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Commentator Andrei Codrescu just finished reading Mary McCarthy's "Memories of a Catholic Girlhood" and he notes that she had a horrid childhood. He says that childhood today can still be bad, but parents now are much more indulgent...as he knows from firsthand experience.

Robert talks with Alan Dershowitz, a professor of law at Harvard University and a constitutional law expert. He was a member of O.J. Simpson's criminal defense team and is the author of Reasonable Doubt (Simon and Schuster, 1996). They discuss why the civil trial agains O.J. Simpson is not in violation of the Consitution's "double jeopardy" clause, and the nuances between asking for punitive damages and other kinds of civil penalties.

Linda talks to Tom Fielder, the political editor and a columnist at the Miami Herald, about the how the presidential race is shaping up in the electoral vote-rich state of Florida. Bill Clinton is campaigning in that state today. He's hoping to reach two key voting blocks in Florida...the elderly and Cuban Americans. The elderly, according to Fiedler, seem to be leaning toward support of President Clinton, who has a stronger voice for protecting medicare. With the Cubans, the President seems to be making headway...even though these voters are usually solid Republicans.

Linda talks with Karen Donelan, a senior research associate at the Harvard School of Public Health, and the lead author of a survey published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association, called "Whatever Happened to the Health Insurance Crisis in the United States? Voices From a National Survey." Donelon's survey found that one in four American adults had difficulty acquiring medical care in the last year.

Researchers have greated the most detailed map yet of where genes are located on the 23 pairs of human chromosomes. Approximately 20% of the 100,000 genes in humans are now located on the map, and this should help other researchers figure out how these genes affect human health. NPR's Richard Harris reports.

NPR's Silvia Poggolli and Tom Gjelton report on today's elections in the former Yugoslavia.

Daniel talks with columnist and author Art Buchwald about his new book, "I'll Always Have Paris." Buchwald says it was an extraordinary time period (1940s, 50s, early 60s) when many writers lived there--and he and he was in the center of everything as the food and social critic for the Herald Tribune.

Daniel talks with Adeed Daweesha, professor of Middle East Politics and History at George Mason University in Fairfax Virginia. Daweesha says he believes the United States is not REALLY interested in getting rid of Saddam Hussein rather of keeping him at bay. Daweesha says there are compelling reasons why the U.S. and others would rather have Hussein in power than out.

to three Gulf Arab states to secure support for continued military and economic pressures against Iraq.

NPR's Martha Raddatz reports that the State Department has issued a new warning to Iraq about its air defense systems within the Allied-patroled no-fly zones over Iraq, but military action seems increasingly unlikely despite the week's buildup of retaliatory forces around the Persian Gulf.