Search results for

NPR's Michelle Kelemen reports from Moscow on a shake-up at the famed Bolshoi Ballet. An agency of the United Nations is helping to renovate the troupe's theatre, but the government is hoping to speed up the work. Last week, the Bolshoi's artistic and general director was sacked and the troupe was put under control of the Ministry of Culture.

Host Steve Inskeep talks with author Adam Cohen about his book, American Pharaoh, a biography of former Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley.

Host Bob Edwards talks with NPR's Julie Rovner, about the various health care bills that Congress is expected to consider, when members return this week from the Labor Day holiday.

Sylvia Poggioli reports from Rome that the Vatican's watchdog agency, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, released a document today asserting the primacy of Roman Catholicism over all other world religions. The document's release follows just two days after the controversial beatification of Pius the Ninth, the pope who established the dogma of papal infallibility. The document released today asserts that non-Christians are "in a gravely deficient situation" with regard to salvation. Other Christian churches, it states, have defects, in part because they do not recognize papal authority.

Linda speaks with Larry Lozier, the owner of the Hyde Park, NY house, who found Mastodon bones in his back yard. The bones were discovered after he decided to dredge and deepened the pond in his yard. What appeared to be a log turned out to be a big bone. He called local colleges, but no one believed him, until he called Dr. Christopher Lindner at Bard College. Now he has a team of scientists excavating his pond.

Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush proposed today that low-income seniors receive prescription drugs for free. Bush also said that all seniors ought to have a choice of plans that would pay up at one fourth of their drug costs, either by government program or through private insurance. Steve Inskeep, traveling with the Bush campaign, filed this report for NPR News.

NPR's Pam Fessler reports on the Democrats' push to get their agenda acted on during these final weeks of the 106th Congress. Led by President Clinton, Senate Leader Tom Daschle and House Leader Richard Gephardt, the Democrats once again urged passage of an increase in the minimum wage and a patients' bill of rights. But both parties know that much of what is going on maybe less about legislation and more about gaining the electoral advantage as November 7 approaches.

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.

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?