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Thirty years ago today, the nation underwent a health care revolution when President Johnson signed the Medicare bill into law. NPR's Patricia Neighmond reports on the impact Medicare has had on the health of America's elderly.

Jacki discusses the latest events in Bosnia with NPR's Andy Bowers in Sarajevo and NPR's Sylvia Poggioli in Belgrade. Today, the top UN general in the former Yugoslavia met with the Bosnian Serb military leader. They tried, but failed, to work out an arrangement for the Serbs to withdraw their heavy weapons from Sarajevo. Meanwhile, NATO officials met in Brussels to consider whether to resume military attacks against the Serbs.

Jacki talks to Richard Slotkin, author of the book "Gunfighter Nation, the Myth of the Frontier in 20th Century America," (HarperPerennial) about the prevalence of violence in American culture since the first settlers landed here.

Deidre Berger reports on the past week's events in the North Sea, where Shell Oil changed it's plans to dump an oil rig in the ocean, after protests from Greenpeace.

Danny talks with psychotherapist Robert Akeret, author of Tales from a Traveling Couch (Norton Books). The book is Akeret's personal account of re-visiting former patients to see how their lives have developed over many years. And to ask himself whether or not therapy made any significant difference in their lives.

Daniel talks with John Matisonn, former NPR correspondent in South Africa, who's now a commissioner with that country's Independent Broadcasting Authority. They discuss how the growth of private radio stations in South Africa has fostered the development of democracy there.

For the holiday weekend, some statistics for the road.

This past week, Russian and American scientists announced they had definitely identified the remains of the last Russian tsar, Nicholas the Second, and his family. The final i.d. came as the result of DNA testing. Jackie talks about the Tsar...and his bones...with Robert K. Massie...author of Nicholas and Alexandra.

NPR's David Welna spends an evening on patrol with rookie police officers in Haiti. They have few uniforms, limited patrol cars, and often have to work in the dark because their generators are out of fuel, but they are optimistic about their ability to police Haiti after interantional troops go home.

For years, squatters have been living in abandoned buildings in New York's East Village and Lower East Side. In spite of the risk that one day they could be forced out, squatters have often improved the buildings dramatically, investing time and money in an effort to create a home. Recently however, the New York City police department launched a large raid on several squats, forcing the residents out. While the city argues these buildings had been illegally co-opted, the squatters argue the law protects their rights as homesteaders. Beth Fertig of member station WNYC reports that now the matter has gone to court.