July 7, 1998 All Things Considered (entire program) Requires the RealAudio Player

An index of the day's stories:

Berlusconi Convicted -- David Willey reports from Rome that Italian opposition leader Silvio Berlusconi has been sentenced to two years and nine months in prison on corruption charges. Berlusconi, a former prime minister, was convicted of bribing tax inspectors in exchange for easy audits of his business empire. The billionaire tycoon is not expected to go to prison because of Italy's lengthy appeals process -- and his immunity as a politician. (2:30)

Northern Ireland Unrest -- Linda talks with Alastair Graham, the chairman of the Northern Ireland parade commission, about the situation surrounding the protest being staged by members of Northern Ireland's Protestant Orange Order. British Prime Minister Tony Blair will meet with members of the Order on Thursday about his ruling that the Order may not parade through the Catholic neighborhood of Portadown in Belfast. Members of the Orange Order are now camping out at the Drumcree Church, stating that they will not leave until they're allowed to march. (4:30)

CNN Controversy -- All Things Considered host Robert Siegel talks with Howard Kurtz, the media critic for The Washington Post and the author of Spin Cycle: Inside the Clinton Propaganda Machine. They discuss reaction both inside and outside CNN following the network's retraction of a story that alleged Sarin nerve gas was used by U.S. troops against deserters in Laos in 1970. The producers of the story were fired, and the reporter reprimanded. The whole affair has turned attention to the internal checks on stories carried out at news organizations nationwide. (8:00)

Nutria Cuisine -- NPR's Debbie Elliott reports that in an effort to save the state's endangered wetlands, Louisiana officials have come up with a novel approach. They are encouraging people to eat nutria, an orange toothed rodent that's harmful to wetlands, by sponsoring promotional events featuring nutria recipes. But many residents think of nutrias as "swamp rats" and aren't too keen on the idea. (10:00)

Layer Cake -- Commentator Lenore Skenazy makes a very unfashionable item for a party: a layer cake. She defends the confection against the world of "hip" food. (2:00)

Brawley Trial -- NPR's Melissa Block reports on the final day of closing arguments in the defamation trial of three former advisers to Tawana Brawley. The lawyer for the plaintiff in the case -- Stephen Pagones -- told the jury that the advisers exploited Brawley's story - one of a black teenager being ravaged by a gang of white men -- for their own personal and political gain. (4:00)

Kay Thompson Obituary -- We remember Kay Thompson -- a one-time nightclub singer who wrote the modern children's classic "Eloise," the story of a horrible little girl who lives at the Plaza Hotel. (3:45)

Moshood Abiola Dies -- Moshood Abiola, Nigeria's most prominent political prisoner, died today. Abiola appeared to have been elected president of Nigeria in 1993, but the election results were set aside by the ruling party at the time. Abiola fell ill during a meeting with a delegation from the United States, led by Undersecretary of State Thomas Pickering. Linda speaks with Undersecretary Pickering about what happened at his meeting with Chief Abiola, and what he thinks may happen in the aftermath of Abiola's death. She then talks with NPR's Tom Gjelten and Peter Lewis, a professor of International Relations at the American University, for further analysis of the day's events. (12:00)

Abiola Profile -- NPR's Jennifer Ludden has a profile of Moshood Abiola, tracing his career and his political activism, and the later years of his life as a political prisoner. (4:00)

Abiola Analysis -- Linda continues her discussion with NPR's Tom Gjelten and Peter Lewis of the American University. (4:00)

Clinton on Health Insurance -- President Clinton has issued a directive to the Federal Office of Personnel Management which negotiates health benefits for federal employees. The directive orders OPM to use the lucrative insurance market for federal employees to make sure that insurers fully comply with the 1996 federal insurance portability law. If any insurance company is found to be discouraging sales of its health insurance to eligible consumers, the OPM would not allow the company to sell insurance to federal employees. This move came in response to reports that companies have been circumventing the law by various means...including very high premiums, penalties for agents writing such portable policies, and exclusion of customers with pre-existing medical conditions. Julie Rovner has the details of the story. (4:45)

Secret Service Ruling -- NPR's Barbara Bradley reports that a federal appeals court ruled today that secret service agents must testify before a grand jury investigating whether President Clinton had an affair with Monica Lewinsky and lied about it under oath. The three-judge panel upheld an earlier ruling by a U.S. district court judge in the case, and the administration must now decide whether to comply or appeal the decision. The Justice Department has argued that forcing agents to testify about the President's activities could jeopardize their ability to protect the president and that they should be exempt from grand jury inquiries. (3:00)

Fiscal State of Cities -- NPR's Steve Inskeep reports from Washington that municipal revenues are increasing -- but not at the same pace reported by states and the federal government. There may not be much relief in sight. Cities face more threats to their coffers with internet commerce threatening to drain sales tax receipts, which represent a large percentage of municipal revenues across the country. (3:30)

Puerto Rico Strike -- Robert talks with Sandra Rodriguez, an investigative reporter with the El Nuevo Dia newspaper in San Juan, Puerto Rico. They discuss the two-day general strike organized by the telephone unions protesting the governor's decision to privatize the island's telephone company. They're demanding a referendum on the issue or the outright cancellation of the sale. The governor has been unwilling to meet with leaders of the strike to discuss the issue. (4:00)

World Cup Update -- Robert talks with Jon Henley, a correspondent for The Guardian newspaper, who's been following the World Cup soccer tournament. They discuss the Brazilian team's narrow victory over the Netherlands today, placing Brazil -- the defending World Cup champions -- back into the finals of the tournament. (3:30)