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All Things Considered Host Noah Adams profiles Olympian David Hearn, eighteen times the U-S national solo whitewater canoe champion. He's in his third Olympics in Australia. He's trained on the Potomac River for twenty-five years. Now, his wife, Jennifer, is one of his coaches. He's 41-years-old, twice the age of many of his competitors. Hearn says that the slalom course imitates a real whitewater river.

NPR's Mary Ann Akers reports on Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore's speech today at Howard University in Washington. Gore told the mostly-black audience that he would end racial profiling as the first "civil rights act" of his administration. Gore also said he would work for hate crime laws, affirmative action programs, and a tax deduction of up to 10-thousand dollars for college tuition.

David Schaper of Chicago Public Radio reports on how Polish immigrants have been subjected to "shake downs" from local police. Several veteran officers may be facing charges for stopping immigrants and pressing them for money.

NPR's Alex Chadwick examines Australia's national character in the latest National Geographic Radio Expedition. Australia is roughly the same size as America, but there are only 19 million Australians, still in search of their national identity.

Host Bob Edwards talks with NPR's Cokie Roberts about this week's political events including the new strategy in the presidential campaign of Texas Governor George W. Bush.

From member station WFCR Susan Kaplan reports on Booksense.com, a web site developed by the American Booksellers Association. The site allows readers to order books on-line through independent bookstores in their area. So far, about a hundred and fifty stores have signed onto the site, and that number is expected to double by the end of the year.

NPR's Peter Kenyon reports on yet another issue in the debate over the Presidential Debates. After both the Gore and Bush campaigns agreed on their debate formats, third party candidates are feeling excluded. For them to participate, third party candidates must meet what they call a ridiculous criterion set up by the bi-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates. That criterion states that a candidate must win an average of at least 15-percent in national polls to be invited to the debates.

NPR's Phillip Davis reports that hurricane Gordon was downgraded to a Tropical Storm before making landfall. Gordon plowed ashore on Florida's Gulf Coast last night drenching rain and a storm surge with waves over six feet high.

As part of Morning Edition's coverage of third party candidates, host Bob Edwards talks with Reform Party Candidate Patrick Buchanan. Buchanan, a staunch Republican since the Barry Goldwater days, says he's running on this ticket because he feels the Republicans are not addressing the big issues. He says the Republican presidential ticket has a political agenda that's close to the current administration. Buchanan says his Reform Party offers an entirely different vision for the country, one that includes de-centralizing the federal government, an emphasis on states' rights, and lessening the power of the Supreme Court.

NPR's Margot Adler reports that some psychologists are also starting to worry about the degree to which children are exposed to violence in tv ads for movies. They staged a protest last week outside of an advertising industry's awards ceremony. But the industry says many of their awards go towards public service announcements that encourage children not to engage in destructive behaviors such as smoking.