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Susan talks with children's author Virginia Hamilton about the folktales in "Her Stories: African American Folktales, Fairy Tales, and True Tales" (1995,The Blue Sky Press/Scholastic). These stories are adaptations of folktales told by women. Hamilton grew up in Yellow Springs, Ohio in a large, extended family - a family of storytellers. She says it was the way she learned about family tradition and about her cultural heritage. Hamilton's most recent book is "When Birds Could Talk and Bats Could Sing" (1996, Blue Sky Press/Scholastic).

Linda talks with Teresa Tritch about trends in retirement saving strategies and how the economy is affected when the number of retired people surges. Tritch is the Washington bureau chief for Money magazine.

NPR's Linda Gradstein reports that Israeli settlers in the West Bank are already talking of expanding their building projects, now that Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu is heading the government. But even as they celebrate, there is a shadow of potential violence from Palestinian extremists, who see their hopes of a Palestinian state fading.

NPR's Linda Gradstein reports that US Secretary of State Warren Christopher met with new Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (n'tahn-YAH-hoo), but failed to get sought-for assurances that Netanyahu would honor his predecessor's peace process commitments.

Commentator Mickey Edwards talks about the recent Supreme Court decision that allowed political parties to spend as much as they want to support their party's candidates. He thinks the decision was a good one, ultimately supporting the principles of free speech.

Commentator Daniel Pinkwater tells about his wife, who recently offered to illustrate one of his children's stories. He talks about her skill, and how he's getting used to the idea of how good she really is at the work.

As leaders of the seven major industrialized countries gather in Lyon, France for the annual G-7 economic summit, they'll have one eye cast on the problem of slow economic growth in Europe, especially in Germany...the country that has long been the continent's economic powerhouse. German unemployment is near eleven percent, and economic growth has been stagnant for at least six months. NPR's John Ydstie (ID-stee) talks with businesspeople and workers about the growing debate in Germany over how to create new jobs. While many economists say the country's labor costs are too high and that Germany's social welfare state is too generous, German workers fear they're being blamed for a problem that's really the fault of a government intent on pleasing each special interest group with its own social program.

NPR's John Ydstie (IDD-stee) reports from Lyon (lee-OHN), France, where the leaders of the Group of Seven industrialized nations met to discuss economic issues. President Clinton resolved to put anti- terrorism measures on the agenda, though...and was successful.

Linda talks with U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria Walter Carrington about the investigation into the killing of Nigeria opposition leader Moshood Abiola's (ma-SHOOD ah-bee-OH-la) wife. He says it was clearly an assassination, but the individuals involved...and the motive behind the killing...remain a mystery. Carrington says that the US and other countries should continue to try to bring the military government into line by enacting sanctions, but that events like this feed fears that Nigeria faces further instability.

The Supreme Court today struck down sections of the 1992 Cable Act that restricted indecent programs on certain cable channels. But it upheld another provision that allowed individual cable companies to refuse to air such programs. NPR's Nina Totenberg reports.