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The infrastructure bill moving through Congress includes billions to replace lead pipes. In Flint, Mich., NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with residents on how governments can tackle a water crisis equitably.

The singer-songwriter, renowned for his hushed work, looked to his surroundings for inspiration on his new album, Local Valley.

NPR's Don Gonyea reports on the latest developments in the huge Firestone tire recall, including more fatalities in crashes likely related to the defect. At the same time, eight-thousand U.S. Firestone workers are threatening to strike parent company Bridgestone. And the Venezuelan government is considering criminal charges against both Ford and Bridgestone.

The government of Tartarstan -- part of the Russian Federation -- has decided to switch from using the Cyrillic alphabet to the Roman alphabet. The switch is timed to coincide with the 10-year anniversary of self-rule in Tartarstan. Robert talks with Martha Brill Olcott, a Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Brill co-authored Getting It Wrong: Regional Cooperation in the Commonwealth of the Independent States. (4:30) Brill's book is published by Carnegie Press, 0ctober 1999.

President Clinton today vetoed a bill to repeal the federal estate tax. The veto sets up a confrontation with Congress as early as next week. It also continues the election-year debate over what to do with the federal budget surplus. Pam Fessler reports.

Linda talks with Christopher Null, the Executive Editor of SmartBusiness for the New Economy, about Amazon-dot-com's new privacy policy. Amazon has announced that whatever information it may have about its customers is now considered a company asset, and may be shared, transferred or sold. (4:00) The SmartBusiness URL is www.smartbusinessmag.com

The Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled in favor of ballot language to reimagine the Minneapolis police department in the upcoming election. Early voting begins Friday.

President Clinton today announced he will defer to his successor on the nation's missile defense system. The president said he would allow research and development work on the $60-billion proposal to go forward. But Mr. Clinton also said he would defer construction and deployment decisions to the next White House resident. Steve Inskeep of NPR News has a report.

NPR's Tom Gjelten reports Fidel Castro plans to come to the United States to attend the United Nations summit next week. The Cuban government says it has requested travel visas for him and other Cuban officials to attend the meeting in New York. US officials have indicated they will issue the visas, but Cuban American leaders are urging that Castro be arrested if he sets foot in US territory. Such threats kept Castro from attending the WTO meeting in Seattle last year. But legal experts say he has probably concluded that his diplomatic immunity will protect him in this case.

Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports on an effort by some airlines to fly their jets at lower altitudes to avoid congestion in the sky and ease flight delays. The move has some risks and drawbacks but it is helping cut the number of costly delays.

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Associated Press reporter Jeffrey Collins about a series of crimes swirling around a powerful South Carolina family.

Russia's three days of voting for its parliament and city governments begin Friday. This political season has seen unusual tactics to keep Putin's opposition from running and off the ballot entirely.

NPR's Michael Sullivan reports that the trial of former Indonesian President Suharto opened today in Jakarta, but Suharto failed to appear. A team of 24 doctors attending the former president told the judge they had examined Suharto earlier in the day and that he was too ill to go to court. The trial now has been postponed for two weeks to allow the court to rule on a prosecution request for an independent medical examination of Suharto. He is charged with illegally siphoning off some 500-million dollars from charities during his three decades in power.

Sarah Chayes reports the French government has offered a package of tax reductions to the fishing industry to offset the high price of fuel. Fishers enraged by prices that have increased 140-percent in a year have been blockading ports around France for the past week. Following the government's concessions, fishing unions have urged an end to the protests. But not all the fishermen have complied, and taxi drivers, truckers and farmers say the tax reductions for fishers do nothing to alleviate their high fuel prices.

Janet Heimlich reports Texas authorities are taking a "softly, softly" approach to a stand-off with a family at the center of a custody dispute. The family has barricaded itself into a homestead on 47 acres in a remote area of eastern Texas. The family is drawing support from militia groups.

Osteoporosis is fast becoming one of the nation's leading health care problems. NPR's Alison Richards has part two of her series on the disease. She reports on two things that could prevent osteoporosis: increasing calcium intake and increasing vigorous exercise. The calcium issue is tricky, because our bodies are programmed to absorb only a small amount of the calcium we take in. And our more sedentary lifestyles make it hard to get all the weight-bearing exercise we need.

Bernd Klosterfelde talks about his new CD, Nie Mehr Allein (Alone No More), released in Germany last February. The CD is a compilation of household sounds intended to evoke the presence of a non-existent partner. Klosterfelde came up with the idea after his divorce. He says the disc can be used to make one feel less lonely, or to remind one of how annoying a partner can be. Klosterfelde says an English version will be released soon. (4:45) The label is Delta Music.

Linda talks to Ehren Fried Libach, President of The Quantum Group in Tustin, California about the uses for recycled tires. Of the 270 million tires scrapped each year in the United States, about 114 million are mixed with coal and used as fuel. Rubber playground mats are also made from recycled tires.

Linda and Robert read letters from All Things Considered listeners. (3:15) To contact All Things Considered, write to All Things Considered Letters, 635 Massachusetts Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20001. The e-mail address is atc@npr.org.

The FBI today arrested a man suspected of putting out a phony press release that sent a high-tech company's stock plummeting last week. As Jim Zarroli reports, authorities said the man made nearly $250,000 on the scheme.