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The House has passed two measures that would loosen the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba. One would end enforcement of the ban on sales of food and drugs to Cuba; the other would end enforcement of the ban on travel by Americans to Cuba. It's uncertain that either provision will become law this year, because Senate Majority Leader Trentt Lott is opposed to any easing of restrictions against Cuba.

NPR's Anne Sutton reports on the shortfall in salmon returns in Western Alaskan waters for the second year in a row. State Governor Tony Knowles has already started the paperwork to provide state aid; now the state is seeking federal assistance too.

NPR's John Ydstie reports that Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan gave his bi-annual state of the U.S. economy speech on Capitol Hill yesterday. Greenspan was upbeat and said the economy seems to be slowing to a more healthy pace.

Robert talks with Khalil Shikaki, Director of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research. He joins us from his home in Ramallah, to talk about public opinion of the Camp David summit among Palestinians.

NPR's Kathleen Schalch reports that kids are attending summer schools in record numbers. In St. Louis, about half of all students are enrolled in summer classes. Parents, teachers and police are pleased with the trend. And lots of kids seem to enjoy summer school, too. But the evidence is mixed on whether it improves academic performance.

It's taken a quarter century of watching and waiting, but physicists have finally caught up with an elementary particle called the tau neutrino. These elusive subatomic particles are one of the fundamental bits that make up the matter of the universe. NPR's David Kestenbaum reports scientists at the Fermi National Accellerator Laboratory near Chicago found direct evidence of the particle, which had been theorized, but never proven, to exist.

There's a poem about neutrinos that many physicists have tacked to their walls. It's by John Updike, and it's titled, Cosmic Gall. (1:00) Click here to read the poem

Singer-songwriter SHELBY LYNNE. We will listen to her songs and talk to LYNNE in studio. Her new CD, –I Am Shelby Lynne— (Universal/Island) is part country and part soul. This is the 6th album for this Alabama-born singer, but it is the first album in which LYNNE writes most of the songs. Her other albums were products of the Nashville country music scene. With this new album, LYNNE has won over critics and fans alike. LYNNE is currently touring the US. (THIS INTERVIEW CONTINUES IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE SHOW.)12:28:30 FORWARD PROMO (:29)12:29:00 I.D. BREAK (:59)12:

NPR's Madeline Brand reports that Vice President Al Gore took his presidential campaign into the heart of Texas, visiting San Antonio, and criticizing Governor George W. Bush's tax breaks for oil companies.

Shelby lynne continued.Veteran smokejumper MURRAY TAYLOR. Hes been fighting forest fires for over 35 years, is the oldest active smokejumper and the oldest to ever do the job. Hes written a new memoir about his experiences –Jumping Fire: A Smokejumpers Memoir of Fighting Wildfire.— (Harcourt Inc.)Book critic MAUREEN CORRIGAN reviews –An Obedient Father— (Farrar Straus & Giroux) the debut novel by short story writer Akhil Sharma. 12:58:30 NEXT SHOW PROMO (:29) PROMO COPY On the next fresh air singer-songwriter Shelby Lynne brings her guitar to the studio. Her new CD is a hybrid of soul and country music. Also facing a tornado of fire. . a talk with veteran smokejumper MURRAY TAYLOR. Hes been fighting forest fires for 35 years. Join us for the next fresh air.

NPR's Eric Weiner reports on President Clinton's visit to Okinawa, Japan for the G-8 Summit. Today, the President addresses the concerns of the people in Okinawa over the presence of U.S. troops there.

Host Brian Naylor talks to NPR's Jennifer Ludden about the status of the Middle East peace negotiations at Camp David in the absence of President Bill Clinton. According to an Israeli official, Prime Minister Ehud Barak has agreed to a United States proposal to share sovereignty in parts of East Jerusalem.