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NPR's Ted Clark reports thaT Venezuela's nationalistic President Hugo Chavez is set to be the first elected head of state to visit Iraq's Saddam Hussein since the Gulf War. U-S officials are clearly displeased and have sought to pressure him not to visit Baghdad. Chavez, who was just re-elected under a new constitution he helped draw up, is touring OPEC countries to urge a summit and appears to be enjoying showing his independence from US policy.

NPR's Jack Speer reports on questions surrounding the future of Amtrak, the national passenger rail service. Almost 30 years after it was created from a group of bankrupt railroads, Amtrak still receives large federal subsidies. Even though there are more passengers on the rail service, it's still losing money and shows little sign of becoming profitable. Amtrak also is being criticized for delays in starting high-speed passenger rail service along the busy Northeast corridor.

Co-Host Renee Montagne reports on the issue of family values and blues. Montagne talks with guitarist John Cephas, about the lascivious nature of blues music. Party leaders blocked a planned fund-rasier at the Playboy Mansion this week; instead, the Hispanic Unity event was moved to B.B. King's Blues Club in Universal City. Cephas says many blues songs don't seem to go well with the concept of "family values."

NPR's Barbara Bradley covers wire reports that Independent Counsel Robert Ray has convened a new grand jury to hear evidence about the sex scandal involving President Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. Ray is concerned with whether the president committed perjury in his testimony about the matter. The White House is questioning the timing of the the news leaks about this new grand jury, which was reportedly seated in July, as they come on the same day Vice President Al Gore is to address the Democratic Convention.

NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports from Rome that L'Unita, the official mouthpiece of the Italian communist party, folded this month amid dwindling sales and mounting debt. At the end of the Cold War, the Italian Communist party changed its name, but even so the Italian left lost its political clout. With the closing of L'Unita, Italy has lost a cultural institution that for decades featured the writings of leading western intellectuals, as well as East European dissidents.

Linda talks with reporter Jacky Rowland --who's in Belgrade, about the Yugoslavian police raid on a student-based opposition group and the upcoming elections. The group, called "Otpor" which means "resistance" in Serbian, is known for it's criticism of President Slobodan Milosevic. Although none of the students were arrested, computers and other materials were taken way. Milosevic's biggest challenge is from candidate Vojislav Kostunica, a moderate nationalist. Polls show that in a fair election between him and Milosevic, Kostunica would win.

NPR's Don Gonyea reports on the marathon Gore/Lieberman campaign swing through several key states yesterday. The tour began Sunday with a meeting with construction workers in Philadelphia, continuing to Flint, Michigan and Tampa Florida. The circuit ended in Louisville at a dinner sponsored by the AFL-CIO. Along the way, Al Gore spoke about issues he thinks will appeal to working families: tax breaks for the middle class, better wages, and lower prescription drug costs.

NPR's Phillip Davis reports on the Miami-Dade county mayoral race. The front-runner is Alex Penelas, who made the famous vow that his police force would not help the federal government return Elian Gonzalez to his father, as well as threatening to hold Janet Reno responsible if violence broke out in Miami. The remarks cost him a lot of support in the non-Hispanic community, but apparently have not hurt him in his Cuban base, and he's favored to win in tomorrow's primary.

NPR's Richard Gonzales reports on the affirmative action case that the California Supreme Court hears today, testing whether Proposition 209 allows cities and counties to keep minority outreach hiring programs. Even though Prop 209 bans affirmative action programs, many California municipalities have refused to change their minority hiring and contracting practices, unless the courts force them to do so. This case will determine whether they're complying with Prop 209.

Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore likes to present himself as the candidate of substance and detail. Today, he might have outdone himself, presenting a 200-page tome containing his plan for the U.S. economy. Gore's blueprint includes a $300 billion "rainy day fund" as a buffer against an economic downturn, but Republican rival George W. Bush says Gore's spending programs would wipe out that much of the current surplus and more. From Cleveland, Madeleine Brand reports for NPR News.