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An index of the day's stories: HOUSE JUDICIARY VOTE -- House Judiciary Committee chairman Henry Hyde announced today that the committee is expected to send a resolution calling for an impeachment inquiry to the full House of Representatives during the first full week in October. Meanwhile, House Judiciary Committee staffers worked today to finish combing through more than 3000 pages of material from Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr. The full panel is scheduled to meet tomorrow to consider what portions of the material should be made public. NPR's Brian Naylor reports. (4:00) INCOME GAP -- NPR's Ina Jaffe reports the Census Bureau said today that the poverty rate declined slightly last year. 13.7 million Americans are living in poverty. In its annual report, the bureau also found that family income rose in all racial groups during 1997. (4:00) MINORITY ENROLLMENT -- The growth in the number of blacks, Latinos and other minorities at US colleges and universities has been declining for nearly a decade. A new report released today says that lower academic achievement and graduation rates from high school are partly responsible. The study also concludes that the rollback in affirmative action in some states is having a chilling effect across the nation. NPR's Claudio Sanchez reports. (4:00) INDIA-PAKISTAN -- NPR's Mike Shuster reports that the two countries that outraged the West by conducting nuclear tests last spring now say they are willing to sign the comprehensive test ban treaty... under certain conditions. The leaders of India and Pakistan made the announcements in separate speeches to the UN General Assembly. Pakistan's Prime Minister Sharif linked his country's acceptance to the waiving of US economic sanctions. India's Prime Minister Vajpayee was less direct, but hinted at the same. The US imposed the sanctions after both countries broke the moratorium on nuclear testing. (4:00) LESOTHO -- Linda talks with Allan Secombe, a reporter for Reuters in Maseru, the capital of Lesotho. They discuss the rebellion of the Lesotho army which is in the process of being quelled by South African troops. The troops were requested by Lesotho's prime minister two weeks ago, when junior military officers mutinied and strikes were called that paralyzed the nation's capital. The rebellious officers had apparently sided with opposition parties that have been claiming elections in Lesotho last May were rigged. (4:00) HEDGE FUND BAILOUT -- NPR's Jim Zarroli reports that some of Wall Street's biggest names have agreed to take part in a $3.5 billion bailout of a hedge fund that racked up big losses and was near collapse. In an unusual move, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York led the rescue of the highly aggressive and speculative fund known as Long Term Capital Management. Analysts said Fed officials were concerned that allowing the hedge funds to go under might create even more problems in the global economy. (4:00) HIGH-TECH LOBBYING -- The White House reached an agreement last night with congressional leaders to set aside 142,000 visas over the next three years for foreign workers with special skills sought by high-tech companies. As NPR's Steven Rosenfeld reports, the increased number of visas for computer programmers, engineers and other specialists is an indication of stepped-up political activism on the part of computer firms. (8:00) OTHER STORIES -- Other stories we're following today include: Primakov Plan, Judiciary Committee, and Rushdie Reprieve. (1:00) OLIVER MUTUKUDZI -- Banning Eyre visits with Oliver Mutukudzi, a musician who's had many hit songs in his home country, Zimbabwe, playing with a band. His first solo effort, "Ndega Zvangu", showcases his talent as a singer-songwriter. One of Mutukudzi's fans in this country is Bonnie Raitt, who adapted one of his songs and includes it on her new CD "Fundamental". "Ndega Zvangu" is distributed in the US by Stern's; for more information on how to purchase the CD, their number is 212-925-1648. (8:00) PRIMAKOV PLAN -- NPR's Michele Kelemen reports from Moscow that nearly two weeks after his confirmation as prime minister, Yevgeny Primakov has announced his plan to rescue Russia from economic collapse. Primakov pledged to pay soldiers and workers back wages and to index salaries and pensions to inflation. He also promised tax breaks for industrial investment and greater state control over alcohol production and sales. Analysts say Russia's central bank will almost certainly have to print more rubles to accomplish these goals, which will fuel inflation. (2:30) RUSSIA ROUNDTABLE -- Robert hosts a roundtable discussion on the state of the Russian economy. He and his guests discuss the impact of Boris Yeltsin's selection of Yevgeny Primakov as Prime Minister and the effect Primakov's policies could have on the Russian economy. They also talk about the past and future role of the International Monetary Fund and the influence of the West on the national economy. He is joined by Barry Ickes, a professor of economics at Penn State University; Marshall Goldman, a professor of Russian economics at Wellesley College and the director of the davis Center for Russian Studies at Harvard University; David Kotz, a professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. (10:00) RUSHDIE RELIEF -- NPR's Martha Raddatz reports that the Iranian government of President Mohammed Khatami has pledged not to act on the religious sentence...and accompanying multi-million dollar reward...that had been announced seeking the death of British based author Salman Rushdie. Ten years ago, the late Ayatollah Khomeini had issued a "fatwa" calling for Rushdie's death because he had allegedly blasphemed the Prophet Mohammed in his novel The Satanic Verses. The Iranian governments promise that it would not pursue such action today has opened the doors to a resumption of full diplomatic relations between Tehran and London. (3:00) HAND TRANSPLANT -- NPR's Joanne Silberner reports on the announcement today by French doctors that they've successfully transplanted a hand and forearm. The recipient, a 48-year-old man, lost his right arm by amputation in 1989. It remains to be seen whether his body will accept or reject the transplant. The French team claims that it is the world's first hand and arm transplant. In July, a group of Louisville doctors announced that they were planning to perform the world's first hand transplant sometime this fall. (4:00) EPA RULING -- NPR's John Nielsen reports that the Environmental Protection Agency's plan to limit "interstate air pollution" has been having problems. For years, pollution from Midwestern power plants has drifted east and compounded smog in Northeastern cities like New York and Boston. EPA Administrator Carol Browner has ordered those plants to find ways to slash emissions of a key pollutant--a decision that critics say will raise electric bills considerably in the Midwest. (2:30) GEORGES IN THE KEYS -- NPR's Wade Goodwyn reports from Key West, Florida that hundreds of thousands of residents have left the Florida Keys as Hurricane Georges moves closer. But despite the hurricane threat, some people say they will stay at home and ride out the storm. Georges is expected to slice through the low-lying island chain late tonight or early tomorrow. The storm has been churning through Caribbean this week, killing more than 110 people and causing billions of dollars in damage. (3:00) FARM CRISIS -- Russell Lewis of Kansas Public Radio reports on the twin problems of bumper harvests and plummeting commodity prices facing many farmers throughout the Midwest. What many are calling a new farm crisis has its roots in lower demand due to the Asian economic collapse and some say changes in U.S. government subsidy programs mandated by Congress in recent years. (7:00) LETTERS -- Linda and Robert read from listeners' comments. You can write to All Things Considered at: All Things Considered Letters
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WAR WIDOW -- Linda and Robert remember 98-year-old Daisy Anderson...one of the last living Civil War Widows...who died this past weekend. She lived in a retirement home outside of Denver, Colorado. She was featured on the show in July in a story about her life and her marriage. A few years ago, she published a book recounting the stories her husband told her about his life. (1:00) CUBS GAME -- Commentator Lenny Kleinfeld says that he is still unoptimistic about the Chicago Cubs' chances for making it to the World Series. He reiterates his point...made in a commentary earlier in the baseball season...that half the point of even being a Cubs fan is learning to deal with crushing disappointment. (3:15)
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