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Alan Cheuse reviews a new novel by T.C.Boyle called A Friend of the Earth. It's the story of an eco-terrorist andhis family. (1:45) The book is published by Viking Press.

Howard Berkes reports on the fires that continue torage in the western states. Millions of acres of forest and brush have been blackened, and politicians have begun pointing fingers at the Clinton Administration for failing to do enough to prevent the blazes.

New research shows exercise need not be done all at once to protect against heart disease. NPR's Richard Knox reports that two15-minute sessions are as good as one 30-minute session.

Commentator Bill Harley reflects on the fact that Pete Seeger once accidentally left his banjo on top of a car. It was lost but later returned. Harley himself has left a guitar in many places, and sympathizes with Pete.

Witnesses to a Syrian intelligence officer's alleged war crimes face down intimidation as they testify in landmark trial in Germany — but they continue to tell the story.

Commentator David Weinberger recently returned from four days in Beijing, China. He says as a Westerner it was a truly foreign experience, but there's one place he felt completely at home: on the Internet.

Noah Adams speaks to Laurie Garrett, author of Betrayal of Trust: The Collapse of Global Public Health, about her book, which details a decline of health care worldwide due to globalization. (8:00) Betrayal of Trust: The Collapse of Global Public Health, by Laurie Garrett, is published by Hyperion, August 2000.

Shares in Southern California technology company Emulex plunged nearly 60 percent in a matter of hours after a phony press release sent out over the Internet falsely reported that the company was in trouble. The company's stock recovered after the hoax was discovered. But, as Elaine Korry of NPR News reports, the episode demonstrates how vulnerable businesses are to misleading information, in an age of instant mass communication.

NPR's Mike Shuster talks to Robert Siegel about President Clinton's impending visit to Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation. On his previous visit to Africa two years ago, President Clinton purposely avoided Nigeria because of its dictatorial military government. Since then Nigeria has freely elected a civilian president and Clinton is visiting the nation to show support for its budding democracy.

NPR's Adam Hochberg reports on the legal fight in Kentucky and Indiana to put monuments to the Ten Commandments on the grounds of the state capitols.

We hear a portion of Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush's speech today, accusing the Clinton-Gore administration of squandering opportunity for trade with Latin America.

For a Nigerian view, Robert turns to Bartholomew Nnaji, former Nigerian Minister of Science and Technology, now an engineering professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Nnaji is also chair of the Nigeria People's Forum, an organization here in the US. He and Robert discuss Nigeria since its presidential election.

Chris Simpson of the BBC reports that during his Africa trip, President Clinton is expected to attend the signing of a peace agreement ending the civil war in Burundi. But there are still doubts that the agreement will actually be signed, and whether everyone will abide by it if it is.

Steve Inskeep of NPR News reports on a new sexual harassment accusation involving the Tailhook naval aviators organization. The Navy says members of the group attending a convention last week in Sparks, Nevada, are accused of making inappropriate physical contact with a civilian woman. The convention marked the first time since the 1991 sex scandal that the Navy has renewed its ties with the Tailhook organization.

Reuben Jackson reviews the new CD from Helen Merrill. She has been singing and recording American popular music for more than 50 years. On this new release, for the first time, she also includes songs from her native Croatia. Merrill is 70 years old now, but Jackson says her voice is still elegant and pretension-free. (4:30) The CD is called The CD is called Jelana Ana Milcetic, aka, Helen Merrill. It's on the Verve Music label, copyright 2000.

Asthma is the most common chronic childhood disease. For some reason, rates of asthma keep going up every year. Researchers have been looking at the causes for this increase, which has been found to be much higher in the industrialized world. Everything from exposure to dust mites and cockroaches to diet has been implicated. Now, a new study from the New England Journal of Medicine concludes that there might be another cause: too much cleanliness. The more sterile the early environment for infants six months and younger, the more problems with asthma they seem to have later in life. NPR's Allison Aubrey reports.

The National Transportation Safety Board has concluded that the TWA Flight 800 disaster of 1996 was probably caused by an electrical short circuit. The four-year investigation formally ended today, as the board stressed that the flight was NOT brought down by a terrorist action. NPR's Mary Ann Akers reports.

Commentator Kimberly Phillips-Fein remarks on recent popularity of religious figures such as Jesus Christ and Buddha as inspiration for authors of books on corporate strategy.

Commentator Louise Rafkin goes to the beach in Provincetown, Massachusetts every summer. This year, a couple with beachfront property decided they didn't want any swimmers in front of their house - so they set out some decoy beach chairs, hoping to keep people away. It didn't work.

Producer Dianne Ballon, of Maine, collected stories about people and their experiences with lawnmowers. We hear some of them firsthand. Some reflect on the skill required to avoid rocks with power mowers. Others talk about lawn mowing jobs they had as kids.