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NPR's Mike Shuster in Jerusalem reports the outburst of violence in the West Bank and Gaza over the past few weeks has shocked many people. It came just two months after the Camp David summit talks where Israel and the Palestinians seemed closer than ever before to a final peace settlement. At Camp David, the fate of Jerusalem's holy places was on the table for the first time in the negotiations. The issue proved traumatic, and a catalyst for violence.

All Things Considered host Linda Wertheimer traveled to Michigan to attend a campaign rally for George W. Bush. She talked to the people in the crowd about what they were expecting when they came, and what they're taking away from the event.

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan said today that surging oil prices bear close attention because they have the potential to disrupt the nation's longest ever economic expansion. As NPR's John Ydstie reports, Greenspan said higher oil prices have not sparked a new round of inflation, but that possibility still exists, especially given low inventories and tensions in the Middle East. He noted that federal budget surpluses have aided the expansion, but added that government's propensity to spend may mean smaller surpluses in years to come.

Laura Haydon reports that as Ireland has been transformed from an impoverished rural society to a booming information economy, the Irish are attending church less and sending fewer young men into the priesthood. This apparent decline in religious devotion is reflected in the falling numbers of pilgrims to Lough Derg, a remote outpost in northwest Ireland, where Saint Patrick is believed to have had a vision of heaven and hell. To draw worshippers back, the Church is now offering pilgrims the option of attending a one-day retreat, rather than the traditional arduous three days of fasting, walking barefoot and going without sleep.

Commentator Marion Roach thought she'd be fearful, but found beauty in the experience of watching an autopsy. She was allowed into the room as a journalist working on a book.

With the early resignation last week of Bosnian president Alija Izetbegovic, former-Yugoslavia has now seen the departure of the three major nationalist figures of the nineteen nineties. NPR's Tom Gjelten looks at prospects for the Balkans without Izetbegovic, the late Croatian president Franjo Tudjman and Serbia's Slobodan Milosevic -- the men who led their nations in the wars that accompanied the break-up of the Yugoslav Federation.

Noah and Robert read this week's letters from All Things Considered listeners. The show received a lot of feedback on the documentary Witness to an Execution, as well as this week's feature on colon cancer screening. (4:00) Send letters to Letters, All Things Considered, National Public Radio, 635 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington DC, 20001. Or send e-mail to atc@npr.org.

The growth of the "New Economy" has led to a new debate over how the internet is affecting power consumption in the U.S. Some researchers say there's a growing demand for electricity that threatens to outstrip our supply. Most experts disagree and say the Internet is actually reducing power consumption by making businesses more energy efficient. As Larry Abramson reports, both sides of the debate are finding a home in the current political campaign.

An FAA radar computer system failed today, forcing air traffic controllers to ground hundreds of flights heading into California and Las Vegas. As NPR's Chris Arnold reports, the FAA stopped all flights coming into the region after the computer system failed for a second time. The breakdown was the result of a computer software upgrade Wednesday night.

Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush is in New York tonight for a political dinner where the guests will also include his rival, Democrat Al Gore. He will also tape an appearance with late night comedian David Letterman. But this morning Bush began his day in Michigan, a key swing state where he talked to workers at an engineering plant. He told them Gore represented old style thinking about economics and government. NPR's Steve Inskeep reports.