June 12, 1998 All Things Considered (entire program) Requires the RealAudio Player

An index of the day's stories:

Military Options -- NPR's Martha Raddatz reports on the military options in dealing with Kosovo and how the situation is different from the one in Bosnia. Not once in dealing with Bosnia did the military have exercises in the region. Now U.S. and NATO allies have decided to hold military exercises in nearby Albania and Macedonia. (4:15)

Human Drug Trials -- NPR's Joe Palca reports on a study warning that the national system for reviewing human trials of new drugs and treatments is seriously flawed. The report, from the inspector general of the department of health and human services, says the experts who review research proposals aren't always sufficiently objective about drug trials and other studies, and there are too many opportunities for conflict-of-interest. . The report did not conclude that people are being harmed, but it warns that they could be. (4:00)

Pakistan-India Peace Talks? -- NPR's Mike Shuster reports that just a day after Pakistan announced it would cease further testing of nuclear weapons, India invited its South Asia rival to resume negotiations over the issues that divide the two countries. Pakistan declined the invitation, but made its own proposal to the Indians. (4:45)

GOP Persuasion -- Republican Congressman Wes Watkins of Oklahoma has decided to run for office again this year, after announcing earlier that he would retire. Watkins changed his mind after Republican leaders promised they would give him whatever money and campaign help he needed. As NPR's Brian Naylor reports, Republicans knew if Watkins didn't run they'd probably lose the seat to Democrats -- and with only an 11-seat majority in the House, every seat counts in this year's elections. (3:00)

River Rats -- Commentator Michael Ivey, a former whitewater rafting guide, returns to the New River in West Virginia after an absence of five years to talk about what makes people become guides and how they live. He says the river "gets in your blood," and explains that guides can "read" the water. Guides also get to have power over people who are richer and more powerful than they are in everyday life. (12:30)

World Cup -- Robert talks with Stephan Fatsis, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal and All Things Considered's Friday sports commentator, about the first week of World Cup 98. The Americans have yet to play their first match. That will happen this coming Monday. Their opponent will be a very confident German team. Fatsis has spent time with the U.S. team at the villa the team is renting in Beaujolais, and says the team is ready to play. (4:00)

Sean Lennon -- Music reviewer Tom Moon says that the debut album from Sean Lennon, the son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, shows the influence of both his parents on his music. The album, called "Into the Sun," synthesizes the harmonies and pop hooks of classic rock acts like the Beach Boys and the Beatles with more esoteric, electronic sounds. Moon says it's an interesting approach to pop music history that doesn't sound derivative or cloying. Note Into the Sun by Sean Lennon is available on Grand Royal/Capitol compact discs, catalogue number CDP 7243 4 94551 2 2. (4:00)

More GM Strikes -- NPR's Don Gonyea reports from Detroit that things are getting worse for General Motors. Already reeling from the effects of one strike against a parts plant in Flint, Michigan, GM is now facing another strike at a second plant in Flint. The strikes have already forced GM to idle more than 35,000 workers at plants throughout North America. Analysts say all GM operation could grind to a halt if the strike is not resolved within the next week. And talks between GM and the United Auto Workers union have so far yielded no results. (4:00)

Market News -- NPR's Jim Zarroli reports that Japan's worse-than expected economic downturn rippled through the European and U.S. markets today. The market's main index is down more than 400 points from its peak one month ago. (3:30)

Japanese Recession -- Robert talks with Peter Hadfield, a reporter based in Tokyo. They discuss the deepening Japanese economic recession, and the effects the crisis is having on both the Asian and global economies. (4:30)

Vatican and Cuba -- NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports from Rome that five months after the Pope's historic visit to Cuba, a delegation of Cuban bishops traveled to the Vatican this week. The bishops want to play a more active role in Cuban life. (3:30)

Guatemala Bishop -- Mike Lanchin reports from Guatemala City that the Guatemalan government now agrees with those who say the April murder of a prominent Catholic bishop was an assassination and not a common crime. Guatemala's foreign minister says the available evidence indicates the killing of Bishop Juan Gerardi was a well-planned affair. However the government also says it is still far from solving the case. The bishop was killed in April, two days after he oversaw the release of a report detailing thousands of human rights abuses -- most by the army -- during Guatemala's civil war. (4:00)

Woodham Trial -- Melanie Peeples reports from Hattiesburg, Mississippi that the case of Luke Woodham, the 17-year-old accused of killing two students and wounding seven others at Pearl High School in Pearl, Mississippi, has gone to the jury. Today, Woodham again took the witness stand and expressed remorse for the events -- but said he was manipulated by a friend into committing the shootings. (2:00)

Texas Dragging Death -- NPR's Wade Goodwyn reports from Jasper, Texas on the town's response to the brutal killing of James Byrd. Byrd, who is black, was allegedly beaten and dragged to his death behind a pickup truck by 3 white men. Jasper has largely been spared the racial troubles that have plagued many East Texas towns. The town has nearly equal black and white populations and African-Americans have held leadership positions in Jasper for years. That, and the quick response of local law enforcement officials in arresting the 3 suspects have helped temper the anger of many blacks about the murder. (5:30)

Prison Gangs -- The men accused of killing James Byrd in Jasper, Texas are widely assumed to have committed the crime because of racial hatred. This belief stems from the fact that the men are known to have been members of a supremacist gang while they were in prison. Robert talks with Frank Hall, a consultant in public safety and corrections who formerly headed several state and local prison systems. They discuss the prevalence of white supremacist gangs in prison. Hall details the gangs' recruiting practices and why prisoners often choose to join. (5:00)

Faux Journalism -- After a month-long investigation, the New Republic magazine says writer Stephen Glass fabricated many of the stories, quotes, and sources he used in more than two dozen articles published by the magazine over the last three years. Other publications, such as Rolling Stone and Harpers, are conducting their own investigations into articles he did for them. The revelations about Glass's journalistic deceptions have led many in the magazine world to question their fact-checking protocols. NPR's Brooke Gladstone reports. (3:30)

'High Art' -- Movie critic Bob Mondello reviews "High Art," a movie starring former "Brat Pack" actress Ally Sheedy as a photographer who hasn't taken a picture in years. He says that Sheedy's performance -- which is being hailed as a comeback -- is very good. (4:00)