Search results for

American Auction - From member station WNYC in New York Laura Sydell reports on a remarkable collection of African American artifacts and documents appearing in a New York auction house. Scholars have mixed feelings about the auction, although they are convinced of it's historic nature, they feel some might take advantage of the artifacts and hold on to them for higher resale at a later date.

NPR's Mike Shuster reports that the Clinton administration admitted for the first time today that it looked the other way in 1994 when Iran clandestinely shipped arms to Bosnia in violation of the United Nations arms embargo. Undersecretary of State Peter Tarnoff told a House panel that Congress should have known about the shipments because the information was available in daily intelligence reports.

NPR's Brian Naylor reports on the failure of House Republicans to override President Clinton's veto of the bill that would have completely repealed the estate tax. They fell 14 votes short of the two-thirds majority needed for an override. Thirteen Democrats who previously had voted for the bill, voted to sustain the President's veto.

Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers today urged Congress to approve the administration's request for $472 million, to provide debt relief to developing nations. Republican leaders in the House are refusing to approve the full amount and are holding out for reforms at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, the institutions that manage the debt relief program. NPR's Kathleen Schalch has this story.

President Clinton's legal defense fund released its semi-annual report today showing the same friends of the White House contributing as in past years. The fund was established when the president began accumulating big legal bills to deal with investigations by Congress and a series of independent counsels. NPR's Peter Overby reports.

Celeste Headlee of member station KNAU reports that Native American rights advocates are asking state and federal prisons to allow sweat lodges (a structure intended to house prayer ceremonies) to be built on prison grounds. Prisons in many states already have sweat lodges, but some states with large Native American inmate populations do not allow sweat lodges.

This is a great weekend to be selling used furniture in Burlington, Vermont. About 12,000 college students flood the area this time of year, and like most students on a budget, they are looking for an affordable way to decorate rooms and shared houses. Host Jacki Lyden speaks to Todd Myers, co-owner of Myers New & Used Furniture, about the annual boom in furniture sales.

From his childhood in Carthage, Tennessee and Washington D.C., Al Gore was raised not just to be a politician but to be a Democratic presidential candidate. Next week in Los Angeles, Al Gore will take the penultimate step toward fulfilling his lifelong goal when he becomes the Democratic Party's nominee for the White House. NPR's Anthony Brooks reports.

President Clinton today announced he will defer to his successor on the nation's missile defense system. The president said he would allow research and development work on the $60-billion proposal to go forward. But Mr. Clinton also said he would defer construction and deployment decisions to the next White House resident. Steve Inskeep of NPR News has a report.

NPR's Brian Naylor looks at what remains for Congress to do before it leaves for the August break. Topping the list are most of next year's spending bills, yet to pass both houses -- and President Clinton is threatening vetos unless more funding is allocated to the top programs on his agenda.