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NPR's Richard Gonzales reports on a fungus that is devastating large portions of the California forests.

NPR's Mike Shuster talks to Robert Siegel about President Clinton's impending visit to Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation. On his previous visit to Africa two years ago, President Clinton purposely avoided Nigeria because of its dictatorial military government. Since then Nigeria has freely elected a civilian president and Clinton is visiting the nation to show support for its budding democracy.

Asthma is the most common chronic childhood disease. For some reason, rates of asthma keep going up every year. Researchers have been looking at the causes for this increase, which has been found to be much higher in the industrialized world. Everything from exposure to dust mites and cockroaches to diet has been implicated. Now, a new study from the New England Journal of Medicine concludes that there might be another cause: too much cleanliness. The more sterile the early environment for infants six months and younger, the more problems with asthma they seem to have later in life. NPR's Allison Aubrey reports.

Doug McLennan reviews the two CD set entitled "Serenity" by the Bobo Stenson Trio. (4:00) Serenity by the Bobo Stenson Trio is on the ECM label, http://www.ecmrecords.com

Writer Samuel Freedman. Hes just written a book about the state of the American Jewish Community called –Jew vs. Jew: The Struggle for the soul of American Jewry." (Simon & Schuster) Freedman believes that three fundamental questions are rending the American Jewish community today: "What is the definition of Jewish identity? Who decides what is authentic and legitimate Judaism? And what is the Jewish compact with America?" We talk with Freedman following the recent nomination of the first Jewish vice presidential candidate, Democrat Joe Lieberman. Freedman is also the author of –The Inheritance: How three families and America moved from Roosevelt to Reagan and Beyond,— which was a finalist for the 1997 Pulitzer prize.12:28:30 FORWARD PROMO (:29)12:29:00 I.D. BREAK (:59)12:

Robert talks to California Attorney General Bill Lockyer about settlement in the state's lawsuit against Publishers Clearing House. Lockyer says this is just the beginning -- that he's been talking with other state Attorneys General about closing a similar settlement deal with another major sweepstakes company.

Commentator Louise Rafkin goes to the beach in Provincetown, Massachusetts every summer. This year, a couple with beachfront property decided they didn't want any swimmers in front of their house - so they set out some decoy beach chairs, hoping to keep people away. It didn't work.

NPR's Gerry Hadden reports from Mexico City on the visit of Mexico's President-elect Vicente Fox to the United States. Fox meets in Washington today with Vice President Al Gore and later with President Clinton, and then tomorrow in Dallas with Republican Presidential nominee George W. Bush.

The United States has acknowledge what it calls "less than honorable" actions against Native Hawaiians more than a century ago. Yesterday the federal government recommended that indigenous islanders be given the same sovereign status as most American Indians.

Amy Tardif of member station WGCU in Fort Myers reports on changes in Florida's fire inspection laws. Schools are now required to be inspected by fire marshals, but there's not been enough time to get all schools up to code.