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From the Midwest to the Northeast, a brutal heat wave has pushed temperatures above 100 degrees in many areas this weekend. On Friday, more than 130 million people were living under a heat advisory. But while most people were moaning about the oppressive, humid heat, some were finding fun ways to stay cool.

Political Action Committees are defending themselves from the latest proposal to outlaw them. The legislation could come up in the House this spring or summer, as part of campaign finance reform. Critics say PAC donations to lawmakers give special interest groups too much influence. Supporters say pooled money in PACs give a political voice to Americans without enough money to make large donations. NPR's Peter Overby reports.

A team at the National Institute of Standards and Technology has developed a new technique to recover information from magnetic tapes and disks. Noah talks with David Pappas, who heads that team, about the possibility that this technique could be applied to blank portions of the Nixon White House tapes, analyzed during the Watergate scandal. Recovering voices, he says, would be a long shot. But it might be possible to tell whether the tapes had been erased.

Religious and charitable leaders held a news conference this morning... hours before the House vote on the G-O-P welfare reform bill. They voiced their opposition to the current package, calling it "immoral" and saying it will push "1-million more" children into poverty. The coalition of groups wants President Clinton to veto the measure if it makes it through Congress in current form. Many of the groups represented at today's news conference operate assistance and feeding programs that receive federal money.

Linda Wertheimer speaks with Linda DiVall, a Republican pollster, about issues that will influence the women's vote this year. DiVall is the founder of American Viewpoint, and part of the polling team for Women's Voices 2000. DiVall talks about the research on women voters for The Center for Policy Alternatives and Lifetime Television. A series of focus groups show that women are worried about their economic future, are concerned about education and health issues, and feel pressed for time. (4:45) For more information on American Viewpoint, see www.amview.com

David Greenberger reviews the new CD from singer/songwriter Dave Fischoff, called The Ox and the Rainbow. Fischoff has a distinctive, quiet, spare sound, with intimate arrangements. His songs usually consist of a solo guitar and no other voices but his, with a deep resonating bass drone that makes his work more mysterious and melancholy. The CD is on Secretly Canadian Records; they're a small independent label from Bloomington, Ind.

Robert talks to reporter Alex Todorovic, who is in Belgrade. Thousands of opponents of President Slobodan Milosevic began gathering in the streets there tonight. They're voicing support for the man they say won last Sunday's presidential election, Vojislav Kostunica. During the day, police dismantled a platform outside the Yugoslav parliament building, where the demonstration speakers were to address the crowd. To avoid a confrontation, organizers moved the rally. A big turnout is considered vital to Kostunica's effort to win recognition of the election results. The government yesterday admitted Milosevic had come in second. But it says Kostunica failed to win an outright majority, making a run-off necessary.

You can lose your wallet, you can forget your PINs and passwords, but you can't lose your fingerprints or the sound of your voice. NPR's Dan Charles reports that new technologies are taking advantage of these built-in identifiers to develop fool-proof methods for making sure you are who you say you are. Some critics worry they also make it too easy to invade one's privacy.

Barry White, the honey-voiced baritone known for his sultry, romantic songs, dies at a hospital in Los Angeles. White, 58, had been in poor health for several years and died while awaiting a kidney transplant. The soul singer became a star during the disco era, but had a resurgence in popularity in recent years. He won two Grammies for his 1999 album, "Staying Power." NPR's Scott Simon has a remembrance.

An Islamic militant Web site posts video purporting to show the beheading of U.S. civilian Nick Berg, 26, at the hands of masked men in Iraq. Berg had been missing since April 9; his decapitated body was found Saturday. A voice on the tape tied the killing to abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison; it also invoked the name of al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Hear NPR's Michele Kelemen.

The debut, self-titled album from Oklahoma City-based band The Uglysuit is refreshingly bright and cheery, replete with huge spirit-raising piano and guitar anthems. With a blend of spacey dream pop and a few alt-country flavors (lead singer Israel Hindman's voice mimicks Jeff Tweedy one minute, Conor Oberst the next), the group's sound draws comparisons to the Flaming Lips and the Shins, but the grandiosity of the music is that of space rock proportions.

Over the past few decades, iconic musician Lou Reed has worked with a gallery of talented visual and performing artists — Andy Warhol, the Velvet Underground, his girlfriend Laurie Anderson, just to name a few. Now he's tackled what he says is his toughest challenge yet: dramatizing the works of Edgar Allan Poe in music, sound and spoken voice. Hear samples from Reed's latest CD, The Raven.

In New Orleans, December brings only faux snow, so Papa Noel packs his presents on a pirogue pulled by alligators. Feux de Joie bonfires are lit along the Mississippi River to light his way to the bayous. Papa might not have a stereo on board, but if he does, you might hear a few of these Cajun carols around the Crescent City area.

Commentator and marine biologist Kathy Turco visits the shores of Southern Cook Inlet - an area under consideration for oil exploration. Later this spring the Interior Dept. will get a recommendation on opening the waterway to drilling. The water is rich in salmon - food for the bears that draw tourists to the region. Tourism is Alaska's second biggest industry after fishing. There is concern the oil industry's work will hurt the salmon.

This is a great weekend to be selling used furniture in Burlington, Vermont. About 12,000 college students flood the area this time of year, and like most students on a budget, they are looking for an affordable way to decorate rooms and shared houses. Host Jacki Lyden speaks to Todd Myers, co-owner of Myers New & Used Furniture, about the annual boom in furniture sales.

The military rescues a U.S. Army prisoner of war in Iraq. The Pentagon confirms that 19-year-old Army Private First Class Jessica Lynch of Palestine, W.Va., has been returned to an allied-controlled area. Lynch was a supply clerk with a convoy that was ambushed on March 23 near the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah. NPR's Nick Spicer reports.

A prominent Democrat in the District of Columbia is pushing a flat tax proposal for the nation's capital, and Republican congressional leaders say it's a good idea. Proponents say it would encourage middle-class residents to stay in the city, and serve as a model for other urban areas, if it works. Critics say the Federal treasury would lose needed tax money. NPR's John Nielsen reports.

NPR's Mandalit Delbarco reports on fires that have destroyed dozens of homes throughout Southern California. Fires in the San Diego area, and outside Los Angeles, scared residents who'd been through catastrophic wildfires in 1993, but this year some safety measures--such as clearing brush around homes--may have helped reduce the number of damaged structures.

NPR's Richard Knox reports that snakebite antidote supplies are running very low this summer. In many areas, doctors have run out of the crucial medicine before patients have completed treatment. So far, no deaths are blamed on the shortage, but antivenom experts say it's only a matter of time. The shortfall arose when the manufacturer of the main antidote cut back production.

In Minneapolis, two businessmen are trying to raise money to start a new internet company. They plan to serve corporate clients, but they also want to provide jobs to people who live in their neighborhood, an area known for prostitution and drug-dealing. John Biewen of Minnesota Public Radio reports that the company initially attracted many investors -- until they found out where the company is located.