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Since January of this year, the computer trade press has run one article after another questioning the basic health of the Internet. Pessimists say the Internet will either experience so-called brownouts or an actual collapse sometime soon. But NPR's John McChesney, who talked with a number of Internet experts for this report -- found that the pessimists are in a small minority.

The Union Pacific Corporation is on its way to becoming the largest railroad in the Western Hemisphere...despite warnings that the $5.4 billion merger with San Francisco-based Southern Pacific harks back to the days when a handful of rail barons ran the railroads. As NPR's Jim Zarroli reports, a federal transportation board approved the merger almost entirely on Union Pacific's terms...and over the protests of three government departments.

The Catholic Church has launched a massive campaign to oppose President Clinton's veto of a late-term abortion bill. In preparation for an expected vote next month in Congress to override the veto, the Church is distributing millions of postcards to its members to send to their representatives in Congress. The campaign is also expected to continue until the November elections, in which the so-called Catholic vote is expected to figure prominently. NPR's Steve Inskeep reports.

NPR's Anne Garrels reports from Moscow that Russian President Boris Yeltsin finished the Sunday elections in first place with a narrow lead over this Communist rival, Gennady Zyuganov (gen-NAH-dee zyo-GAH-noff)). The talk in Moscow today is of political deals heading into the run-off in early July. Both Yeltsin and Zyuganov will be wooing the candidates who lost and people who voted for them.

NPR's Mike Shuster reports from Sarajevo on the dilemma facing the Western Powers over the leader of the Bosnian Serbs, Radovan Karadzic ((RAH-doh-vahn KARE-uh-jitch)). As agreed upon in the Dayton Peace Accord, Karadzic is supposed to remove himself from power before elections next September. That hasn't happened yet and the international community is running out of options to force him out.

NPR's David Welna reports on the grassroots uprising in a small town just south of Mexico City. What started as a revolt against plans for a fancy golf course grew into a takeover of the town of Tepoztlan (tay-post-LAWN). The people built barricades to keep the police out and held their own elections for local leaders. The state government has cut off the town's funds. The rebellion has become a symbol of growing impatience with Mexico's ruling party.

The U-S is stepping up the evacuation of foreign nationals from Liberia. The Pentagon said more helicopters would be moved in to continue the evacuation from Freetown. More than 5 hundred foreign nationals have been evacuted sincce Tuesday. Ninety-one of those are Americns. It's said to be the worst fighting in 6 years in Liberia. Fighting broke out last weekend. NPR's Tom Gjelten reports.

NPR's Richard Harris reports that Philip Morris today proposed voluntary measures to reduce teen smoking. The tobacco company said it would agree to several measures, including a ban on cigarette vending machine sales, if the Food and Drug Administration dropped its plans to institute federal regulations.

A visit to one of the center's of African filmmaking - Ouaguadougou [wah-gah-DOO-goo] in the West African state of Burkina Faso. Though the city hosts one of the largest film festivals in the world, the government of Burkina Faso can only finance one or two films a year. Jennifer Ludden reports that's typical on a continent where, like everywhere else, American action flicks dominate.

NPR's Martha Raddatz reports that an Army Special Task Force today said the there are few extremists in the army ranks and that the influence of extremists and hate groups is minimal. But the Task Force recommended that recruits be screened for extremist views. The Task Force was commissioned in December following the murder of a black couple near Fort Bragg. The suspects are members of Fort Bragg who police say had racial motives.