July 29, 1998 All Things Considered (entire program) Requires the RealAudio Player

An index of the day's stories:

RATIFICATION VOTE -- NPR's Don Gonyea reports that workers at two General Motors plants in Flint, Michigan overwhelmingly approved an agreement to end a strike that began nearly two months ago. The United Auto Workers and company officials say workers should be able to return to their jobs quickly, perhaps as early as tonight. The strike shut down virtually all of GM's North American operations and cost the automaker more than $2 billion in lost production. (4:00)

STOCK MARKET & GM -- General Motors stock fell more than 3% today before recovering somewhat as the market turned thumbs down on the automaker's settlement with striking workers. The agreement does include compromises that should allow GM to increase productivity, but it apparently falls short of achieving the long-term labor peace GM had sought. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports. (4:00)

KOSOVO UPDATE -- NPR's Edward Lifson reports from Belgrade that Serb forces have re-taken key positions held by ethnic Albanian insurgents in Kosovo province. As the Albanians suffer losses on the battlefield, diplomats hope they may be more willing to sit down with Serb authorities and negotiate a ceasefire and a settlement to the conflict. The U-S ambassador to neighboring Macedonia has been meeting with the Kosovars, trying to put together a negotiating team. (4:00)

SYMBOLIC KNESSET VOTE -- NPR's Linda Gradstein reports that the Israeli parliament today rebuffed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by voting overwhelmingly to give preliminary approval to a measure that could dissolve the government and force new elections. Knesset members voted 60-6, with the governing party refusing to participate, on the measure that reflected the extent of the parliament's dissatisfaction with Netanyahu's two-year rule. (3:30)

SEARCHING FOR DONALD HUTCHINGS -- NPR's Michael Sullivan reports that it has been three years since American Donald Hutchings was kidnapped in the mountains of Kashmir. Every summer since then his wife, Jane Schelley, has traveled to the area looking for him. She returns home to Spokane, Washington today... and even though everyone else involved in the case believes Hutchings is dead, Schelley refuses to believe it until she has proof. (4:00)

COUNTING BUTTERFLIES -- Many people believe that the best way to preserve endangered flora and fauna is to protect parts of the world where the diversity of life is greatest. That's easier said than done. NPR's Richard Harris reports on new findings that may make it easier to select the very best places for conservation efforts. (1:30)

INSEMINATING AN ELEPHANT -- The "wild" in "wildlife" is rapidly disappearing. As their numbers dwindle, wild animals are increasingly being managed. Zoos play a major part in that management, usually as animal refuges. But behind the scenes they play another important role...as breeders of wild animals. One of the most difficult animals to breed is the elephant. Few have been born in captivity, and it wasn't until this year that the first artificial insemination of an elephant succeeded in creating a pregnancy. NPR's Christopher Joyce recently went to Indianapolis to visit some of the people who made this breakthrough possible...and to observe another insemination. (10:45)

NEW ADULTERY GUIDELINES -- The Pentagon announced guidelines today that officials hope will give clarity and credibility to rules against adultery and fraternization in the nation's armed forces. The Defense Department began a year-long review of the problem after high-profile sexual misconduct cases led to complaints. Critics said enlisted service members were being dealt with more harshly than officers. The new rules are expected to reduce the number of prosecutions for adultery, while increasing penalties for fraternization between a superior and a subordinate. NPR's Barbara Bradley reports that critics are not sure the new guidelines will make much of an improvement. (3:30)

BREAST CANCER STAMP -- Linda talks with graphic designer Ethel Kessler about a new postage stamp issued today at the White House. Dedicated to the fight against breast cancer, the stamp will cost 40 cents instead of the usual 32, and proceeds from its sale will help fund breast cancer research. Kessler says she drew on her own experience fighting breast cancer as she worked with a team of artists to the design the stamp. She wanted the stamp to depict strength and courage and to symbolize hope. The stamp will be on sale tomorrow across the country. (4:30)

LEWINSKY FALLOUT -- NPR White House correspondent Mara Liasson reports on the latest developments in the Monica Lewinsky investigation. Today, the President's lawyers announced that he will testify on August 17th before a grand jury...but his testimony will be delivered on videotape. Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr has offered Lewinsky immunity for her testimony, leading to speculation about what her testimony will mean for President Clinton. (3:30)

LEGAL QUESTIONS -- Robert talks with Lloyd Weinreb, the Dane Professor of Law at Harvard University, where he teaches criminal law and criminal procedure. They discuss news today that President Clinton will testify before the grand jury in the Whitewater investigation via videotape. They also discuss the legal implications of the testimony Monica Lewinsky is reportedly prepared to give before the grand jury in the Whitewater investigation. He says that it's difficult to precisely define what would entail "subornation of perjury" in this case. (4:30)

HILL ANXIETY -- NPR's Brian Naylor reports that members of Congress continue to be apprehensive about what, if anything, Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr will report to them concerning his Whitewater investigation. Some warn that legislators will not be happy if they are asked to deal with allegations that the President lied about having a sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky, especially if no charges more serious than that emerge. And the closer things get to the November elections, the more reluctant memebers will be to deal with the issue. (3:30)

GUNS & MENTAL ILLNESS -- The attack last Friday at the Capitol building allegedly committed by a gunman suffering from paranoid schizophrenia has spurred new efforts to restrict access to guns for people suffering from mental illnesses. NPR's Chitra Ragavan looks at laws that have been implemented in at least 15 states and the problems those measures have raised with regard to infringements on individual rights and privacy. (7:30)

BRAWLEY DAMAGES -- NPR's Melissa Block talks with Robert about today's verdict in the penalty phase of a defamation lawsuit brought by ex-Dutchess County prosecutor Stephen Pagones. A jury awarded Pagones 345-thousand dollars in damages, after having found that the Reverend Al Sharpton and two other advisors to Tawana Brawley defamed Pagones by alleging that he was part of a group of law-enforcement officials that allegedly raped Brawley. (3:00)

MBIRA GUITAR OF ZIMBABWE -- Music reviewer Banning Eyre accepts an invitation to spend six months in Harare, Zimbabwe, learning to play "mbira [mBEE-rah] guitar" with that country's best-known pop group, Thomas Mapfumo and The Blacks Unlimited. The mbira is a traditional thumb piano - a slab of wood outfitted with metal keys, which are plucked to produce music considered sacred by many Zimbabweans. Mapfumo's band has developed a guitar style based on the sound of mbira music. Working with both guitar and mbira players, Eyre learns how to play in the mbira style; at the same time, he learns about the spiritual significance of this music. (9:30) ((STEREO))

JEROME ROBBINS OBIT -- Choreographer Jerome Robbins died today at the age of 79, following a stroke he suffered this weekend. Known for his groundbreaking work on such concept musicals as "Fiddler on the Roof," "West Side Story," "The Pajama Game," "Gypsy," and "The King and I," he also created more than fifty ballets. NPR's Kim Kokich has an appreciation of his life and his work. (7:30)