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NPR's Jack Speer reports on questions surrounding the future of Amtrak, the national passenger rail service. Almost 30 years after it was created from a group of bankrupt railroads, Amtrak still receives large federal subsidies. Even though there are more passengers on the rail service, it's still losing money and shows little sign of becoming profitable. Amtrak also is being criticized for delays in starting high-speed passenger rail service along the busy Northeast corridor.

NPR's Margot Adler reports on Senator Joseph Lieberman's identity as an Orthodox Jew and how it might affect Al Gore's prospects for winning the Presidency. Lieberman is known for his morality and moderation. He was the first Democrat in the Senate to denounce President Clinton's sexual behavior as immoral. And he's been highly critical of violence and sex on television and in popular music.

NPR's Allison Aubrey reports that a new study on the long-term effects of inhaler use has some good news for asthmatics. The study, published in this week's New England Journal of Medicine, says regular use of asthma inhalers can significantly reduce the likelihood the disease will become fatal.

NPR's Guy Raz reports from Berlin on Germany's centuries-old Meister system, which requires craftsmen to complete a lengthy training program before being licensed. German guilds are resisting pressure to relax their rules and conform to the standards of the European Community. EU rules say that a worker from one country should be free to practice his trade in another.

Volodymyr Zhukovskyy was driving a pickup that collided with a group of motorcyclists in Randolph.

At the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia, Robert Siegel asked the question What do you want to hear from Governor Bush tonight? to several delegates on the floor of the First Union Center last night. Some delegates want to hear about faith-based organizations, appointing future Supreme Court justices. Some people want Bush to continue on themes of unity, compassion, and inclusion. Some delegates want him to avoid topics like abortion and impeachment. And some people say it's not so much what he should say, but how he should appear to the American people -- confident, compassionate, authentic.

Linda Wertheimer talks by phone with three Republican voters about their reactions to what they've seen of the Republican National Convention on television so-far. She speaks first with Faye Schwartz, an independent financial advisor in Portland, Oregon. Then she talks to Betha Wade a retired teacher, who lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Finally, Kate Fowler, a University of Colorado student who is living in Chicago for the summer.

NPR's Steve Inskeep takes a look at the speaking style of Texas Governor George W. Bush. Bush, the presidential nominee is due at the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia, where he will give one of his longest speeches to date.

Host Alex Chadwick talks to Mark Smirnoff, editor of the Oxford American about the magazine's annual Southern Music issue, which contains a free CD. The music covers a wide range of styles and singers, all with some connection to the South.

Recent Republican conventions have given new visibility to religious conservatives, who were finding a home and a power base as never before in the GOP. The role of religious activists has been far less prominent in Philadelphia this week. But that does not mean the Christian right has disappeared. NPR's Lynn Neary reports.