May 15, 1998 All Things Considered (entire program) Requires the RealAudio Player

An index of the day's stories:

Indonesia Analysis -- All Things Considered host Linda Wertheimer talks with William Liddle, a professor of political science at Ohio State University and the author of Leadership and Culture in Indonesian Politics. They discuss the military crackdown on rioting throughout Indonesia which has already claimed more than a hundred lives, due to fires related to looting and rioting last night. Leadership and Culture in Indonesian Politics was published by Allen and Unwin Press in 1997. (4:00)

Likud and Labor in Israel -- NPR's Ted Clark reports that the latest round of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's talks with Secretary of State Madeline Albright did not result in a revival of the Mideast peace process. But the presence of the Israeli leader in the U.S. this week was not so much about further negotiations with the Clinton administration, as it was about lobbying in Congress and in the American Jewish community to try to counter administration pressures to get on with the peace process. Meanwhile, Netanyahu's main opposition, the Labor Party, has joined the lobbying effort in favor of the peace process by sending Knesset member Schlomo Ben Ami to assess Netanyahu's assertions before the same Congressional and American Jewish lobbying organizations. (4:00)

Wisconsin Abortion Law -- Phil Picardi of Wisconsin Public Radio reports that clinics and doctors in Wisconsin have stopped performing abortions after a state law banning a procedure which abortion opponents call "partial birth abortions" went into effect yesterday. Abortion rights advocates say the law is written so vaguely that it could be interpreted to ban all abortions, regardless of the age of the fetus. Violators could face a life sentence under the law, which is being challenged in federal court. (3:15)

Coney Island Anniversary -- The boardwalk at New York's Coney Island opened to the public 75 years ago today -- on May 15th, 1923. Radio producer Emily Botein has a mixture of memories and sounds of the Coney Island boardwalk. (4:30)

Law School and Affirmative Action -- Linda talks with Betty Owens, a partner at the Vinson and Elkins law firm. She is one of the attorneys working on the University of Texas's appeal of the so-called "Hopwood Decision." That ruling -- named after Cheryl Hopwood, one of the original plaintiffs in a case that sought legal action against the University of Texas because of their admissions policies -- outlawed the use of affirmative action programs at public universities in Texas. (5:00)

Hopwood Decision and Smaller Schools -- NPR's John Burnett reports on a little-reported aspect of the Hopwood Decision -- the ruling that banned affirmative action at Texas' public universities -- is that it also bans affirmative action at private colleges that accept federal funds. At least that's what officials at those schools believe. (6:30)

'Bulworth' -- Movie critic Bob Mondello says that Bulworth, a new political comedy directed by and starring Warren Beatty, is the tale that wags the dog -- even more amusingly than the season's other political movies. (4:00)

Watching 'Bulworth' With Larry King -- Commentator Amy Dickinson tells the story of attending the Washington, DC preview screening of Bulworth. It turns out that the man sitting next to her in the theater was well-known interviewer Larry King -- who even had a small part in the film. Larry was more than happy to tell her about the experience of making the movie. (3:45)

Kosovo Talks -- NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports from Belgrade on a diplomatic breakthrough in the ethnic crisis in Serbia's Kosovo province. Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic and Kosovo Albanian leader Ibrahim Rugova held their first ever direct talks and agreed on a series of regular negotiating sessions. (4:00)

G-8 Meeting in Birmingham -- Leaders of the world's seven big industrial powers plus Russia have gathered together to discuss economic problems -- notably the Asian financial crisis. But as NPR's Mara Liasson reports, this year's G-8 Summit, in Birmingham, England, has been overshadowed by political events -- from India's nuclear tests to Indonesia's anti-government riots. (4:30)

Mexico Fires -- Linda talks with BBC reporter Emma Patterson about the effect of widespread forest fires throughout Mexico. They're particularly affecting the air quality in Mexico City. Authorities are telling residents there to prepare for the worst pollution levels there since 1995. (3:30)

Bombing Suspect -- NPR's Kathy Lohr reports that the U.S. Justice Department has bought advertising time on several North Carolina radio stations to ask the public for help in finding fugitive bombing suspect Eric Rudolph. Federal agents say they believe Rudolph is still hiding somewhere in the mountains. They hope the ads and the million dollar reward they announced last week will encourage someone to reveal his whereabouts. (3:30)

Friday Sports Chat -- All Things Considered host Robert Siegel checks in with sports commentator Stephan Fatsis of The Wall Street Journal to talk about Major League Baseball. The New York Yankees are proving to be a tour de force in the game right now. Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals is once again taking a crack at Roger Maris's home run record, and fans are turning out in increased numbers to the ballpark. (4:15)

Frank Sinatra Remembered -- Robert talks with Congressman José Serrano about the life and music of legendary performer Frank Sinatra. Sinatra died late Thursday night in California after suffering a heart attack, at the age of 82. Serrano says that Sinatra's singing was an invitation to the English language. (12:30)

'The Death of Frank Sinatra' -- We'll hear an excerpt from Michael Ventura's novel The Death of Frank Sinatra. Michael Ventura grew up in New York in the 1950s, and as a Sicilian-American, he says Frank Sinatra was like a part of the family. People in the neighborhood gossiped about him, listened to his songs, and boys and men both modeled much of themselves after Sinatra's streetwise style. (4:00)

Time After Time -- We'll hear a recording of Frank Sinatra singing the Jule Styne/Sammy Cahn song "Time After Time," recorded for the Columbia record label in 1946 with an arrangement by Axel Stordahl. The song was featured in Sinatra's MGM film It Happened in Brooklyn. This item is unavailable due to copyright issues.