June 8, 1998 All Things Considered (entire program) Requires the RealAudio Player

An index of the day's stories:

Foster Notes -- All Things Considered host Robert Siegel talks with James Duane, a professor of law at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia. They discuss how Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr's pursuit of Vincent Foster's lawyers' notes could affect other professionals who deal with "privileged" communications, such as psychiatrists and priests. Duane says that ultimately, this issue could even affect communications between husbands and wives. (6:00)

Kosovo -- All Things Considered host Linda Wertheimer talks with NPR's Edward Lifson about the situation in the Yugoslavian province of Kosovo. Many ethnic Albanians have been fleeing the region. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates now that approximately 9000 people have fled into Albania. Others are getting ready to fight against Serbs. Lifson says that arms are flowing into the region, as ethnic Albanians are vowing that Kosovo will not become another casualty of "Serb aggression." Many of the refugees are saying that they now want an independent Kosovo, rather than continuing status as an autonomous province of Serbia. (4:00)

Troops to Kosovo? -- NPR's senior news analyst Daniel Schorr says the Clinton administrations emphasis on diplomacy and not very stringent sanctions to deter Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic may have hastened Serbia's assault on its ethnic Albanian minority in Kosovo. (2:45)

Housing Demolitions -- NPR's Linda Gradstein reports on the determined effort by a group of extremists to settle in the predominantly Arab quarter of East Jerusalem. In the latest incident, the group took over a number of homes in the middle of the night, then clashed with Palestinians and members of Israel's Peace Now movement who gathered to protest. A number of people were hurt by thrown stones, including Faisal Husseini, the Palestinian Authority's Jerusalem representative. (3:30)

Black Mormons -- NPR's John Biewen reports on a controversy within the Mormon Church over the status of black Mormons. Some believe the church's 1978 declaration allowing blacks into the priesthood should go farther. (5:30)

Horse-Trough Baptism -- Frederica Matthewes-Green witnesses a baptism performed by her husband, a priest in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Baptism in their branch of Christianity requires full immersion -- a method which can raise some peculiar challenges. A visit to the feed store brings a solution: A horse trough. (3:30)

El Niño -- NPR's David Baron reports on a White House announcement today that the first five months of 1998 were significantly warmer than normal. An analysis by government scientists has found record-breaking global temperatures during this period -- nearly two degrees Fahrenheit above normal. In a bid to win support for the climate change treaty now before the Senate, Vice President Gore said the data prove that global warming was making the effects of El Niño worse. But critics say it's inappropriate to link climate change caused by air pollution to the natural El Niño phenomenon. (3:30)

Nils Petter Molvaer -- Music critic Charles deLedesma has a review of a new CD by Norwegian jazz trumpeter Nils Petter Molvaer. He says the music is a technically brilliant synthesis of styles pioneered by Don Cherry and Miles Davis. Note: The CD is called Khmer by Nils Petter Molvaer on ECM Records. It will be in stores after August 11th. Catalogue number ECM 78118-21560-2. (4:30)

Abacha Dies -- NPR's Mike Shuster reports that Nigeria's military ruler, General Sani Abacha, died today. He was fifty-four. Abacha ruled Africa's most populous country since seizing power in a 1993 coup. He had scheduled presidential elections for August, as part of a supposed transition to democracy. But critics said the vote would be a sham, since Abacha was the only legal candidate. The general had left Nigeria isolated internationally by brutally suppressing dissent. (3:00)

Abacha Legacy -- Linda talks with Peter Lewis, a professor of International Relations and African Politics at American University, about the effect of General Abacha's death on the government of Nigeria. He says that a transition to greater democracy in Nigeria remains unlikely, though a timetable for elections is still in place. Lewis also talks about possible successors to General Abacha. (5:00)

Ethiopia-Eritrea Update -- NPR's Ted Clark reports on diplomatic efforts to end the border war between Eritrea and Ethiopia. The United States is taking a lead role in trying to find a peaceful solution to the conflict. Eritrea and Ethiopia are two of Africa's poorest countries, and had been good friends until issues over economic issues raised tensions over the past year. Eritrea peacefully seceded from Ethiopia five years ago, after rebels from the two nations fought together to oust a military dictatorship. (4:00)

United Nations and the War on Drugs -- NPR's Tom Gjelten reports from New York that the United Nations General Assembly began a special session today on the global drug problem. In a speech opening the meeting, President Clinton urged representatives of about a hundred and fifty countries to stop "pointing fingers" at each other and pledge to cooperate to reduce drug abuse and trafficking. The special session is expected to endorse in principle an ambitious plan to eliminate coca and opium production around the world in ten years, but there is no agreement yet on how to fund the program. (4:30)

Mariners Forecast -- The BBC broadcasts a special weather report for all the ships around Britain, four times daily. The language of the Shipping Forecast is highly technical and jargon-ridden, but the broadcast has been finding an enthusiastic cult audience on land. NPR's Michael Goldfarb has a report. (3:30)

Charlton Heston's New Role -- NPR's Eric Westervelt reports that the National Rifle Association elected Charlton Heston as the organization's president today. Some members hope that the actor will help improve the image of the nation's oldest and largest gun-owner organization. (4:00)

Transportation Bill -- NPR's Steve Inskeep reports from Washington on a clause in the Transportation Bill calling on the Department of Transportation to consider a safety advisory about antihistamines that make drivers sleepy. Schering Plough Pharmaceuticals, manufacturer of the non-drowsiness inducing antihistamine Claritin, lobbied for the warning. The actual effect on driver safety is uncertain, but some say a federal advisory would boost Schering's share of the multi-billion dollar antihistamine market. (5:00)

Intel Suit -- NPR's Larry Abramson reports that the Federal Trade Commission voted today to go ahead with an antitrust lawsuit against the dominant computer chip maker, Intel. The suit is expected to allege that Intel unfairly withheld critical information from certain customers which had filed lawsuits against the giant chip maker. Intel doesn't deny it withheld information and says the behavior in question is legal. (3:30)

Gender and Military Training -- NPR's Martha Raddatz reports from Washington on Secretary of Defense William Cohen's proposals for training and housing men and women in the military. The Pentagon chief was expected to recommend that each service make its own rules but that he favors joint training and strictly separated housing for men and women. (3:00)

Tuskegee G.I. Joe -- Commentator Karen Bates falls in love with a new G.I. Joe -- part of a new classic collection of the military-themed dolls. The one she has is a Tuskegee Airman and she thinks it's fabulously attractive. (3:30)