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

An index of the day's stories:

On the Kosovo Border -- Ethnic Albanians are reportedly fleeing their homes in Yugoslavia's Kosovo Province. They're leaving to escape a crackdown by Serbian security forces who claim that they are seeking guerrilla fighters for the Kosovo Liberation Organization. Thousands of these Albanians have become refugees, trying to cross into Albania. All Things Considered host Robert Siegel talks with Christine Spolar, a reporter for the Washington Post who's in Bajam Curri, Albania, about the condition of these refugees and what their prospects appear to be. (4:30)

Russian Economy -- NPR's Anne Garrels reports from Moscow that the Russian government is voicing confidence in its ability to weather the current financial crisis. Russian citizens, however, are skeptical about the government's handling of the crisis. (4:00)

Russians at the Beach -- Commentator Jeffrey Tayler describes the sweetness of the brief Russian summer. Tayler visited beaches on the Moscow River. One beach is like Coney Island, one is like the Jersey Shore, and one is distinctly Russian. Tayler settles in with a group of low level Russian gangsters and their molls and decides to partake of the universal joy of basking in the sun. (4:00)

Doctors' Union Wins -- NPR's Wendy Kaufman reports on the outcome of an unusual organizing drive in the Seattle area. Doctors at Medalia Health Care voted to join a union. It is the largest group of private-sector physicians to join organized labor. The election was being watched throughout the country. (3:30)

Unlucky Prisoner -- Melanie Peeples reports on the case of Michael Pardue. Pardue was sentenced to life in prison in 1973 after being convicted of the murders of three men. All three convictions were eventually overturned because they were based on a forced confession. But Pardue is still in jail because he tried to escape three times, earning him a life without parole sentence under Alabama's "three strikes and you're out" law. (6:00)

River Angel -- Reviewer Alan Cheuse says that the new novel from A. Manette Ansay is an evocative portrait of a small rural town where the veneer of normalcy hides deeper, strange truths. It's about the death of a troubled young schoolboy and the fine line between religious faith and hypocrisy. (Note: River Angel by A. Manette Ansay is published by William Morrow.) (2:30)

The Truman Show -- Movie reviewer Bob Mondello says that the new Jim Carrey film, "The Truman Show," is one of the better pictures of the summer. The movie is about a man who's lived his entire life on television without knowing it. Bob says if you can get past all the hype surrounding this film, it's kind of fun. (4:30)

Go Bulworth -- Commentator Leon Wynter has some thoughts about Warren Beatty's current film "Bulworth," and its rapping, hip-hop oriented message about politics and race. (3:30)

No Nukes -- We'll hear an excerpt of President Clinton's remarks today during a speech in the Rose Garden today. He said that the nuclear weapons tests conducted by India and Pakistan stand in contrast to the progress made by the rest of the world in reducing nuclear weapons stockpiles and containing the spread of nuclear arms. (1:00)

Arms Proliferation -- NPR's Mike Shuster reports on tomorrow's meeting in Geneva of the five long-established nuclear powers to discuss how to contain the potential nuclear arms race in South Asia. Secretary of State Albright says the U.S. wants India and Pakistan to stop nuclear weapons testing, to refrain from fitting missiles with nuclear warheads and not to deploy any nuclear weapons. The United States has announced economic sanctions against both India and Pakistan because of their recent nuclear weapons testing. (5:30)

Vanunu -- NPR's Eric Weiner reports from Jerusalem that while world attention has been focused on a new nuclear arms race between India and Pakistan, the fear in Israel is that the recent tests in those two countries could have a nuclear impact on the Middle East as well. Though Israel officially refuses to confirm or deny that it has its own nuclear arsenal, Israel's status as a nuclear power was confirmed some 12 years ago by a former worker in its nuclear facility in the Negev desert. That worker remains in solitary confinement to this day after having been found guilty of treason for revealing information about Israel's nuclear capabilities. (5:30)

Don't Disarm -- Commentator Frank Gaffney says it's a mistake to believe that getting India and Pakistan to pledge not to test nuclear weapons will curb proliferation. Gaffney served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Weapons policy in the Reagan Administration. He says countries can develop atomic weapons -- and even maintain crude nuclear arsenals -- without conducting tests. Gaffney says the U.S. should concentrate less on pushing for a comprehensive test ban and more on controlling the export of dangerous technology and on maintaining a credible nuclear deterrent policy. (3:15)

Asteroid Impact -- NPR's Richard Harris reports on a new study showing that blowing up an asteroid with a nuclear bomb might cause more harm than good. In a computer simulation, an fictional asteroid headed toward earth was destroyed with a small nuclear device. Depending on what the asteroid is made of, it was either thrown off course or smashed into large fragments, each of which could cause havoc on earth. The study appears in tomorrow's issue of the journal Nature. (4:15)

German Train Wreck -- Robert talks with Christian Zier, a reporter for Second German Television. Zier was one of the first people to arrive at the scene of a train derailment in Northern Germany has claimed at least 100 lives. There is no conclusive word on what caused the high-speed passenger train to derail. (4:00)

Odd Tornado Season -- Linda talks with Joe Schaefer, the director of the Storm Prediction Center for the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma. Schaefer talks about the unusual amount of tornado activity around the nation for this time of year. He says there have been more tornadoes on the East Coast than are normally expected this early in the year -- and in Kansas, at the heart of the traditional "Tornado Alley," there haven't been any. (4:00)

Prop 227 Wins -- NPR's Carrie Kahn reports on the overwhelming victory for opponents of bilingual education. California public schools will now have about two months to place students either in English-only classes or in accelerated English-language instruction. Today, some Hispanic civil rights groups filed suit claiming the just-approved measure is unconstitutional. (4:30)

Atherosclerosis in Kids -- Heart disease is usually thought to be a problem for middle aged and older adults. But a new study shows high risk factors such as obesity can cause the onset of heart disease to occur in young people. The study is based on autopsies of the heart vessels of young people killed in accidents or who were murdered. The study's findings have prompted some researchers to suggest that heart disease prevention needs to begin much earlier in life. NPR's Vicky Que reports. (4:00)

Obesity -- Commentator Daniel Pinkwater considers new data showing an increase in the rate of obesity among Americans. He prefers to celebrate the news, arguing that the world will be a better place if we all added a few pounds. This item is unavailable due to copyright issues.