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NPR's Joshua Levs reports a Georgia judge has ordered evidence from a nineteen year old murder case to be turned over for DNA testing to determine whether the man executed for the murder was innocent. Ellis Wayne Felker was convicted in 1983 for the rape and murder of a teenage girl. At the time of his conviction, DNA analysis did not exist. Felker was executed for the crime in 1996, after pleas by his lawyers to have evidence submitted for DNA analysis were turned down by the courts. Yesterday's ruling was on a request by four news organizations, who told the court they would pay for new DNA tests on that evidence.

NPR's Mike Shuster concludes a 4-part series on national missile defenses with a report on the political considerations in deciding whether to develop such a system. In 1996, President Clinton dropped his opposition to proceeding with development. He agreed to continue research on missile defenses but didn't commit to a specific deployment date. That has enabled the Republican Congress to keep missile defenses alive. The research and development is very expensive, and forging ahead with it has damaged U.S. relations with Russia and China.

NPR's Rick Karr reports that attorneys representing journalist Eric Corley will ask an appellate court to remove Judge Lewis A. Kaplan from the federal case. Corley is being sued by eight motion picture companies in federal court for copyright infringement. The defense claims Judge Kaplan has a conflict of interest, since he once worked at a New York law firm that represented Warner Brothers studio, which is one of the plaintiff in the case. Earlier the attorneys asked the judge to recuse himself, but Kaplan refused.

Janet Heimlich reports from Austin that 35-year-old Roy Criner was released from a Texas prison today after serving ten years for a rape he didn't commit. DNA evidence that surfaced three years ago suggested that Criner was innocent and he'll receive a pardon from Governor George W. Bush as soon as the paperwork is completed. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals declined to grant Criner a new trial three years ago, despite the fresh evidence, arguing that he still could have committed the crime.

NPR's Richard Knox reports the National Institutes of Health has announced new guidelines allowing federally funded researchers to perform experiments with cells taken from human embryos. Research with embryonic cells is controversial. Scientists say cells taken from human embryos may be helpful in treating many serious diseases, including Parkinson's and diabetes. But some people have moral objections to the research because it involves destroying a human embryo. The NIH guidelines attempt to strike a balance by insisting that federally funded scientists can only use cells taken from embryos that are left over from fertility treatments -- embryos that would otherwise be thrown away.

A Russian court today ruled that accused U.S. spy Edmond Pope must remain behind bars pending his trial. The American businessman has suffered in the past from a rare form of bone cancer, and his attorney asked that he be released for medical treatment. Russia's Federal Security Service argued, successfully, that Pope is well enough to remain in custody. Pope, a former U.S. Navy officer, is accused of trying to gather intelligence about a Russian torpedo. Charles Maynes has a report from Moscow.

NPR's Joanne Silberner reports on the birth of a test tube baby intended from birth to help his sister. The sister is six years old and has a rare disease that prevents her from creating her own bone marrow. The disease is treatable by transplanting cells from blood taken from the umbilical cord at birth, but the cells must match or they'll prove troublesome. So a Colorado couple had several embryos created and then selected the one most likely to provide the best transplant. The boy is now five weeks old, and cells from his umbilical cord have been transplanted to his sister.

NPR's Nina Totenberg reports on today's arguments before the Supreme Court on whether police should be allowed to stop cars at random and expose them to drug-sniffing dogs. The case from Indianapolis involved a roadblock-style action, similar to sobriety checkpoints. In this case, the motorist had no drugs, but was outraged, saying his privacy had been invaded by the dog search. Police say the dog search is no more invasive than the alcohol roadblock, which the court has upheld. Today, the justices asked both sides where a line could be drawn between checking for impaired drivers and those who are transporting illegal goods.

As part of NPR's ongoing Changing Face of America series, NPR's Melissa Block reports on political activism among Asian-Americans in Flushing, New York. Despite having the second largest Asian American population in the country, New York State has never sent an Asian-American to Congress, to the state legislature, or even to the city council of New York. In the richly diverse community of Flushing, several Asian candidates are hoping to change that. They are already campaigning for a city council seat that will open next year.

Veteran broadcaster Robert Trout recalls when the tide of the Battle of Britain turned. The aerial bombardment of London by Germany during World War Two -- known as the Blitz -- was thought to be a prelude to Nazi invasion. After the war, it was learned that on this date Adolf Hitler decided to abandon plans to take over England. Trout narrates a story about anchoring CBS Radio Network News during this period. We hear his colleague in London, Edward R. Murrow reporting on the air raids, Trout's own broadcasts, and the voice of Winston Churchill after the war. Trout tells how the addition of an evening newscast in radio prime time angered advertisers.