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Studies show few U-S students are proficient at basic geography and it doesn't get much better when they grow up: nearly half of Americans don't know the population of the U.S.; three in ten can't use a map to calculate distance or directions. A group of educators want to change how geography is taught ... making instruction both more relevant and more rigorous. Jodi Becker of Chicago Public Radio reports.

NPR's Cheryl Corley reports on an unusual lawsuit by an Oklahoma Indian tribe, over millions of acres of land in Illinois. The Miami tribe claims a 200 -year old treaty gives them rights to lands their ancestors once roamed - lands that now house farms, businesses and two state universities.

From member station WXXI in Rochester, New York Brenda Tremblay reports on a new biography about Martha Matilda Harper, one of the most successful and innovative female entrepreneurs of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. She is credited with inventing the concept of the Franchise. (3:09) Martha Matilda Harper and the American Dream : How One Woman Changed the Face of Modern Business (Writing American Women by Jane R. Plitt is published by Syracuse Univ Pr (Trade); ISBN: 08156

Host Howard Berkes talks with Sandy Tolan, author of Me & Hank: A Boy and His Hero, Twenty-five Years Later. Hank Aaron eclipsed Babe Ruth's career homerun record of 714 by 41, but Tolen says Aaron doesn't get the attention he deserves, particularly in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Critics point out that Aaron played in more games and didn't have Ruth's style, but Tolan suspects Aaron's outspokeness about race has affected his popularity. (5:46) Me and Hank: A Boy and His Hero, Twenty-Five Years Later by Sandy Tolan is published by Free Press; ISBN: 06848

Host Howard Berkes shares letters from listeners.

Commentator Shelley Fraser Mickle tells a tale about a horse's tail.

Reporter Alex Van Oss went in search of the perfect cup of coffee. He found it, not at some sterile, suburban Starbucks outlet in this country, but in the venerable, old world city of Budapest, Hungary. He brings us along for a most refreshing cup.

Leonard and Phil Chess were two Polish immigrants who started a record company and gave us the sounds of post war urban America - from Muddy Waters' blues, to Chuck Berry's rock & roll, to the jazz sounds of Gene Ammons and Ramsey Lewis. Biographer Nadine Cohodas tells Liane the story of Chess Records. Her book is called Spinning Blues into Gold (St. Martins Press) (17:00).

Jacki speaks with NPR's Washington Editor Ron Elving about what presidential candidate Al Gore will need to do to overcome his opponent's double-digit lead in the polls. On Tuesday Gore is scheduled to announce his choice for running mate.

NPR's Mary Ann Akers reports on the similarities and differences between two sons of former Presidents nominated for their own presidential runs -- John Quincy Adams and George W. Bush.

NPR's Gerry Hadden reports from Mexico City on a series of problems facing the country. In addition to the rapid depletion of forests and marine habitat, Mexico is dealing with a severe water shortage.

Host Howard Berkes talks with NPR's Cokie Roberts about political events this week. Vice President Al Gore has selected Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman to be his running mate. Lieberman, would be the first Jewish vice presidential candidate in American history. A formal announcement from Gore is expected tomorrow in Tennessee.