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Dan Tritle from Member Station WNAN on Nantucket reports that tomorrow morning, a Boston woman and a blind Australian man hope to become the first to swim from Martha's Vineyard to Nantucket. The islands are off the Massachusetts coast, in often turbulent Atlantic waters.

Massachussetts has long been one of the most generous states for students with special needs. A 26-year old law has required school districts to give students the "maximum feasible benefits" to keep them on track in public schools. But lawmakers have recently limited those services, and that has parents of special needs kids worried. From Member Station WBUR, Toni Randolph reports.

Today in Harrison, New Jersey, producers of the HBO television series The Sopranos held a casting call for anyone and everyone interested in being an extra on the hit show. Ill-equiped to handle the thousands of hopefuls that showed up, HBO called off the search before many people had a chance to be seen. Host David Wright talks to a few of the disgruntled Sopranos fans.

Golfer Tiger Woods became the youngest player ever to win all four major golf championships today with his victory at the British Open in St. Andrews, Scotland. NPR's Tom Goldman speaks with guest host David Wright about this week's match and Tiger's future.

Host David Wright speaks with Dr. Fred Luskin of the Stanford Medical Center about the science of forgiveness.

What would a local news broadcast be without its rousing Action News! theme song? Host David Wright speaks with 24-year-old Byron Graziano of New York City, who collects local news themes for his web site, the TV News Music Museum. http://www.geocities.com/Pipeline/7612/

Host David Wright talks with ethnobotanist Mark J. Plotkin, Ph.D, about his new book Medicine Quest. Plotkin has done extensive research throughout the rainforests of South America to explore the healing secrets of the natural world. Plotkin says we have a lot to learn from the biodiversity of the rainforest, especially from unlikely sources such as spiders, snakes and tree bark.

Republicans believe the 2022 midterms will hinge on President Biden's handling of the economy. Strategists and campaign officials say voters across the U.S. rank higher prices above all other issues.

Hubble's iconic images captured the public's imagination. Will NASA's next big space telescope, which sees infrared light, produce astronomy scenes that pack a similar punch?

At the G-8 Summit in Okinawa today, leaders of the richest industrialized nations pledged to close the "digital divide" - the gap in access to technology between developed and developing countries. Demonstrators criticized the assembly for not acting more aggresively to provide debt relief for poor nations. President Clinton also spoke to U-S Marines stationed on the island. From Okinawa, NPR's Eric Weiner speaks with host David Wright about the President's message and what the G-8 meeting has accomplished.

Host David Wright talks with blues singer Koko Taylor. Her first recording in seven years is titled, Royal Blue (Alligator Records, ALCD 4873). It features B.B.King (guitar and vocals) and Keb Mo' (on National Steel Guitar, harmonica, and vocals). Taylor sings both the Chicago and Delta Blues.

Only four governors in U.S. history have faced a recall election — and California's Gov. Gavin Newsom is one of two who managed to survive the vote.

Host David Wright speaks with political analyst Stuart Rothenberg about what a Republican vice presidential nominee must bring to a Bush ticket. Governor Bush is expected to name his running mate in the next few days.

Robert interviews Matt Simmons, President of Simmons and Company International, an investment banking firm works exclusively with the energy business.

NPR's John Ydstie reports that once again the economy has outperformed expectations. The nation's gross domestic product increased five-point-two-percent in the second quarter, a much faster pace than most economists expected and a bit faster than growth in the first quarter. But even as overall growth sped up, inflation cooled off.

{LOST AND FOUND SOUND: "VOICES OF THE DUSTBOWL"} -- Today we hear the latest installment the "Lost and Found Sound," series: "Voices of the Dustbowl." In the 1930s, hundreds of thousands of people from Oklahoma and Arkansas traveled to California, in search of better living. Depression-related poverty and a massive drought and subsequent dust storms had made life impossible for them back home. There were no jobs, and the fields were fallow. California held the promise of work and wages, harvesting fruit and vegetables year-round. Sixty years ago, in the summer of 1940, Charles Todd was hired by the Library of Congress to visit the federal camps where many of these migrants lived, to create an audio oral history of their stories, and to document the success of the camp program to the Roosevelt administration back in Washington. Todd carried a 50-pound Presto recorder from camp to camp that summer, interviewing the migrant workers. He made hundreds of hours of recordings on acetate and cardboard discs. Todd was there at the same time that writer John Steinbeck was interviewing many of the same people in these camps, for research on a new novel called "The Grapes of Wrath." Producer Barrett Golding went though this massive collection of Todd's recordings. Together, they bring us this story, narrated by Charles Todd.

NPR's Peter Kenyon reports from Philadelphia, where the Republicans are holding their Platform Committee hearings in preparation for next week's presidential nominating convention. Republicans, following the lead of their presumed nominee, George W. Bush, are taking some of the tougher-edged rhetoric out of this year's document. But it remains a strongly conservative platform, as abortion-rights advocates were once again thwarted in their efforts to modify the plank.

Linda Wertheimer speaks with sportswriter Stefan Fatsis about professional football. The NFL Hall of Fame induction ceremonies and the first pre-season games of the year take place this weekend. Stefan also talks about changes in the network TV contract. Networks can now broadcast both of their doubleheader games on Sunday opposite another network's broadcast of a local team's home game. The league hopes more games on TV will translate into more interest in the NFL. Also, NFL owners have a vested interest in President Clinton signing the repeal of estate taxes. Stefan explains why.

NPR's Eric Weiner reports that US Secretary of State Albright met with her North Korean counterpart today in the highest level talks between the US and North Korea since the end of the Korean War half a century ago. The meeting, which took place in Bangkok, comes after a series of moves by North Korea to end its long isolation.

NPR's Ted Clark reports the Israeli government has revived efforts to persuade the United States to transfer its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. President Clinton broached the issue in an Israeli television interview today.