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This comes as Chancellor Angela Merkel steps down.

Women are competing in Olympic triathlon for the first time and their race will determine the first medal winners of the Games. As NPR's Tom Goldman reports, the competition begins at the foot of the Sydney Opera House. Swimmers will plunge into the chilly waters of the harbor and then bike and run around Sydney's picturesque central business district.

Ralph Nader talks about "Republicrats" who see the world through the same corporate prism. And for generations, Third Party candidates from both the left and the right have said the two major parties are two halves of the same power structure -- different mostly in name and tradition. This year, as the major parties try to appeal to the political center, they often sound alike. Yet it can be argued that the two parties stand for specific philosophies that are farther apart than they have been in half a century. A new poll by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard has found that voting for one or the other means choosing between distinct outlooks on the issues. NPR's Don Gonyea reports.

A note on some of the little known candidates for the White House in this year's election.

NPR's Jack Speer reports Continental AG is voluntarily recalling tires that came as standard equipment on Ford Lincoln Navigators. Ford's Lincoln Mercury division released a statement today saying the two companies are working together to quickly inspect tires and replace them if necessary.

NPR's Jim Zarroli reports the recall of Firestone tires has left Ford in something of a quandary. If the controversy drags on long enough, it could hurt sales of the popular Ford Explorer. Ford recently announced it will get some of the tires for upcoming Explorers from other tire manufacturers. But the booming world auto market makes it hard for Ford to sever its ties to Firestone altogether. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.

A Russian court today ruled that accused U.S. spy Edmond Pope must remain behind bars pending his trial. The American businessman has suffered in the past from a rare form of bone cancer, and his attorney asked that he be released for medical treatment. Russia's Federal Security Service argued, successfully, that Pope is well enough to remain in custody. Pope, a former U.S. Navy officer, is accused of trying to gather intelligence about a Russian torpedo. Charles Maynes has a report from Moscow.

Noah talks to Debora Spar, a Harvard Business School Professor who teaches a course on managing international trade and investment, about Microsoft's problems doing business in China. The company decided to invest there after China signed onto the treaty to respect intellectual property in 1992. Despite the treaty, six years later pirating of the company's software has actually increased. Spar questions whether, given Microsoft's experience, it can reasonably be expected that China will abide by rules set by the World Trade Organization.

NPR's David Welna reports that the new president of the American Bar Association urged lawyers to do more work free of charge for immigrants. Lawyers across the nation are doing less of this pro-bono work as they're pressured to contribute to law firm profits. Also more immigrants are in jail awaiting charges and without access to legal aid.

Charles Haynes and Oliver Thomas of the First Amendment Center have developed a process known as the 3R Projects: Rights, Responsibility and Respect. The program is designed to educate teachers and administrators about what is and isn't allowed under the First Amendment, so that issues of religious freedom and free speech can be resolved before they turn into lawsuits. NPR's Mandalit DelBarco reports.