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NPR's Guy Raz reports from Berlin that former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl faced another day of testimony before the parliament today about illegal donations to his political party, the Christian Democratic Union. As before, Kohl refused to name the donors who gave the party some one million dollars in undeclared contributions. He says he promised the donors anonymity, and won't break his word. Kohl denies his government traded favors for the money, as well as allegations that his government accepted bribes from a French company to purchase a German oil refinery.

Tristan Clum of member station KNAU reports on documenting dendroglyphs...tree carvings...near Flagstaff, Arizona. Starting in the late 1800's, sheepherders, many of from the Basque region of Northern Spain, carved basic messages or elaborate images into the bark of aspen trees in this area. Now the trees are dying, and historians are trying to compile information before it's too late.

Commentator John Ridley has an open pitch for a television show for the people who run the networks.

Host Bob Edwards talks with reporter Nick Thorpe in Budapest about efforts by Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to change the country's constitution. This would allow him to run for re-election next year, which the constitution currently forbids, as well as change the balance of power in the parliament to give Serbia more control.

NPR's Chris Arnold reports on the new reality behind dot com companies. In the Internet's early days, being the first company to offer a service was thought to guarantee success. Now, competition means the best company will win. A large number of dot coms are expected to fold because investors have become more cautious over which company gets their investment.

NPR's Wendy Kaufman reports the American Civil Liberties Union has released a report criticizing the way the Seattle police handled the World Trade Organization protests last fall. The report is being carefully studied by organizers of the Democratic and Republican conventions in anticipation of demonstrations at their events.

Scott Horsley of member station KPBS in San Diego reports the first region in California to completely deregulate its electric industry is now facing sky-rocketing electricity bills. Consumer advocates in San Diego have asked state officials to re-impose price controls after the price of electricity more than tripled this year.

NPR's Mary Ann Akers reports on a new type of aviation navigation technology that will help prevent one of the most common reasons for plane crashes - miscalculating how far the plane is from the ground.

In the first part of a summer series on celebrity gardens, NPR gardening expert Ketzel Levine visits actor John Spencer at his home in Bel Aire, California and tours his garden. Spencer is a transplant from New Jersey, and he favors roses, delphiniums, hollyhocs, and the like. Levine points out that those plants don't appear as healthy as the ones that are native to Southern California.

Democrats charged with writing a platform for their party and their presidential nominee met in St. Louis today to hear ideas and discuss policy. The platform committee is led by elected officials known as centrists within the party, and their mission is to craft a document that Vice President Al Gore will be comfortable talking about. NPR's Anthony Brooks reports.