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This week in Los Angeles, organized labor has played an active and enthusiastic role at the Democratic National Convention. But bringing the party home to working men and women, rallying them to get out and vote for Al Gore, remains a challenge for Gore and union officials. NPR's Don Gonyea reports from Los Angeles.

There are many scientific hurdles to be cleared before dreams of using animal organs for human transplants have a chance of becoming reality. While two teams of scientists report progress this week in developing the means to create genetically engineered pigs whose organs will be accepted by the human body, another group of researchers shows that the risk of transferring animal viruses to humans during transplants could be a real one. NPR's David Kestenbaum has more.

Veteran broadcaster Robert Trout continues his series, recalling his political coverage over the years to tell the history of the Democratic Party. Today, Trout remembers how radio coverage of the conventions changed the way the public perceived convention news. In 1948, Northern and Southern Democrats were sharply divided on issues of race, as the country listened in. When Southern delegates left the convention in a huff, it became known as the Dixiecrat walkout.

NPR's Martin Kaste reports Brazil is in shock, following an unexpected 3 - 0 loss to Chile in a qualifying match for the 2002 World Cup soccer championship. Brazil for many years dominated international soccer, holding more World Cup championships than any other country. The Brazilian team has been in trouble since losing to France in the 1998 championship match. After last night's loss, Brazil falls to fourth place in South American World Cup qualifying competition. It's expected that Brazil eventually WILL qualify, but just barely, something Brazilians find hard to accept.

Tom Moon, a music reviewer for the Philadelphia Inquirer, reviews a new CD by Brazilian singer Joao Gilberto. (4:00) {STATIONS NOTE:} Joao voz e violao by Joao Gilberto, is on Verve records, catalog # 314 546 713-2. More info at www.vervemusicgroup.com

NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr says that President Clinton, having returned from looking back on his achievements at the Democratic National Convention, now faces some simmering international problems.

Noah talks with Bill Carrick, a democratic media consultant. His firm is Morris, Carrick and Guma. They talk about the flap over a fundraiser scheduled at the Playboy Mansion, President Clinton's apology for his behavior at an evangelical conference yesterday and the other fundraising scheduled this weekend. Mr. Carrick disagrees with the rumor that VP Gore is keeping Clinton away from his campaign.

Gay civil rights activist Candace Gingrich talks about Mary Cheney -- the openly gay daughter of Republican Vice Presidential candidate Dick Cheney. Ms. Gingrich says that Mary is now in a difficult position because her father supports a GOP platform that is hostile to homosexuals. Candace also talks about her experience having a brother -- former House Speaker Newt Gingrich -- who is opposed to equal rights for homosexuals.

Noah talks to Kelly Joe Phelps. Phelps switched from jazz guitar to playing country blues and found even more space there for improvisation. His instrument is the lap slide guitar.

A Florida jury today ordered Walt Disney to pay $240 million in damages to two businessmen who alleged the company stole their idea for a sports complex. Disney denied using anyone else's idea for the Wide World of Sports complex at Walt Disney World in Orlando. But the six-member jury found the company guilty of fraud, theft of trade secrets and breaking a confidential relationship. NPR's Phillip Davis reports.

Game Misconduct - A new opera about...hockey. This opera was written by Canadians. There's the high drama of a country defending its' national pride against marauding invaders (that would be the American hockey team); the tragedy of defeat; the exultation of the fans; and the loss of a way of life. The music was composed by Leslie Uyeda; the libretto written by Tom Cone. Game Misconduct premieres tonight as part of Festival Vancouver - a three-week music festival. Performances of the opera continue through next week. Marcie Sillman, of member station KUOW, reports.

Commentator Jeffrey Tayler was in the Belarusian town of Polatsk. He opted to spend the evening at the restaurant in his hotel. As he writes in his journal, he was pulled into the drunken conversation of two young women. The women mistake him for a Pole, and take offense at his unwillingness to share their bottle of vodka with him.

The city of Santa Monica was one of the first communities in the nation to discover that its underground water source was contaminated by the gasoline additive MTBE. Now they are suing seven major oil companies for the money to pay for the cleanup. Nova Safo reports from Santa Monica.

NPR's Julie McCarthy reports from Warsaw that a special tribunal today cleared former Polish president Lech Walesa of charges he collaborated with the communist-era secret police. The court ruled that in the early eighties, the Interior Ministry faked documents, casting Walesa as an informant, to undermine his chances of receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. Thursday, the court also cleared the current president Alexander Kwasniewski, of similar charges of collaboration.

NPR's Michele Kelemen reports that the tragedies of the gulag archipelago still haunt the Siberian mining city of Norilsk. Stalin deported prisoners to this frozen region in Russia's far north to mine some of the world's richest deposits of nickel, palladium and platinum. Today, construction crews plough up miners' bones from mass graves in the industrial wasteland.

NPR's Barbara Bradley reports that the Immigration and Naturalization Service is preparing guidelines that tell district offices they can show more discretion in enforcing the 1996 immigration reform law. Deportations and incarcerations based on the tough law drew criticism. The INS said Congress left it no room for discretion. Some members of Congress insisted that the agency was allowed to use more judgment. As the INS moves to ease its guidelines, some members of Congress are developing legislation to adjust the law.

The 11th World Conference on Tobacco or Health wraps up in Chicago today with delegates -- all of them anti-smoking antivists -- going home to focus on how they can work towards the same goal. Tobacco-related diseases kill more than four-million people worldwide annually. Many public health officials believe smoking rates would fall if federal regulators had more control over tobacco products. NPR's Debbie Elliott reports.

The National Transportation Safety Board says a preliminary investigation has not yet determined the cause of last year's crash of an Egyptian airliner off the coast of New York. But NTSB Chairman Jim Hall said there were no unresolved safety issues. Egyptair flight 990 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in October killing all 217 people on board. Egyptian officials said more work needed to be done, mainly on the Boeing 767's elevator control system. Speculation about the cause of the crash has centered on one of the plane's co-pilots and the possibility that he deliberated plunged the aircraft into the sea. NPR's Guy Raz reports

NPR's Larry Abramson reports on the struggle between new high-tech businesses and unions over whether employees are allowed to organize. Union membership has been dropping in recent decades, while high-tech jobs are growing, so the industry is key to the future of labor relations.

NPR's Bob Mondello discusses of a trio of new French films. Their titles are: Alice and Martin, An Affair of Love and Girl on the Bridge.