May 4, 1998 All Things Considered (entire program) Requires the RealAudio Player

An index of the day's stories:

Daniel Schorr -- NPR senior news analyst Daniel Schorr says that the Middle East peace process may be impossible to revive now. But the Palestinian-Israeli conflict also obscures another significant crisis: the domestic conflict between secular and religious Jews. (3:00)

Kohl Under Fire -- NPR's Edward Lifson reports from Berlin that Germans are more than a little upset about the way things turned out at this weekend's meeting in Brussels to launch the single European currency. (3:30)

Annan and Rwanda -- All Things Considered host Robert Siegel talks with Philip Gourevitch, a writer for the New Yorker magazine. They discuss a document that implies that when U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan was Undersecretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, he missed an opportunity to prevent the systematic extermination campaign waged by the Hutu against the Tutsis in Rwanda. (5:45)

'Damascus Gate' -- Reviewer Alan Cheuse says that the latest novel from Robert Stone -- called Damascus Gate -- is a fascinating look at not only complex characters set in modern-day Jerusalem, but also a paean to the city itself. Damascus Gate by Robert Stone is published by Houghton Mifflin. (2:00)

Clinton in California -- President Clinton traveled to California and announced a plan for encouraging more energy-efficient homes. The administration is pressing for over $6 billion to help cut back emissions of carbon dioxide that contribute to global warming, as well as for Congressional approval of the global warming treaty drafted in Kyoto last December. The latest plan would work in parallel by getting homebuilders to use more energy-saving appliances and designs. (1:30)

Calif. Gubernatorial Race -- NPR's Elizabeth Arnold reports that the June 2 California gubernatorial primary is one of the most expensive and intense in state history. (11:00)

'The Closing' -- Noah talks with Bill Bamberger, a photographer who teaches at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Cathy Davidson, a writer and professor of English at Duke University. Bamberger and Davidson have written a book which profiled the last four months at the White Furniture Company in Mebane, North Carolina. The 100-year-old family business was purchased by a corporate conglomerate and then closed. Closing: The Life and Death of an American Factory by Bill Bamberger and Cathy Davidson is published by DoubleTake/Norton. (7:30)

McDougal Indicted -- An Arkansas grand jury has handed down a three-count indictment against former Whitewater business partner Susan McDougal, for her refusal to testify against President and Mrs. Clinton. (5:00)

Hubbell Tapes -- Congressman Dan Burton is releasing all the tapes of Webster Hubbell's phone conversations from prison. Burton had released excerpts of 54 telephone calls that were taped by prison authorities while Clinton friend and former Justice Department official Hubbell was serving a sentence for defrauding his law firm. Clinton supporters say Burton failed to include comments by Hubbell favorable to Hillary Rodham Clinton, and a passage where he denied he was paid hush money for his silence on the Whitewater investigation. NPR's Peter Overby reports. (3:30)

Kaczynski Sentenced -- NPR's Richard Gonzales reports on the sentencing today of Theodore Kaczynski, the so-called Unabomber. Kaczynski made a short statement to the court before being sentenced to 4 life terms plus 30 years in prison. (3:30)

NationsBank Settlement -- NPR'S Larry Abramson reports that Nationsbank will pay $6.75 million in fines to settle charges the bank misled consumers into making risky investments. Nationsbank did not admit or deny wrongdoing in the settlement, which was announced today by federal bank and securities industry regulators. (3:30)

Louvre Theft -- NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports from Paris on the theft of a masterpiece by Camille Corot from the Louvre. Museum officials are keeping mum, leaving the rest of us wondering how someone managed to walk off with a 13x19 inch canvas in the middle of a Sunday afternoon. (2:30)

Dominique Aury Obituary -- Dominique Aury, the author of the scandalous erotic bestseller The Story of O, died late last month at the age of 90. The book, published in 1954 under a pseudonym, detailed a sadomasochistic relationship -- and ultimately sold millions of copies. Aury, who was a longtime member of the editorial board of a prestigious French literary review, admitted to writing the book in 1994, saying it was a sort of "love letter" to the man she loved. This item is unavailable due to copyright issues.

Ohio Schools -- Bill Cohen of Ohio Public Radio reports from Columbus on Ohio's school funding referendum tomorrow. If approved, "Issue Two" would increase the state's sales tax from 5 to 6 percent. The revenue would be split between new school funding and property tax relief for homeowners. Last year, the Ohio Supreme Court ordered Ohio to move away from its heavy reliance on property taxes as a school funding source, and start spending more on the state's poorer districts. (4:00)

North Carolina Stadium Vote -- Voters in Greensboro, North Carolina, vote tomorrow on whether to fund a new baseball stadium that would allow the Minnesota Twins to move there. NPR's Adam Hochberg reports. (5:45)

Otto Bettmann Obituary -- Otto Bettmann, who founded the Bettmann Archive in New York City in 1936, died on Friday at the age of 94. The Bettmann Archive is the world's largest collection of cataloged rental photographic and illustrative images. The Archive is now owned by Microsoft chairman Bill Gates. (2:30)

Minnesota Tobacco Suit -- Laura McCallum of Minnesota Public Radio reports attorneys for the tobacco industry are wrapping up their defense today in Minnesota's tobacco trial. Sources close to the case also say the tobacco companies and the State of Minnesota have agreed on the outline for a settlement of the state's lawsuit, but major obstacles to a final agreement still remain. (3:30)

'Tiger Woods Syndrome' -- Robert talks with Dr. William Couldwell, director of neurosurgery at Westchester Medical Center in New York, about "Tiger Woods Syndrome." Dr. Couldwell and his colleagues have noted a 30 percent increase in the number of head traumas of children between the age of 3-16 years old. The traumas occurred in the months after Tiger Woods won the Masters in 1997. All the injuries were related in some way to golf. (3:00)