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Political candidates may have four and a half months until Election Day, but already their ad money is flowing like never before, touting both national and local candidates. And there are no signs that the promotions, attacks, counter attacks, and independent advertisements are going to let up. NPR's Brooke Gladstone reports.

NPR's Michael Goldfarb reports from Belfast on the opening day of multi-party talks on the future of Northern Ireland. The first day did not go well. The unionists who want to stay as part of Great Britain threatened to walk out...and the political wing of the Irish Republican Army, Sinn Fein (SHIN FAYN), was not allowed into the talks because the I-R-A has not re-instated a cease-fire, which was suspended earlier this year.

Today in Phoenix, Arizona in a community college gymnasium, 4-hundred 50 people are gathering to be sworn in as American citizens. Robert talks with Sadir (SAH-deer) Hamati (HA-ma-tee), a native of Jordan, about what it means for him to become an American citizen. Mr. Hamati came to the United States 10 years ago and now lives in Phoenix.

Noah talks with Mike Jendrzejczyk (jenn-DREEZ-sick), the Washington Director of Human Rights Watch-Asia. Chinese police have detained dissident Wang Donghai (WAHNG dong-HY) after he and six other activists petitioned the National People's Congress on May 27th, demanding the release of political prisoners. Mr. Jendrzejczyk believes that paranoia in the Chinese government toward the democracy movement has increased in recent months as economic reforms have triggered more unrest. This recent round of arrests comes one week before the anniversary of the military crackdown that ended pro- democracy protests in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4th, 1989.

Noah talks with Officer Richard Hardin of the Hillview Police Department in Hillview, Kentucky, where severe weather injured eight people and destroyed hundreds of homes outside Louisville. Officer Hardin was chased by a tornado yesterday, and tells about his experiences...and the damage left in the wake of the storms.

Linda talks with Tom Boatner (BOHT-nur), a firejumper from the Bureau of Land Management based in Fairbanks, Alaska. Right now he's in Houston (HYOO-stun), Alaska. As many as 100 homes and an estimated 7,000 acres have burned in this fire which is believed to have started on Sunday. More than 300 firefighters, supported by firefighting aircraft, are now working to contain the blaze which is being fueled by forty mile-per-hour winds.

The House voted today to increase the minimum wage by ninety cents. The vote was a victory for Democrats who gained the support of moderate Republicans for the proposal. The same coalition voted down a Republican amendment that would have exempted businesses earning more than half a million dollars a year -- and would have included most of the fast food restaurants and retail stores that pay the minimum wage. NPR's Peter Kenyon reports.

Linda and Noah read from listeners' letters. To send letters please write to LETTERS-ATC, 635 Masschusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20001, or by E-Mail to ATC@NPR.ORG.

Noah talks to former Senator George McGovern about his new book "Terry". The book is about his daughter's struggle with alcoholism. "Terry" died about a year-and-a-half-ago at the age of 45. McGovern says he regrets the "tough love" approach he and his wife took with their daughter the last few months of her life. And, he says, he didn't realize until it was too late that his daughter really had no control over her disease.

Burma about the recent military crack down on the pro-democracy movement there.