- NPR's David Molpus profiles the Unum Company, the leading provider of disability insurance in this country, and one of its star employees, Craig Gray. The company aggressively recruits disabled people and runs a program aimed at helping the disabled lead active, balanced lives outside work. (7:30)

McKinney Testifies -- Command Sergeant Gene McKinney testified in his own defense today, at his court martial on sexual misconduct charges. He denied that he committed any of the violations he's been accused of. McKinney is charged with abusing his power as the Sergeant Major of the Army, the Army's highest-ranking enlisted man, by sexually harassing lower-ranking female service members. NPR's Barbara Bradley reports from Fort Belvoir, Virginia. (2:30)

Medical Errors -- NPR's Patricia Neighmond examines medication mistakes made by doctors and patients -- particularly when it comes to combining drugs. A University of California study shows that deaths from medication errors may be on the rise in the U.S. Another study concludes that such mistakes are preventable if patients tell their doctors what other medications they're taking -- and if doctors ask the right questions. A report out today, for example, shows that too many patients are combining a common blood-thinner with over-the-counter pain relievers -- raising the risk of internal bleeding. (5:00)

Weight Watchers Obituary -- Linda talks with Ted Smith, the Vice President of Corporate Affairs at the H.J. Heinz Company. They discuss Smith's friendship with Al Lippert, the founder of the Weight Watchers program, who died over the weekend while in South Africa promoting Weight Watchers. H.J. Heinz purchased Weight Watchers in 1978, but Lippert maintained close ties with his company right up until his death. (4:30)

Cuban Musicians -- NPR's Phillip Davis reports from Havana that Cuba's socialist government has been easing its restrictions on the nation's musicians. It's now possible for bands to travel abroad on their own, and even sign deals with overseas recording companies. Some are also testing the limits of what the regime will allow inside Cuba, with songs that highlight social problems. The limits are definitely still there: a salsa group was banned from performing in Cuba for six months because one of its songs seemed to compare the government to a mango about to fall from a tree. This item is unavailable due to copyright issues.