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

An index of the day's stories:

CHINA TRIP ENDS -- NPR's Ted Clark reports that President Clinton headed home from his nine day trip to China. His hosts in Beijing proclaimed his visit a great success, though the reviews at home were more mixed. Some Clinton critics even expressed satisfaction with the trip because of the public stand Clinton took on human rights. (4:00)

PAKISTANI DEFECTOR -- Robert talks with Michael Krepon, the president of the Henry L. Stimson Center, about allegations made by a man claiming to be a Pakistani nuclear weapons engineer. The man is hoping to gain political asylum in the United States. He has told several news organizations that Pakistan has considered a pre-emptive nuclear strike on New Delhi, in response to reports that India was contemplating a nuclear attack on Pakistan this past April. The man says that, as a result of coming forward with this information, he fears both for his life and for the safety of his family if he ever returns to Pakistan. The US State Department, however, has expressed some skepticism about his claims. (4:30)

TEHRAN -- Today is the tenth anniversary of when US jets downed an Air Iran jetliner over the Persian Gulf killing 290 people. NPR's Eric Weiner reports from Tehran that for all the recent talk of tentative moves towards a US-Iran rapprochement, the mood at traditional Friday prayers today was decidedly hostile towards the US. There were new demands that the US apologize for the disaster and make restitution before there can be any talk of improving relations. (3:30)

NEA/AFT -- NPR's Anthony Brooks reports that the proposed merger of the National Education Association with the American Federation of Teachers is the key issue being debated this week at the NEA Convention in New Orleans. If approved, the NEA, with 2.3 million members and the AFT, with almost a million, would comprise the nation's largest union. Both unions have been politically active, and conservatives say their political power has blocked many key elements of school reform. (8:00)

ROYAL CROWN REVUE I -- Robert talks with the members of Royal Crown Revue, a seven-member swing band. They play selections from their latest CD, Mugzy's Move, and talk about the growing popularity of swing-band music. They start with a 1940's sound, but update the music with amplification, modern lyrics, and a synthesis of other musical styles. Royal Crown Revue mostly plays music they've written themselves, though they do cover some swing staples from the past. They are touring until August 15, and are opening for The Pretenders and the B-52s. They're playing tonight in Charlotte, North Carolina and tomorrow in Atlantic City. To find out more about the band and their history, check out websites at http://www.wbr.com, or http://www.rcr.com (21:30)

FLORIDA FIRES -- NPR's David Molpus reports from Palm Coast in Flagler County, Florida on the devastating fires that are sweeping the eastern portion of the state. Authorities have ordered the evacuation of 30,000 people from Flagler County, where three fires threatened to unite into one giant blaze, and is now "seriously threatening" the town of Bunnell. This brings the number of residents ordered to evacuate to 70,000. The fires stretch along Florida's east coast from Jacksonville to Cape Canaveral. U.S. Federal Emergency Management Director James Lee Witt flew to Tallahassee to meet with Governor Lawton Chiles and Florida emergency managers as the federal government ordered additional resources into Florida to attack the brushfires. The fires have burned approximately 300,000 acres in the last thirty days. People in Flagler County are trying to find places to stay...and earlier today, an air of panic seemed to grip the area, along with the blinding ash and smoke. (4:00)

DAYTONA -- Robert talks with Larry Fornari, owner of the Palm Plaza Oceanfront Resort in Daytona Beach Shores, Florida and president of the Motel-Hotel Association of Volusia County. Mr. Fornari was expecting his hotel to be filled this weekend with stock car race fans planning to see the July 4 running of the Pepsi 400 at the Daytona International Speedway. With the race postponed until October, thanks to the Florida wild fires, many of Fornari's customers have cancelled their reservations. The Palm Plaza and many other hotels and motels in the Daytona area are making their vacant rooms available to fire evacuees and emergency personnel. (3:00)

GENEVA WRAP -- Robert talks with Laurie Garrett, the science reporter for Newsday. She's been in Geneva, Switzerland, covering the 12th World Conference on AIDS. They talk about some of the major stories coming out of that conference, including the plans for a new vaccine that would stimulate the immune system; new tests to indicate HIV infection in its earliest stages; new ways to reduce the passage of HIV from mothers to their babies; and disturbing news of a multiple drug-resistant strain of HIV. (5:00)

KOSOVO LIBERATION -- NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports from the village of Malisevo in territory controlled by the Kosovo Liberation Army. Malisevo's population of 25 thousand has doubled with the arrival of displaced refugees. Market shelves are almost bare, and with fighting raging nearby, residents seem to be bracing for a long siege. (7:30)

WORLD CUP -- Robert talks with Stephan Fatsis, who covers sports and sports business for the Wall Street Journal, in our regular Friday sports roundup. They talk about the World Cup soccer tournament's quarter final matches. (3:30)

PIKE'S PEAK -- NPR's Mark Roberts reports that tomorrow's Pike's Peak Hill Climb, is a 4th of July tradition for residents of Colorado. This is the nation's second oldest auto race (the Indianapolis 500 is the oldest). Competitors in different classes vie to see who can cover the treacherous 14 mile course the fastest. The race runs from the starting line at about 9,500 feet to the mountain's summit, which is almost 15,000 feet high. (4:00)