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NPR's Elizabeth Arnold reports...republicans on capitol hill are sturggling to come up with a way to pay for the temporary gas tax repeal they want to vote into law. And democrats want to make sure consumers get the benefits of any tax cut. Democrats also are trying to come up with a way to bring to a vote..legislation to raise the minimum wage.

Noah Adams speaks with mountain climber Jon Krakauer about his experience last week on Mt. Everest. Krakauer and his team were caught near the peak when a storm hit on Friday, killing at least 9 climbers. Krakauer, author of "Into the Wild" (Villard: New York, 1996) and a contributing editor of Outside Magazine, spoke to us from Katmandu, Nepal.

An excerpt of President Clinton's remarks today at the signing ceremony for "Megan's Law." The law requires that people in a community be notified when a convicted rapist or child molester is released from prison and moves into a neighborhood.

NPR's John Neilsen reports that Marion Barry, mayor of the District of Columbia, returned after a two week sabbatical for spiritual and physical rejuvenation. While the mayor was away, rumours swept the city that Barry had had a relapse into drug or alcohol abuse. Today, Barry says he may not have explained his absence in the clearests terms, and blamed the media for overplaying the story.

Linda speaks with Loren Siegel, the Director of Public Education at the American Civil Liberties Union. They'll discuss the legal implications of the latest cases challenging community notification laws.

Scott Horsley of member station KPBS talks to sailors in San Diego, where the apparent suicide of naval chief of operations Admiral Michael Boorda has hit especially hard. Boorda was well-known in San Diego, where enlisted men and women saw him as one of their own.

Commentator David Brooks says he won't be attending the Stand For Children rally because he thinks that the event is not really for children, but more an opportunity for emotional manipulation.

Commentator David Crystal says this is an age of abbreviations. The most common abbreviation is the use of the first initials of each word - like NPR - but there are many others.

Today is Cinco de Mayo, a day of celebration for Mexican-Americans, and among the foods found at fiestas today is a dish called menudo, which is prepared from tripe. Tripe is the inner lining of a cow's stomach. NPR's Ina Jaffe sent us this report about a California company that manufactures menudo in a can.

NPR's Vicky Que reports that a new study is raising questions about whether certain hormone-based contraceptives may increase the risks of becoming infected with the AIDS virus. In the study, researchers found that monkeys that received the hormone progesterone were more likely to be infected with SIV, the monkey equivament of HIV, than monkeys that did not receive the hormone. The findings suggest that contraceptives like Norplant may not only NOT protect against HIV, but may actually enhance a woman's chances of becoming infected. Researchers cautioned, however, that more research is needed to determine whether the findings hold true for humans.

NPR's Sue Simpson reports on the anxiety in South Africa's mixed-race, or "colored," community, in the new era of black majority rule. Under apartheid, coloreds were treated better than blacks--they could own businesses and got preferential treatment in housing and jobs. Now many fear that they will become second-class citizens in the new South Africa, as Nelson Mandela's government tries to improve the lot of the black community.

NPR's Claudio Sanchez reports that millions of kids in the US still receive "bilingual education" (instruction in their native languages and in English) despite widespread criticism that the practice keeps non-native English speakers at a disadvantage. Supporters of the program say kids with no English skills need help keeping up in their studies until they become proficient in English, and they want government funding for the program to continue. There's very little hard evidence on the effectiveness of bilingual ed, so the debate over the program tends to rest on ideological differences over the status of English vis a vis other languages spoken in this country.

Bob Dole ended his Senate career today with an emotional farewell speech before a packed Senate chamber. He reminisced about the joys and struggles of his life, including 35 years in Congress, and telling some of his favorite anecdotes about other senators. NPR's Elizabeth Arnold reports on Dole's last day as Majority Leader, as he now turns his attention full-time to the presidential campaign.

NPR's Steve Inskeep (INZ-keep) reports on the ruins of a Scottish castle that stand on a tiny island in the middle of the Hudson River in upstate New York ... ruins which appear on the misty water like a chunk of debris from some medieval flood. The castle was built as a home and warehouse by Francis Bannerman, a turn-of-the-century weapons dealer. Today, his castle is seen by thousands of commuters in passing trains...and an effort is underway to stabilize the ruins before they collapse into the harbor.

NPR's Peter Overby reports that the Democratic National Committee today filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, charging that Bob Dole's presidential campaign has exceeded its limits on campaign spending. Dole denies he has violated campaign spending laws and countered that President Clinton's campaign should return $11 million it has received in public funding for the Democratic primary because he had no challenger.

The National Academy of Sciences today released a report calling for increased efforts to develop new types of birth control methods. The report says there's been a virtual standstill in developing new contraceptives, even though they are urgently needed. For example, a birth control method that also reduces the risk for sexually transmitted diseases could help stem the spread of AIDS. NPR's Joe Neel explores the status of efforts to develop so-called microbicides. [my-KROH-bih-sides]

Three top Air Force officials have been relieved of command in connection with the plane crash that killed Commerce Secretary Ron Brown and 34 other people in Croatia. The Air Force says the brigadier general and two colonels responsible for the 86th Airlift Wing have lost the confidence of their commander, because of facts revealed in the probe of the plane crash. The statement does not assign any blame for the crash. The investigation continues. NPR's Martha Raddatz reports on today's developments.

Israel will elect its next prime minister on Wednesday. Robert talks with an Arab family from Acre (AY-kr), a coastal city in northern Israel. The Mansour family, and their inlaws, have prospered in the peace that Prime Minister Shimon Peres has celebrated throughout his campaign. While most Arab Israelis vote for obscure leftist Arab parties, Israel's Arab elite generally hopes to maintain the relative peace which is now prevailing in Israel. The Mansour family will likely support Peres in Wednesday's election.

NPR's John Ydstie reports that the critical Cockpit Voice Recorder being analyzed at National Transportation Safety Board headquarters in Washington indicates that there was a fire in the passenger compartment of the aircraft before the plane went down.

Charles de Ledesma (duh-luh-DEZ-mah) looks into London's easy listening music scene. Deejays are combing thrift shops for old records from the 50s, 60s and 70s, and bands like the Mike Flowers Orchestra and the Gentle People are playing live easy listening music at nightclubs devoted to both easy listening and cheesey listening! At the Madame Jojo's, the fare is strictly easy, while at the club Cheese, cheesey listening rules.