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As many as 25,000 people from around the world have joined in the fight to put out the wildfires in the western United States. Even with the abundance of manpower, the problem remains — there is a lack of skilled workers on the front line. Kathy Witkowsky reports from Montana's Bitteroot Valley on the what kind of skill and training are needed to fight the fires raging in the West.

Linda talks with reporter Jacky Rowland --who's in Belgrade, about the Yugoslavian police raid on a student-based opposition group and the upcoming elections. The group, called "Otpor" which means "resistance" in Serbian, is known for it's criticism of President Slobodan Milosevic. Although none of the students were arrested, computers and other materials were taken way. Milosevic's biggest challenge is from candidate Vojislav Kostunica, a moderate nationalist. Polls show that in a fair election between him and Milosevic, Kostunica would win.

There were violent scenes in the South African town of Sasolburg today, when a white businessman was arraigned in court on murder charges. He is accused of dragging one of his black employees to death behind a pickup truck. The incident has caused outrage among South Africans, and led to accusations that not enough is being done to halt racist violence, six years after the end of apartheid. Jim Fish of the BBC has a report.

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An Italian musical group performs songs about exploited workers and issues focusing on the working classes. The band is Spaccanapoli and their CD is called Lost Souls. (7:10) Lost Souls is on the Emd/Real World label. ASIN: B0000

With polls showing that the presidential race extremely close, Republican candidate George W. Bush sharpened his attack on Democrat Al Gore today. As NPR's Steve Inskeep reports, Bush questioned Gore's truthfulness as he started a swing through several key states.

Vice President Al Gore is on the campaign trail, too. Gore is in the midst of a 27-hour marathon -- passing through key states like Florida and Pennsylvania. NPR's Don Gonyea is traveling with the Gore campaign and filed a report.

NPR's Patty Neighmond reports on the trend by the nation's largest corporations and the government to contract directly with physicians -- leaving the insurance companies out. It's a move to stem double-digit inflation in health care costs.

NPR's Michele Kelemen reports that environmentalists in Russia are going to court over Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's restructuring of the country's environmental protection system. Activists fear that the new system is really a cover for a plan to open up long protected nature reserves to commercial usage, to bring in badly needed cash to the central overnment. Kelemen visited a reserve in southern Siberia where rangers are worried about their future and the protection of the reserve.

One of the issues most often mentioned by voters this election year is education. The presidential candidates Al Gore andGeorge W. Bush are responding. Both men have made schools and education reform a top priority on the campaign trail. But as NPR's Claudio Sanchez reports, what can the president of the United States really do to improve the nation's schools?