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Misty Hyman, an American, defeated Australia's Susie O'Neill Wednesday for the gold medal in the 200 meter butterfly. O'Neill, nicknamed Madame Butterfly by her countrymen, was heavily favored in the race, and Hyman, a first-time Olympian, reacted to her victory with joyous disbelief. Americans fared well in the pool, also capturing gold in the women's 4x200 freestyle relay. Jenny Thompson anchored the US team, winning her seventh career gold medal. Pieter van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands won swimming's glamour event, the 100 meter freestyle, making him the surprise star of the swimming competition. NPR's Howard Berkes reports.

NPR's Mary Ann Akers reports on Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore's speech today at Howard University in Washington. Gore told the mostly-black audience that he would end racial profiling as the first "civil rights act" of his administration. Gore also said he would work for hate crime laws, affirmative action programs, and a tax deduction of up to 10-thousand dollars for college tuition.

Jody Becker of Chicago Public Radio reports on a thorny environmental case being heard next month by the U.S. Supreme Court. It involves the right of some Chicago suburbs to build a landfill on land that's being used by migratory birds. Some environmental activists warn that the court could use the case to gut the landmark Clean Water Act.

NPR's Adam Hochberg examines how Princeville, North Carolina is still trying to rebuild the town one year after it was destroyed by Hurricane Floyd.

David D'Arcy reports on a new documentary currently being screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. The Fighter follows two Czech Jews as they revisit their past during World War Two. It's the feature film debut of American director Amir Bar Levy. Levy was a student in Prague when he first met one of the survivors.

NPR's Martin Kaste in Buenos Aires reports a bribery scandal in the Argentine Senate is threatening the ruling coalition of President Fernando de la Rua. So far, the president has not been hurt by the scandal, but members of his administration have been accused of bribing senators to secure passage of a labor reform bill.

NPR Entertainment Critic Bob Mondello reviews a new French film that looks at labor relations through the prism of family relations. It's called Human Resources.

Linda speaks with Rex Gephart, head of the Los Angeles MTA's "Metro Rapid" program, which aims to reduce bus travel times by 25 percent. As part of the plan, the MTA has equipped two of its major bus lines with a new device that hold a green lights for approaching buses. Gephart says ridership has increased significantly on the lines being tested. He says L.A. is the first city in the U.S. to implement so-called "signal priority" so extensively.

NPR's Mike Shuster reports that US officials say a single Iraqi MIG-25 penetrated Saudi Arabian airspace on Labor Day, the first such incident since the Persian Gulf War. Officials say the incursion took place when several Iraqi warplanes flew into the "no-fly zone" in southern Iraq, a region the US has declared off limits to Iraqi overflights. According to one official, the US chose NOT to retaliate because the administration at the time did not consider the single Iraqi plane to be a threat. The US also suspected Iraq of trying to provoke a confrontation just before the UN millennium summit. Since the December 1998 bombing of Iraq, the administration has resisted engaging in military confrontations with Iraq.

NPR's Peter Overby reports on the latest fund-raising investigation by the Justice Department that may have implications for the Gore campaign. The New York Times reported this morning of a 1995 discussion in which Vice President Gore was asked to make a fundraising call to a Texas trial lawyer -- around the time President Clinton was preparing to veto GOP-passed tort reform legislation that would limit lawsuit awards. The White House says Gore never made the call, but documents show a marked increase in contributions to the Democratic Party by the lawyer and his law firm since Mr. Clinton vetoed the bill. George W. Bush, campaigning in California, said Gore "may have crossed a serious line" with his actions.