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NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports that at the heart of the dispute between Israel and the Palestinians is insistence on ruling the tiny, one-mile-square old city of Jerusalem, a site sacred to Jews, Muslims and Christians. Since its conquest of the city in the 1967 war, Israel has ruled the old city insisting that it must remain the undivided capital of the state of Israel. Palestinians are demanding sovereignty over, at least, the areas of old Jerusalem where Arabs are a majority.

Jason DeRose of Chicago Public Radio reports that the Mayor of Palos Heights, Illinois has vetoed a city council proposal to pay the Al Salaam Mosque Foundation not to open a mosque in the suburb. Mayor Dean Koldenhoven said last night that the proposal was an insult to Muslims and that he hopes the foundation will go ahead and open its mosque in the building formerly used as a Christian church.

Host Bob Edwards talks with commentator Frank Deford about his book The Best of Frank Deford: I'm Just Getting Started. The book reflects on the larger world of American culture through sports.

Aileen Leblanc of member station WYSO reports on a controversy surrounding an outdoor drama that is performed every summer in Ohio. Tecumseh is about a Shawnee warrior chief's struggle to protect his land from white settlers, but critics say the play is marred by historical inaccuracies.

NPR's Joanne Silberner reports that use of a more extensive screening test for colon cancer could greatly improve doctors ability to catch the disease in its early stages. But some health experts say it's not clear yet that the test is worth the cost and effort. The research appears in this week's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

The diamond industry is proposing strict measures to stop the funding of African wars through diamond sales. So-called "conflict diamonds" from countries like Sierra Leone, Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have helped to fund bloody wars. A proposal to stop the practice was made at a conference called the World Diamond Congress today in Belgium.

The House of Representatives today approved a bill that would raise the amount that certain savers can contribute to their tax-deferred retirement accounts. The current annual limit on these contributions is $2,000 but the new legislation, if passed by the Senate and signed by President Clinton, would raise that limit to $5,000. NPR's Brian Naylor reports.

Writer JOYCE JOHNSON, talks about her relationship to Beat icon Jack Kerouac, and her new book, –Door Wide Open : A Beat Love Affair in letters— (Viking). In 1957, JOHNSON started a relationship with the then little-known writer Kerouac. 9 months later, Kerouacs Beat classic –On the Road— was published. JOHNSON will talk about her two-year, tumultuous love affair with Kerouac, how the publication of –On the Road— changed Kerouac, and shell talk about what it was like being young and female and part of the Manhattan bohemian scene. –Door Wide Open— contains many letters sent to JOHNSON by Kerouac. In addition to –Doors Wide Open,— JOHNSON is also the author of 3 novels, including –In the Night Cafi.— Her memoir –Minor Characters— won the National Book Critics Circle award, and her work has been published in major magazines including the New Yorker and Harpers. (THIS INTERVIEW CONTINUES IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE SHOW.)12:28:30 FORWARD PROMO (:29)12:29:00 I.D. BREAK (:59)12:

Scott Horsley of member station KPBS reports on aggressive trial lawyers who've sued the tobacco and gun industries and are now considering class action lawsuits against health maintenance organizations, drug makers, and liquor distillers. One such attorney is Dick Scruggs from Mississippi, who led the suit that won a 246-billion-dollar settlement for the states against cigarette makers and a 400-million-dollar fee for himself. Supporters of such lawsuits say they help reduce corporate irresponsibility Some critics say they're motivated by greed; other critics say that legislatures, not courts, should make social policy

NPR's Martin Kaste reports on a toxic oil spill that has poisoned a river in southwest Brazil, threatening wildlife and potentially ruining one of Brazil's most famous natural wonders, the Iguazu Falls.