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Writer Paul Auster continues with stories sent in by our listeners.

In the summer of 1944, a young black woman boarded a bus in Gloucester, Virginia headed for Baltimore. Sitting in the "Negroes Only" section, she was asked to give up her seat when a white couple boarded. Irene Morgan refused, went to jail, and lost at trial. But a young Thurgood Marshall took the case all the way to the Supreme Court, some eleven years before Rosa Parks, and won a ruling that found segregation in interstate travel unconstitutional. This weekend, the town of Gloucester honors the 83-year-old for her courage.

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.

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.

Next week's Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles has the Los Angeles Police Department worried about Seattle-style protests. NPR's Aaron Schachter reports that LA police are warning downtown businesses of possible violence; demonstrators are trying to assure merchants they don't intend to be unruly.

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.

NPR's Julie Rovner reports on what voters are hearing -- and not hearing -- from Democrats and Republicans about their effort to add a prescription drug benefit to Medicare. Neither party plans come close to lifting the financial burden felt by Medicare recipients with high drug costs because a real solution would cost a fortune.

Host Howard Berkes shares letters from listeners.

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

NPR's Scott Horsley reports that the shortage of electricity will be the top priority for California legislators who reconvene today. Across the state, the high demand for power has caused the electric bills to soar. And with no relief in sight, consumers are demanding the legislature steps in to regulate prices.