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NPR's Don Gonyea reports that executives from both Ford and Bridgestone/Firestone faced harsh questioning on Capitol Hill today. Members of Congress wanted to know why the companies were slow to warn the public about a growing problem with defective tires and why they didn't inform the U.S. government about an overseas recall. U.S. safety regulators were also criticized for not catching the problem earlier. The defective tires are now blamed for 88 deaths and hundred of injuries in the U.S.

NPR News' Michael Sullivan reports a year after the violence and destruction that followed East Timor's vote for independence, tens of thousands of refugees have not returned home. They remain in refugee camps in West Timor, where aid officials and some refugees say they are being threatened and intimidated by pro-Indonesian militias. There is some evidence that the militias are staging raids across the border into East Timor. U.N. officials say the situation is not likely to improve until the Indonesian government gets the militias out of the camps.

NPR's Don Gonyea reports committee members from both the House and Senate questioned Bridgestone-Firestone and Ford Motor Company executives on Capitol Hill yesterday about the recall of more than 6 and a half million tires. Legislators are promising more hearings in the future. The questions centered upon how both companies handled the recall, and why it took so long for officials from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to issue a recall.

NPR's Jim Zarroli reports on the economic boom that's creating prosperity in suburban Rochester, New York, but hardly benefiting the center city. For example, the suburb of Henrietta, south of Rochester, has attracted a number of new businesses and jobs. Prosperity values in older downtown neighborhoods have declined, and the city's tax base has weakened, as businesses have moved out. Those neighborhoods are left with a greater concentration of poverty and crime.

Janet Heimlich reports that Austin, Texas utility officials are trying out a new program that allows their customers to buy power generated from renewable energy sources such as solar, or wind power. It means slightly higher power bills for customers who choose the program. But the city has long been home to a strong environmental community that supports such initiatives. Also, the rising price of fossil fuels -- oil and natural gas -- has closed the price gap, making the program more attractive to residents.

NPR's Cheryl Corley reports from Chicago on public concern about rising milk prices. Two big supermarket chains, Jewel and Dominicks have charged as much as three dollars and 69 cents for a gallon of milk. This contrasts sharply with the low cost of raw milk, which has dropped significantly from 1998. A dozen Chicago residents are suing the stores charging them with secretly setting the prices.

Robert talks to Richard Dawson, President of the Guild Of Air Traffic Control Officers in Taplow, England, about the increasing number of incidents of radio hackers posing as air traffic controllers contacting airline pilots and giving them false information. The British Civil Aviation Authority reports there have been 19 incidents in the last 8 months. These malicious radio transmissions have not yet resulted in disaster, because the pilots have called the tower to confirm. The tower has then told them the information was false.

NPR's Tom Gjelten reports President Clinton will head to Colombia tomorrow on a one-day trip highlighting the new billion-dollar US-Colombian program to fight the drug trade. The visit comes at a time when Colombians are despairing over the problems they face, and Colombian leaders say their people need to be encouraged. Critics of the President's trip say it is poorly timed, given the unsatisfactory efforts of Colombian government. The Clinton Administration last week waived requirements that the Colombian government show human rights improvements before receiving additional US aid.

In France, protests over the high cost of gasoline have blocked transportation routes and forced gas stations around the country to hang "empty" signs, turning customers away. French truckers and farmers are decrying a forty-percent increase in gas prices in the past year, and demanding a cut in taxes that contribute to the high price of gas there. There are talks between the protesting groups and the government to reduce the gas taxes. Linda talks with reporter Jim Bitterman, who is in Paris.

NPR's Jack Speer reports the Federal Trade Commission has given the auto industry a green light on its plan to set up a massive online marketplace for buying auto parts. DaimlerChrysler, Ford, GM, and Nissan as well as more than a dozen parts suppliers are involved. The FTC had been concerned that such an alliance among competitors could lead to collusion and price signaling, but approved the plan in a unanimous vote.