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Michele Kelemen reports from Moscow that Russia's FSB intelligence service is actively pursuing a growing number of espionage cases, now that its former boss, Vladimir Putin, is president. Journalists, former military officers and defense analysts are held for months, and sometimes years, before going to trial behind closed doors. At least one prominent defense attorney notes, however, that the FSB does not exercise the same unbridled power as its Soviet-era predecessor, the KGB.

Host Bob Edwards talks to Clarence Wyatt, co-chair of the debate steering committee at Center College in Danville, Kentucky, about the possibility that his college and town won't be the site of a Vice-Presidential debate after all. The bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates had scheduled one for October 5th, but the Bush- Cheney campaign omitted Danville from its list of approved venues. The town has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars and countless hours in preparing for the event.

To marks California's 150th anniversary as a state , Bob looks back at the early years of the Gold Rush. The Gold Rush "jump-started" California, made it grow faster than anyone could have expected. We learn how disappointing those early years were for many of the people who went west. This story features commentary from historian Kevin Starr, and dramatic readings from diaries and other documents of the time. (8:15) Kevin Starr is the state librarian of California and author of 8 books about the state, including Americans and the California Dream: 1850--1915 by Oxford University Press (Trade); ISBN: 01950

Scott speaks with Dr. Lawrence Schoen about the seventh Annual Klingon Language Conference he helped organize this weekend in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania.

Host Scott Simon talks with NPR's Ted Clark about the Middle East summit. Jerusalem appears to be the hardest issue to resolve. Today negotiations are on hold at Camp David because of the Jewish Sabbath. They are expected to resume when President Clinton returns from Japan.

Host Scott Simon talks with Ernesto Bentoncourt, Fidel Castro's former political advisor, about Fidel Castro's assault against the Cuban Moncada barricks in 1953, a pivotal moment in Cuban history.

NPR's Joanne Silberner reports a woman in Washington state is suing for contraception to be included in her health care coverage. She argues that contraception is a basic component of woman's health.

Scott reads letters from listeners. 2:30.

Linda interviews Julie Bell, lead archaeologist for Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado about new sites discovered after a fire last week. Mesa Verde is the nation's largest archaeological preserve, with more than 4000 identified sites.

Commentator Lis Wiehl explains that tribal courts, which operate on many Indian reservations, function separately from the federal court system. These courts have not had to apply the U.S. Constitution directly, leaving out Constitutional guarantees like the right to free legal counsel. But one of the problems with suspending Constitutional protections, is that convictions obtained in tribal courts can be used against defendants later in federal and state courts.