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Noah talks with Ronald J. Ostrow, a veteran Los Angeles Times writer who is covering a probe of the FBI Crime Laboratory. The probe began three years ago because of allegations of sloppiness in the handling of evidence for 3,000 criminal cases. Some of the defendants of those cases landed on death row.

NPR's Mike Shuster reports that the Russian navy is continuing rescue operations, hoping against hope to save survivors among the 118 men aboard the submarine Kursk. British and Norwegian teams are heading to the site of the disaster in the Barents Sea, but won't arrive before Saturday. President Vladimir Putin said today that immediately after the accident in the Barents Sea last weekend, he was told the chances for saving the men were extremely slim.

Texas Governor George Bush flew to West Virginia this morning for a rally at a veterans memorial. On the way there, Bush talked to reporters aboard his campaign airplane and shared his view of retired General Colin Powell's speech as well as President Clinton's comments about the Bush campaign. NPR's Don Gonyea is traveling with Bush as he heads toward the GOP convention in Philadelphia.

Commentator Lisa Jones says she's always been attracted to biologists, but put off by their often too-pure, "back-to-nature" lifestyle. But then she meets the biologist of her dreams...

Linda talks to Savita Deva, a resident of Bangalore, India, where the kidnapping of an Indian movie star has sparked riots. Schools and other buildings are shut down, and Savita says buses are burning.

Even though scientists acknowledge the limits of the study, that won't necessarily limit the political fallout - coming, as it does, on the eve of the presidential election. While the study's authors - both advocates of gun control - say their work supports "greater" regulation, gun control opponents say the study is proof that gun control doesn't work. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports.

Linda talks to Howard Neufield, Professor of Biology at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, about his study of the effects of ozone on vegetation in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Neufield says ozone levels in the Great Smokies are among the highest in the National Park system. The study documents visible ozone injury to at least thirty species of plants in the park.

There have been many political dynasties in the United States, but only two presidential sons have risen to be nominated for president in their own right. John Quincy Adams... and George W. Bush. The Bush clan never uses the word dynasty, of course, but it's hard to miss the importance of family in this political year. NPR's Elizabeth Arnold reports on the importance of being a Bush.

Robert Siegel talks with Washington Post columnist and Brookings Institution Senior Fellow E.J. Dionne and David Brooks, who is Senior Editor at the Weekly Standard.

Shaffy Moeel, of Youth Radio, tours South Philadelphia with one of its young residents. South Philly is traditionally Italian, famous for Italian ice and cheesesteaks.

Commentator Katherine Mieszkowski talks about websites like CaringSuggestions.com that offer the "service" of delivering helpful hints you'd be embarrassed to deliver in person. An unsigned note can tip-off a co-worker to bad breath, or a neighbor to his unkempt yard. Mieszkowski thinks this new channel for anonymous advice is the perfect vehicle for the cowardly or vindictive.

Commentator Andrei Codrescu says traveling becomes harder in the summer, when the airports and hotels are full of tourists. His proposed alternative: stay home in a cool room and come down with a malady he calls spleen -- a malady that prevents you from doing or caring much about anything.

Maura Farrelly reports on summer camp, where kids can learn complex computer skills instead of participating in the more traditional camp fare of games and outdoor activities. Many of these kids say they don't fit in well with peers at school, but at computer camp, they find acceptance and self worth in their computer skills. They also get some tips on how to use those skills to gain more acceptance when school starts again.

Robert is at the GOP convention in Philadelphia, and is spending some time with delegates and alternates from Michigan, to talk about their expectations for the week. A few weeks ago Robert traveled to Macomb County and Oakland Counties in Michigan, just outside Detroit. We hear from two delegates who are ardent Bush supporters, and two delegates who voted for McCain in the state primary, which he won. These four talk about issues like taxes and abortion, and the strength of Bush's character and accessibility to them. They also talk about what it will take to bring McCain voters and other independents into the fold, and what needs to happen this week in Philadelphia to energize them for the fall campaign.

NPR's Michele Kelemen reports from Moscow that mystery writers are making it big on the Russian literary scene. One author, who uses the pen name Boris Akunin, has achieved best-seller status by taking a high-brow approach to the detective novel, writing in the style of Dostoyevsky.

Recent Republican conventions have given new visibility to religious conservatives, who were finding a home and a power base as never before in the GOP. The role of religious activists has been far less prominent in Philadelphia this week. But that does not mean the Christian right has disappeared. NPR's Lynn Neary reports.

Robert talks to Jacob Weisberg, Chief Political Correspondent for the on-line magazine Slate, about political advertising throughout the campaign, and the BIGGEST political ad of them all, the four-day convention. This year's GOP convention has been highlighted by music and video and packaged presentations. There's been a look and sound from the stage unlike any other GOP event before, with lots of minorities. And Weisberg notes the inclusion of performers like Brian McKnight, an R&B artist, whose song Monday night seem to baffle a lot of the audience who weren't used to hip-hop at a GOP event. There have also been video presentations of past Republican presidents. Another recurring theme: the live feed of the candidate, George W Bush from the campaign trail every night, making his way to Philadelphia.

Linda talks to Declan McCullagh, a reporter for Wired News, about covering the convention on the Web. McCullagh describes Internet Alley, where all the "dot-com" reporters are located at the First Union Center in Philadelphia. He and Linda discuss the services Websites provide, and whether the technology is really helpful to the average voter... yet.

Texas Governor George W. Bush arrived in Philadelphia today to claim his nomination for president from a Republican convention that can hardly wait to offer it. NPR's Steve Inskeep followed the nominee-to-be as he toured the city.

NPR's Ted Clark reports that Syria's new president, Bashar Assad, has released 30 political prisoners imprisoned by his father. The prisoner releases have sparked speculation that the new president might prove to be more liberal than his father. But experts say the late Hafez Assad initiated the liberalization and had begun releasing political prisoners before his death earlier this summer.