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A new census report on aging in America... there are 33.2 million Americans over the age of 65 and the fastest growing segment of the population is over the age of 85. Two-thirds of this last group are women. Lonely, vulnerable, and frail, in their last years, many have outlived husbands, siblings, friends and even their children. NPR's Wendy Schmelzer reports on one such group of women in their 80s who have been meeting for the last 35 years to celebrate each other's birthdays.

Three new studies released today provide a new look at the ailments affecting Gulf War veterans. Researchers suggest that there is a link between the symptoms being reported by some veterans and exposure to chemical weapons, insecticides, and an antidote used to protect against nerve gas exposure. But critics are not convinced that the new studies provide much in the way of new insights. NPR's Richard Harris reports.

The nation's governors are meeting in Washington and lobbying for more control over government programs. The governors are looking for the flexibility to provide disability benefits and other welfare programs for legal immigrants and other groups the federal government would exclude. The governors are also concerned about reports that President Clinton will seek a cap on federal spending for Medicaid, which would increase the state governments' responsibilities. NPR's Peter Kenyon has a report.

The Clinton Administration today delivered a report to Congress estimating how much it will cost to expand the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO. NPR's Mike Shuster reports the overall cost will be as much as 35-billion-dollars. The United States share is estimated at around 200-million a year. The Clinton Administration says that's a very small amount compared to what it will cost if threats appear in Europe

Several female soldiers say Army investigators coerced them into going along with charges that they were raped by drill sergeants at Maryland's Aberdeen training center. Now the female soldiers say they had consensual sex with their trainers. They say investigators threatened to interfere with their progress in the Army if they did not make statements against the accused sergeants. NPR's Phillip Davis reports that the women were presented to reporters by the NAACP. Officials of the group say the women's latest statements put the Army's investigation into question.

NPR's Peter Overby reports that the Democratic National Committee has a debt of $14.4 million at a time when it has also promised to return at least $1.5 million in questionable donations. Making matters difficult is the ongoing fundraising scandal, which has made some donors reluctant to answer the party's pleas for help. This has put the Democrats at a greater financial disadvantage than usual to Republicans, who report that their fundraising efforts are proceeding at the usual rate.

NPR's Ann Cooper reports on a United Nations study released today documenting the devastating impact of war on children around the world. Some two million children have died in wars in the past ten years, and another six million have been injured or permanently disabled. The report also documents how rebel and government armies around the world force children to serve as soldiers.

NPR's Vicki O'Hara reports that a global survey of human rights practices amounts to an indictment of the major powers--especially the United States-- for their policies toward China, Bosnia and other nations. The report by Human Rights Watch concludes that the big powers today put economic considerations ahead of human rights.

NPR's Anne Garrels reports from Moscow that President Boris Yeltsin is back in the Kremlin following his post-election stay at the health spa. His return was greeted by the problem that has plagued him and Russia for a year-and-a-half: Chechnya. Chechen fighters have captured part of the capital, Grozny (GROHZ-nee). Russian troops are reporting heavy casualties. Chechnya is only one of may problems facing Yeltsin as he prepares for his inauguration this Friday.

The federal government orders a fourth of its air-tanker fleet grounded. That follows a report from safety experts who studied three tanker crashes last summer. The safety panel says the aerial wildfire-fighting system is seriously flawed. NPR's Howard Berkes reports.