August 13, 1998 All Things Considered (entire program) Requires the RealAudio Player

An index of the day's stories:

AMERICANS HONORED -- NPR'S Ted Clark reports on the return to the United States today of ten of the twelve Americans killed in last week's bombing of the US embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. The remains arrived at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, where President and Mrs. Clinton presided over a ceremony honoring them. (4:30)

FBI BRIEFING -- Noah talks to NPR's Martha Raddatz about the status of the investigation into the bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. FBI officials say they are questioning people who have been detained in both countries, and that some have been released. The FBI expects it will take about a month to finish interviewing nearly a thousand witnesses in Tanzania and Kenya, and to pour through the debris from the bomb sites. Investigators hope the rubble will yield evidence that will lead them to the people who carried out the bombings. (3:59)

KOSOVO PEACE TALKS -- NPR's Edward Lifson reports from Pristina that ethnic Albanian leader Ibrahim Rugova has announced formation of a team to negotiate with Serb authorities on a ceasefire and political settlement for Kosovo province. However, the team announced does not include any representatives of the Kosovo Liberation Army, the group waging the insurgency. US envoy Chris Hill said weeks ago the team would include members of all major factions, including the KLA. (3:30)

CLINTON: WHAT'S AT STAKE -- Next Monday, President Clinton is scheduled to testify before the grand jury looking into whether he lied about his relationship with a former White House intern and asked her to lie about it under oath. Much of the questioning from independent counsel Kenneth Starr is expected to focus on testimony the president gave exactly seven months earlier in the Paula Jones sexual harrassment lawsuit in which he denied having a sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky. NPR's Chitra Ragavan reports. (8:00)

NEW HAMPSHIRE DIGS -- Long active in the West, the Archelogical Conservancy is heading East. Its first site is a paleo-Indian site in northern New Hampshire. Thirteen thousand years ago, small nomadic groups stopped here between Vermont and Maine. What they left behind is a record of the earliest occupation of this part of the world. John Greenberg reports from New Hampshire on the Paleo Indian and what they left behind. (8:00)

LETTERS -- Linda and Noah read from listeners letters. Topics this week include the search for fugitive Eric Rudolph, our retirement home Diary and our coverage of the Year 2000 millenium bug problem. You can write to All Things Considered at:

All Things Considered Letters
635 Massachusetts Avenue Northwest
Washington D.C. 20001

To contact us via the Internet, the
address is: atc@npr.org. (4:00)

MINKS ARE FREE -- NPR's Michael Goldfarb reports from England's New Forest on the release of six thousand minks from a farm by animal rights activists. The critters have no natural enemies in the area, and with their voracious appetite and razor-sharp teeth, they're killing off local farm animals and endangered wild species. All available hands have been recruited to trap the escapees. (4:30)

BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE -- Noah talks to Maggie Carey Lang, a wedding consultant at Carmel Bridal Company in Carmel, California, about the use of butterflies in wedding ceremonies. (3:30)

SWISS BANK SETTLEMENT -- NPR's Margot Adler reports on today's news that New York and California have lifted sanctions against major Swiss banks, in the wake of their agreement to pay one point two-five billion dollars in restitution to Holocaust survivors whose families had accounts with those banks. Lawyers, Jewish groups, and one federal judge will determine how the money is distributed, and to whom. (4:00)

SWISS REACT -- Imogen Foulkes reports from Bern that Swiss government and banking officials have greeted news of the Holocaust claims settlement with some relief. Agreement on a compensation figure means New York will drop plans to sanction Swiss banks. But the Swiss are a bit confused and worried as to who, actually will be responsible for the 1.25 billion dollars, to be paid out to Holocaust victims and survivors whose bank accounts and assets were seized by the Nazis. The Swiss government says it has no intention of paying. (4:00)

IRAQ FOILS US INSPECTORS -- NPR's Tom Gjelten reports on a crucial meeting today in Baghdad between the United Nations special envoy to Iraq and Iraq's deputy prime minister. The special envoy, Prakash Shah, was expected to deliver "a very firm message" from UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan about Iraq's latest confrontation with weapons inspectors. Iraq has suspended all cooperation with both the UN Special Commission and the International Atomic Energy Association, the two bodies charged with monitoring the dismantling of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. (4:00)

RUSSIAN MARKET TANKS -- Linda talks to Rudiger Dornbusch, a professor of economics at MIT, about the downturns in the stock markets in Russia, Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. He says that even though Russia is significant in world politics, Russia is not a big player in the world economy, so the problems of the Russian stock market will cause problems within Russia but not significantly influence the world stock markets. However, problems in Asian markets, especially in Japan, might cause even greater downturns in the US stock market. But even if the US stock market weakens, Dornbusch says, the economy can remain strong. (4:30)

ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE SERVICE -- The bodies of 10 of the 12 Americans killed in Friday's embassy Bombing in Nairobi, Kenya returned to the US today. A memorial service at Andrews Airforce base brought together their families and friends, as well as government leaders and representatives from east Africa. We'll read the names of the victims and hear remarks from President Clinton. (3:00)

INTERNET PRIVACY -- The federal government is accusing the Internet company, Geocities, of violating its customers' privacy. Geocities gives people free space to maintain Web sites if they give the firm personal information. The Federal Trade Commission says Geocities promised customers it would keep the information confidential, but in fact released it to marketers. NPR's Larry Abramson reports Geocities has agreed to inform customers how their information is used and get parental permission before collecting information from children 12 and under.

OAKLAND MARIJUANA -- NPR's Richard Gonzales reports on an action today by the Oakland, CA City Council to place the local medical marijuana club under the city's official auspices. Such clubs were legalized by state voters, but have been the subject of prosecution by the Federal Government. By making the clubs city entities, they're immune from such prosecution. (3:30)

SAN FRANCISCO POET LAUREATE -- Noah talks with beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti. The San Francisco bard was just appointed poet laureate for the city. Ferlinghetti talks about his new title, about his landmark City Lights bookstore, and why San Francisco has left an indelible mark on his work. The poet also reads an unpublished work, written during a visit to Prague. (5:30)

SPLIT -- Linda talks with Lisa Michaels, author of Split: A Counterculture Childhood, about being raised by hippie parents. She crossed the country in a mail truck with her mother and stepfather. Then her mother settled the family in California where she became a school teacher and "earth mother." Her father spent two years in prison for his part in an anti-war protest. Michaels says she was raised with an enormous amount of freedom and that her mother was intent on making her feel powerful. Overall, she is grateful for the way she was raised and is glad to have witnessed a tumultuous time. (8:00)