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Linda talks with Congressional Statistician Bruce Oppenheimer about Al Gore's Congressional voting record. Dr. Oppenheimer is a professor of Political Science at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. His latest book is called Sizing Up the Senate; University of Chicago Press, October 1999.

Host Howard Berkes talks to Historian Gwendolyn Midlo Hall, about her research into the countries of origin of African-Americans. While preparing her 1992 book, Africans in Colonial America, Hall discovered court documents that indicated where enslaved Africans said they came from. The information was overlooked for more than 200 years, largely because the documents were in French or Spanish. Hall's findings are of particular interest to African Americans who want to trace their ancestry.

Howard Berkes talks with naturalist Craig Childs, author of The Secret Knowledge of Water: The Essence of the American Desert. Childs documented his cross-country trek through the deserts of North America as he searched for water holes, small springs, and other signs of water. His quest took him to a place most experienced desert hikers avoid: directly in the path of a flash flood. (8:20) The Secret Knowledge of Water : Discovering the Essence of the American Desert by Craig Leland Childs is published by Sasquatch Books; ISBN: 15706

David D'Arcy reports on Filmmaker John Waters and his new movie, Cecil B. Demented. The film's main character seems loosely based on Waters' own life; Cecil B. Demented is a director of shock cinema and has attracted a cult-like following. But unlike Waters, Demented is a terrorist who targets bad cinema for destruction.

NPR's Julie McCarthy reports from London on an angry public debate over whether pedophiles should be publicly identified. Street mobs have forced wrongly accused men into hiding. Police blame lurid accounts of pedophile crimes in the tabloid press.

NPR's Ted Clark reports thaT Venezuela's nationalistic President Hugo Chavez is set to be the first elected head of state to visit Iraq's Saddam Hussein since the Gulf War. U-S officials are clearly displeased and have sought to pressure him not to visit Baghdad. Chavez, who was just re-elected under a new constitution he helped draw up, is touring OPEC countries to urge a summit and appears to be enjoying showing his independence from US policy.

NPR's Kenneth Walker reports on a new struggle between black and white South Africans over land both claim as their own.

NPR's Scott Horsley reports on a commercial database that keeps track of millions of Americans who have bounced checks. More than 85-thousand bank branches subscribe to the database, called Chexsystem, and use it to screen potential customers. But critics say a single bad check can place someone's name on the database, and once listed, it's unlikely they'll be able to open an account for up to five years.

ROGER EBERT interviews WILLEM DAFOE. This is a special broadcast of a live event that took place at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Ebert explores Dafoe's 17-year career of more than 40 films, including his upcoming film, "Shadow of the Vampire." Dafoe's films include "The Last Temptation of Christ," "Affliction," "The English Patient," and "Platoon."Jazz critic KEVIN WHITEHEAD reviews "Traveler's Tales" (Omnitone) the new recording by Marty Ehrlich.12:58:30 NEXT SHOW PROMO (:29) PROMO COPY On the next Fresh Air. . . . volcanologist DAN MILLER. He was part of a team of geologists who predicted the eruption of Mt. St. Helens 20 years ago. Now he travels to hot spots around the world assessing the behavior of waking volcanos. He's featured in the new book "Volcano Cowboys." Also -- the film critic grills the actor. ROGER EBERT talks with WILLEM DAFOE. We present a special interview that took place at this year's Cannes Film Festival. That and more coming up on the next Fresh Air.

Host Jacki Lyden speaks with fire fighter Tim Duck about the fires in the West. Duck has been fighting the fires in the Salmon Challis National Forest in Idaho where U.S. Marines have recently joined the battle.

Ten years ago this month Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait, leading ultimately to the Persian Gulf War. Jacki speaks to Middle East scholar Shibley Telhami about the legacy of the invasion, and the impact sanctions and a strengthened Saddam Hussein have on the people of Iraq.

Jacki talks with George Hudler, professor of Plant Pathology at Cornell University, about a giant fungus. The fungus, which looks like a giant mushroom, is spreading across a forest in Eastern Oregon. It is thought to be the largest living organism in the world.