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NPR's Emily Harris reports that child safety advocates testified before a congressional committee yesterday that children between the ages of five and nine need additional seatbelt protection. They recommended that parents be required by law to install booster seats for children who are too big for infant car seats but not big enough to be protected by regular seat belts.

NPR's Guy Raz reports on the struggling image of Germany's conservative political party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Analysts claim the CDU lacks a definitive political identity, and consequently, much of the German population views it as "incompetent."

The City of Oakland, California will vote on a proposal tonight that would require the city to hire a certain number of bilingual workers. The ordinance, if passed, will require certain departments to hire people that speak either English and Spanish or English and Chinese. Robert Siegel speaks with Oakland City Council President Ignacio de la Fuente, he is a co-author of the proposal.

Robert Siegel talks with Mike Moore, attorney general for Mississippi, about the settlement of a lawsuit against the state of Mississippi. The lawsuit was brought by a group of African-Americans trying to improve the academic programs at Mississippi's black universities.

Scott Aiges reviews the new CD from The Blind Boys of Alabama, called Spirit of the Century. All of the band members are in their 70s, and got their name when they started singing together at the Talledega Institute for the Blind in 1939. They have always sung in the traditional jubilee style -- hymns, spirituals and other Christian music -- with tight harmonies and little if any accompaniment. The new CD puts a fresh new spin on old-time religious music. (5:00) Spirit of the Century by the Blind Boys of Alabama is on Realworld records, catalog # 70876-15319-2-3.

Students at Harvard rallied today to demand "a living wage" of $10.25 an hour for the university's lowest paid workers. Their week long sit-in has attracted support from the state's two Democratic senators, as well as national union officials and the NAACP. NPR's Philip Martin has a report.

Commentator Belle Waring says choosing a pet from an animal shelter can be a roll of the dice.

A New Zealand air force plane returned safely today to Christchurch after retrieving four ill Americans and seven other U.S. staffers from a frigid research station near Antarctica's coast. A second perilous rescue mission to the bottom of the world is now underway. An eight-seat Twin Otter plane has landed at the South Pole to evacuate a sick American doctor. Antarctica's harsh, dark winter conditions usually preclude flights in or out. NPR's Richard Harris reports.

NPR's Nina Totenberg looks at two 5-4 decisions released by the Supreme Court today. One says police may arrest and jail someone for a minor offense, even when the punishment is no more than a fine. The case involved a woman whose car was pulled over because she and her children were not wearing seat belts. The other decision rejected a lawsuit by a woman who sued Alabama for not allowing her to take her driver's test in Spanish. The justices said the statute in question does not provide for an individual to sue a state for the type of discrimination she alleged.

NPR's Jim Zarroli reports consumer confidence slipped again in April. The Conference Board's consumer confidence index has fallen six of the last seven months and fell more in April than expected. The Federal Reserve has been cutting interest rates in a bid to keep the economy from falling into recession. Today's report indicates that consumers are still worried about the economy.