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Republicans in the US Senate currently hold an eight vote advantage over the Democrats. But a third of the Senate seats are being contested in elections this year. Robert talks to Bob Benenson, Managing Editor for Politics at Congressional Quarterly, about the party balance in the Senate, and what might change this fall.

Commentator Darrell West, who teaches political science at Brown University, says this could be one of the most exciting and important elections in four decades. But voters are not paying attention to what could be a very exciting race.

NPR'S Howard Berkes explores Australia's passion for swimming. In the first day of Olympic swimming competition, five world records fell. Australian talent Ian Thorpe thundered through the water with victories in single and relay events, stirring hopes that the Australians can replace America as the sport's dominant team.

Commentator Nick Gillespie says all the concern this week about the marketing of violence flies in the face of reports showing a decline in violent crime by youth and a decline in birthrates among teens. If rap music, TV and movies are such a danger to our kids, Gillespie asks, then how can their behavior be improving?

NPR'S Melanine Peeples reports on dire conditions following three years of severe drought in the southeastern United States.

Host Jacki Lyden tours the exhibit Sylvia Snowden: Malik, Farewell 'Til We Meet Again with artist Sylvia Snowden. The artist discusses coping with her son's murder in 1993, and the emotionally-charged art it inspired.

Host Jacki Lyden talks with Richard Kingsmill, a disc jockey for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Kingsmill's programs are heard nationally on "Triple J," an ABC station that specializes in home-grown Australian pop music. Kingsmill plays some tunes for us.

NPR's Steve Inskeep and Anthony Brooks speak with host Jacki Lyden about the Gore and Bush campaigns this week. They answer questions from our listeners about candidates' positions on issues not mentioned during campaign appearances.

It was 204 years ago this week that America's first president announced to the nation he would not seek a third term in office. George Washington had entered office a war hero but had become discouraged by newspaper attacks on his character. Host Jacki Lyden speaks with Washington biographer Willard Sterne Randall about how Washington's departure paved the way for a two-party system and for a tradition of attacks on character.

Sportswriter Stefan Fatsis tells Linda Wertheimer why NBC, holder of U.S. broadcast rights to the Sydney Olympics, intends to provide only tape delayed coverage. The 15-hour time difference between Sydney and the eastern U.S. and the fact that the network's exclusivity agreement ends after the first broadcast of an event are the main factors. The result is that records set overnight will not be seen in the U.S. till prime time the next day.

Noah interviews Dr. Spotswood Spruance, Professor of Medicine at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, about of two major tests he and others conducted on a vaccine to protect against genital herpes. To the surprise of researchers, the vaccine appears to work only on women who have never had cold sores.

Ralph Nader talks about "Republicrats" who see the world through the same corporate prism. And for generations, Third Party candidates from both the left and the right have said the two major parties are two halves of the same power structure -- different mostly in name and tradition. This year, as the major parties try to appeal to the political center, they often sound alike. Yet it can be argued that the two parties stand for specific philosophies that are farther apart than they have been in half a century. A new poll by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard has found that voting for one or the other means choosing between distinct outlooks on the issues. NPR's Don Gonyea reports.

Energy Secretary Bill Richardson returned to Capitol Hill today for a grilling by yet another Congressional committee. Today, it was the House Committee on Government Reform. Questions had to do with the high price of gasoline and home heating fuel. NPR's Brian Naylor reports that Richardson -- like Vice President Al Gore -- has warmed up to the idea of releasing some of the national oil reserves as a means of lowering prices.

Track and field gets underway at the Olympics Friday, with American sprinters Marion Jones and Maurice Greene competing in qualifying rounds. But the big track news was made OFF the track. As NPR's Howard Berkes reports, the mysterious French runner Marie-Jose Perec left Sydney a day before her first heat, claiming an intruder forced his way into her hotel room and threatened her. Perec, the defending Olympic champion in the 200 and 400 meters, avoided all public appearances in the weeks before the Games, communicating only through her Website.

Oil shortages in Europe and elsewhere in the world have resulted in price increases in the United States -- where gasoline prices are at a ten year high. The nationwide average price of a gallon of unleaded regular is now nearly a-dollar-sixty -- with prices far higher in some locations. The Presidential candidates have been addressing the issue. Democrat Al Gore today proposed tapping the government's emergency oil reserve as a means of lowering prices before the cold weather arrives. NPR's Madeleine Brand reports.

NPR's Ted Clark talks with Host Linda Wertheimer about a candid new report on race relations in the United States. The report was issued by the State Department to comply with a U.N. convention on racial discrimination, ratified by the U.S. in 1994.

NPR's Phillip Davis reports from Miami that the eight Cubans rescued at sea are now in the US for "medical reasons" and may be allowed to stay. The group commandeered a old Russian-built crop duster yesterday and crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. One died, two others are in the hospital for medical treatment, while the remaining seven have been released into Immigration and Naturalization Service custody.

Mary Ann Akers of NPR News reports that two House Commerce subcommittees today held the latest in a series of hearings to look at the deaths associated with Firestone tire failures on Ford SUV's. Subcommittee members are considering additional regulations, including new penalties for companies that make defective auto products and a requirement that companies alert U.S. regulators when products are recalled overseas.

NPR's John Ydstie reports today is not the first time Al Gore has accused the oil industry of price-gouging. The vice-president first brought up the subject of oil industry profits when gas prices soared earlier this year. Ydstie reports there is scant evidence of oil company collusion, though, and the industry is probably just profiting from OPEC's success in driving up the price of oil.

NPR's Tom Goldman visited several families with children involved heavily in elite youth sports. The kids' schedules are demanding -- often taking them out of state for tournaments. And the costs involved, including fees, private coaching and equipment, can take a toll on the family budget. But these parents told Goldman that immersing themselves in the sport along with their children is rewarding.