August 4, 1998 All Things Considered (entire program) Requires the RealAudio Player

An index of the day's stories:

Dow Dives -- All Things Considered host Robert Siegel talks with Jeremy Siegel, a professor of finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. They discuss the influence of the Asian economic crisis, President Clinton's problems on the domestic stage, and lack of earnings growth, and the effect the three are having in conjunction on the stock market. (3:00)

Lindsey Testimony -- Robert talks with NPR's Mara Liasson about today's decision by Chief Justice William Rehnquist not to block testimony by White House counsels Bruce Lindsey and Lanny Breuer before the grand jury investigating the Monica Lewinsky matter. They also talk about options being discussed within the White House on how President Clinton should approach his testimony before the grand jury on August 17. (4:30)

Clinton, Lewinsky and Public Opinion -- All Things Considered host Linda Wertheimer talks with Andrew Kohut, the director of the Pew Research Center for People and the Press, about a poll his organization conducted showing that interest in the Clinton/Lewinsky testimony remains flat. The data also show that a majority of people say they would have an unfavorable opinion of Congress members who would vote for impeachment hearings on the matter. (4:30)

Russia Economy -- NPR's Mike Shuster, in a report from Moscow, rejects the conventional wisdom about life in Russia these days. He says that while the upheavals of the post-Soviet era have created an elite of super-rich capitalists and impoverished many others, the transformation has also created the beginnings of a middle class. Significant numbers of Russians are now buying cars, sprucing up their homes and purchasing Russian-made consumer goods. (8:00)

German Politics -- NPR's Edward Lifson reports that Gerhard Schroeder, the man expected to unseat long-time German Chancellor Helmut Kohl in federal elections next month, meets in Washington tomorrow with President Clinton. While he doesn't have the foreign policy experience of Christian Democrat Kohl, the Social Democratic leader appears to be winning over voters with his vigorous, youthful appearance and slick campaign style. (6:30)

Idaho Welfare -- More than 3/4 of the people who were on welfare in Idaho a year ago are now gone from the rolls. Some new studies indicate that these "missing people" have gone to work -- while others indicate that these people are simply much poorer and are now living in shelters, having slipped through the cracks in the public assistance system. Jyl Hoyt reports. (6:00)

Airplane Travel -- Commentator Karen Grigsby Bates on the degraded quality of airplane travel. She notes how slovenly travellers look these days and offers tips on ways people could improve their airline etiquette. (3:30)

Louis Armstrong -- Matt Glaser, head of the String Department at Berklee College of Music in Boston, pays tribute to Louis Armstrong, who would have been 97 years old today, were he still alive. Glaser explains why he thinks Armstrong and Albert Einstein personify the 20th century. This item is unavailable due to copyright issues.

Reno and Burton -- NPR's Peter Overby reports from Capitol Hill on Republican pressure on Attorney General Janet Reno to hand over internal Justice Department memos urging her to name a independent counsel to investigate possible campaign finance abuses. House Government Reform and Oversight Committee Chair Dan Burton has threatened to hold Reno in contempt of Congress if she continues to refuse to give his committee memos from FBI Director Louis Freeh and former Campaign Finance Task Force chief Charles LaBella. (4:30)

School Infrastructure -- NPR's Anthony Brooks reports that many of the nation's schools are crumbling and in drastic need of repair. According to the General Accounting Office a third of the nation's schools, educating 14 million children need fixing. The Clinton Administration has proposed a plan to help rebuild that infrastructure, but opponents believe the funding and the fix-up should be left to local school officials. (7:30)

Congo Unrest -- NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports from Nairobi on the army rebellion against Laurent Kabila, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Rebel troops have seized, or are fighting for control of, several towns along the country's eastern border. The rebels are mainly ethnic Tutsi, the same group whose uprising sparked the revolt which led to Kabila overthrowing Mobutu Sese Seko fourteen months ago. And Kabila's government charges that the Tutsi-led Rwandan army, which played a key role in bringing him to power, is now fighting alongside the rebels. Rwanda denies any involvement. (3:30)

'Made on Earth' -- Music critic Charles de Ledesma reviews "Made On Earth," a new CD by Barbara Gogan and Hector Zazou. Gogan sings her intimate vocals over Zazou's rich ambient compositions. It is a CD of smart lyrics and intricately produced sounds. Note "Made On Earth" is available on Crammed Discs and is distributed in the United States by Dutch East India Trading. Listeners should look for this release in independent record shops. Dutch East India Trading's mail order number is 800-759-0007; their e-mail address is info@dutch-east.com. (4:00)

Elder Abuse -- NPR's Wendy Schmelzer reports on a study in tomorrow's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association which confirms that older adults who are abused or neglected are at increased risk of death. That may sound self-evident, but the researchers also found that these elderly people usually did not die from injuries, malnutrition or any other condition that could be directly attributed to the abuse or neglect they endured. (4:30)

Virginia Baby Swap -- Linda and Robert talk about the latest developments in the story of two girls who were switched at birth and given to the wrong parents at the University of Virginia medical center. (3:00)

Car Sharing -- Ley Garnett of Oregon Public Radio reports that some folks in environmentally aware Portland have come up with a new spin on car leasing. A company called Carsharing, Inc. will rent a car for as short a time as an hour. It's a way, they say, to have use of a car without monthly car payments, maintenance or repair bills. (5:00)

Yoyoi Kusama -- When Yoyoi Kusama came to New York in 1958, she knew no one; had no money; and spoke practically no English. But legend has it that she brought with her as many as 5000 small, luminous drawings. Within a year, she had a solo exhibition. By the time she left fifteen years later, she'd influenced the likes of Andy Warhol and Lucas Samaras...and managed to shock even the New York art world. Today she calls a Tokyo psychiatric hospital home...but she returned to New York for the opening of a retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art. Karen Michel reports. (7:30)