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NPR's Tovia Smith profiles the man Al Gore has asked to join him on the Democratic ticket. Joseph Lieberman began life as the son of a liquor store owner who never went to college. But he studied hard, got a scholarship to Yale and then attended law school there. After that it was the state legislature, the state attorney general's office and an upset win over a senior Republican senator in 1988. Now, thanks to his reputation for religious commitment and moral fiber, Lieberman suddenly finds himself on the national stage.

A note on a lawsuit stemming from the use of a picture of Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara in a vodka advertising campaign. Alberto Diaz Gutierrez, who took the photo in 1965, still lives in Cuba, and has filed suit against the British ad company representing Smirnoff Vodka for the use of the picture.

NPR's Eric Weiner reports that the President of Indonesia used his state-of-the nation speech today to apologize for his performance in his first 10 months in office. Abdul Rahman Wahid has been under intense criticism for failure to cope with the country's severe economic problems, ethnic and religious violence, and corruption at a level that frightens away foreign investment. Some lawmakers have talked of impeachment, but the general consensus seems to be that Indonesia has spent the last few years in political turmoil and that the new president should be given more time to solve problems.

Beth Fertig of member station WNYC reports on New Jersey's new law regulating Halal foods - that is, foods that are lawful according to Islamic tradition. The law reflects a growing Muslim population in New Jersey and throughout the U.S.

Janet Heimlich reports on the flaws in the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. She examines the role of DNA testing in the case of a Texas man who was convicted of rape ten years ago.

In a recent visit to his homeland, Commentator Andrei Codrescu stopped at the grave of former Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceacescu. He remarks on the ironic symbolism at the site.

Host Howard Berkes talks to NPR's Eric Weiner about Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid's State of the Union address delivered today before the country's parliament. Wahid asked for more time to get his violence-torn and near bankrupt nation back on its feet, pledging to crush separatists and to revamp his discredited cabinet.

NPR's Steve Inskeep reports on Republican Presidential nominee George W. Bush's campaign tour through the Midwest. Yesterday Bush attended religious services in the small town of Plainfield, Illinois.

NPR's Anthony Brooks reports on the surprise selection of Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman as Vice President Al Gore's running mate. Lieberman, the first Jew on a major-party national ticket, is well regarded for his integrity. And he was a strong critic of President Clinton's behavior during the Monica Lewinsky affair. Polls indicate that morality and family values rank high on a list of voter concerns. But Lieberman also parts company with Gore on some issues, such as school vouchers.

NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr takes a look at Al Gore's unorthodox choice for a running mate, orthodox Jew Jospeh Lieberman.