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The National Education Association, the nation's largest teachers' union, today gave its presidential endorsement to Democratic Vice President Al Gore, who was on hand at the union's convention to accept. The nod was no surprise, as the NEA usually backs Democrats. NPR's Claudio Sanchez reports.

Noah speaks with Desiree Cooper about her column on the death of 32-year-old Frederick Finley. The column appears today in the Detroit Free Press. Finley was strangled to death in a confrontation with security guards outside the Lord & Taylor department store in Dearborn, Michigan, two weeks ago. The melee started when Finley and his companion were accused of shoplifting. Finley was black. So were three of the guards. But the incident sparked protests led by Rev. Al Sharpton, who says the death was the result of racial profiling. Cooper discusses the role of race and the overzealousness of the security guards. She suggests that those who think race was the motivator may not yet have all the facts.

Josh Levs reports from Nuremberg, Germany, that the city notorious for Nazi party rallies and war crimes trials is trying to re-make its image, hoping to attract tourists and foreign investors. City officials have taken great pains to educate the public about the horrors of the Nazi past. They are trying to paint a new picture of their city as a liberal, forward looking community.

NPR's Kenneth Walker reports on the rehabilitation of the child soldiers of the civil war in Sierra Leone. Not only have the children witnessed and participated in atrocious violence, but many have become addicted to drugs as a way to deal with their experiences.

Speaking to the National Council of La Raza in San Diego, California, Wednesday, Texas Governor George W. Bush vowed to streamline the nation's immigration progress if elected president. He said he would spend more money to create "a new standard of service" in the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Robert Siegel speaks with Bud Collins, sportswriter for the Boston Globe about the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, where the women's final is set. In the semi-finals, number five seed Venus Williams defeated her sister Serena, seeded 8th. This is the first time in over 100 years of Wimbledon that two sisters faced one another, the second time ever. Having defeated number-one seed Martina Hingis to get to this match, Venus may have been better prepared for the finals match than her sister, who advanced against minimal competition. Number-two seed Lindsay Davenport will play against Venus, having defeated unseeded Jelena Dokic.

A plan by Seattle scientists to use caffeine to trace human waste pollution has been abandoned because of the large amount of coffee being dumped into the sewage by motorists and espresso-cart operators. NPR's Noah Adams talks to Jonathan Frodge, Limnologist with King County Lake Assessment Program.

NPR's Martin Kaste reports the battle over genetically modified crops is spreading to South America. Brazil and Argentina sorting out their policies, with Argentine farmers embracing some genetically modified crops, and Brazil taking a more cautious approach.

Host Bob Edwards talks to Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, about the alarming spread of AIDS in parts of Asia and Africa. Dr. Fauci will be part of the American delegation to the 13th annual International AIDS Conference, which begins this weekend in Durban, South Africa. Dr. Fauci expresses particular concern about the increasing incidence of HIV infection on the subcontinent of India.

Toni Hasson reports from Tokyo on the first International Tribunal for crimes committed against women during the Second World War. Specifically, it will look into the allegations of so called Comfort Women-- women who were forced to have sex with members of the Japanese military during the war.