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NPR's Aaron Schachter reports on a little known option for minor criminals in Southern California. If a judge approves, a prisoner may be allowed to leave the crowded and dangerous county jail for "nicer" accommodations in a small city lock up. The pay-to-stay program costs detainees anywhere from 40 to 145 dollars a night. Some lawyers who know about the program say it's a legitimate way to keep clients safe. Civil libertarians say it's inherently unfair, since it gives an advantage to those with money.

NPR's Debbie Elliott reports a Florida jury will soon decide how much in punitive damages the tobacco industry should pay to some half-million Florida smokers. The same jury has already found that the tobacco companies made a dangerous and defective product. It awarded nearly thirteen-million dollars in compensatory damages to three plaintiffs. Now, the attorney for the smokers is asking for a judgement of as much as 196-billion dollars to punish the industry for its past conduct. But lawyers for the cigarette companies say that kind of an award would put the companies out of business.

NPR's Tom Goldman reports on the economics of small-market baseball. Unlike major league football, professional baseball revenues aren't widely shared among franchises. Teams like the New York Yankees and the Atlanta Braves earn significant money from TV contracts, and that allows them to afford the sport's top talent. But smaller-market teams must rely on fan loyalty to fill the ballpark. And while they may nurture young, rising stars, these teams know that talented players are likely to go where the money takes them.

NPR White House Correspondent Mara Liasson reports from Los Angeles on President Clinton's speech last night at the Democratic National Convention. The President thanked the American people for giving him the chance to live his dreams. And he suggested that voters apply "the standard that Republicans used to have for whether a party should continue in office: are we better off today than we were eight years ago?"

In the wake of Joe Lieberman's selection as Al Gore's running mate, some blacks are questioning Lieberman's stands against affirmative action and in favor of school vouchers. And one anti-Lieberman comment by a black NAACP official in Dallas turned into an anti-Semitic remark that got him fired. NPR's Phillip Martin reports that once, blacks and Jews stood as allies against the discrimination both faced. Now, their political relationship is marked by what many Jews call "anti-Semitism" and what many blacks see as "racism." But the reality is more complex than that.

NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports from Rome that Pope John Paul the Second plans to beatify two of his predecessors next month. The two popes who will be elevated on the ladder toward sainthood influenced the Roman Catholic Church in very different ways. Pope Pius the Ninth is regarded by many as an arch-conservative, known for promulgating the doctrine of papal infallibility. He's also known as the pope who insisted a Jewish boy in Rome be raised a Catholic, against the wishes of the boy's parents. Pope John the Twenty-third, by contrast, is renowned for liberalizing the Church with the reforms of the Second Vatican Council.

NPR's Sarah Chayes reports from Basque country of northwest Spain on the recent wave of terrorist attacks by the ETA separatist movement. Thousands of Spaniards turned out today to the two latest victims -- two police officers killed by a bomb yesterday. Militants say ETA broke an 18-month cease-fire, because the government failed to make any overtures to the guerrillas during the truce. But moderate Basque politicians, including some who initially supported the ETA movement years ago, say extremists hijacked the separatist cause.

NPR's Eric Weiner reports Australia is engaged in its largest peacetime security operation, in advance of the 2000 summer Olympics, in Sydney in two weeks. Australian security agencies are preparing for every possibility from hostage situations to biochemical warfare. Over the weekend, New Zealand police said they had uncovered a possible plot to target a nuclear plant near the Olympic site in Sydney. Australian officials are downplaying the incident as workers put finishing touches on the Olympic facilities. The government spent more than one-billion dollars on the construction. But Australians, known for their fierce enthusiasm for sports, are not complaining about footing the bill.

NPR's Mike Shuster reports that demonstrators burned the US and UN flags in Jakarta today in response to remarks by the visiting US Defense Secretary William Cohen. He told the Indonesian government it must disband paramilitary groups in West Timor or risk international economic assistance. Indonesia, which has not recovered from the Asian economic crisis, is still dependent on the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. But analysts warn that withdrawing financial support could jeopardize Indonesia's transition to democracy and possibly bring down the current elected government.

Second generation flight attendant Rene Foss has had enough of crabby travelers, so she's written a musical comedy starring clueless passengers, and the beleaguered men and women who serve them. Around the World in a Bad Mood is based on Foss' 15 years as a flight attendant - a job she still holds. In fact, her airline supports this "extra-aviational" activity. The musical is on stage in New York on weekends. NPR's Margot Adler reports.