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As part of the Changing Face of America Series, NPR's Wendy Kaufman reports on the way the power to sue has changed both companies and consumers. The number of lawsuits filed hasn't really gone up, but more people are becoming comfortable with them as a way to attack the companies they see as irresponsible or dangerous. And the threat of litigation has businesses on the defensive.

From the Midwest to the East Coast, millions of Americans are feeling the dog days of summer. High temperatures combined with high humidity -- the so-called "heat index" -- are pushing the mercury into the triple digits across much of the nation.

Children with severe mental disabilities often need expensive treatment or round-the-clock supervision. NPR's Joanne Silberner profiles one family that had to give up custody of their child because they could not afford the care he needed.

Robert Siegel speaks with Bill and Miriam Brownwell, who founded WeTip, a non-profit organziation where citizens can anonymously report information regarding a crime. The Bromwells says that citizens fear reprisal from criminals if they report crimes to the police, so they act as the neutral third party.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews Del and the Boys by the Del McCoury Band.

Polls show that Americans are worrying more about their personal privacy. With easy access to personal information via the Internet and computer databases, are threats to privacy worse than ever? NPR's Bob Garfield ponders privacy issues.

NPR's David Molpus profiles short story writer George Singleton as part of Morning Edition's series on emerging Southern Artists. Singleton writes about the absurd and the grotesque...and finds plenty of inspiration in rural Dacusville, South Carolina, where he lives. His work includes a story about love at the local recycling center, a directive on how to collect fishing lures at the local flea market, and an examination of how a first marriage went sour because the husband went a little crazy caulking the house.

Morning Edition scoots over to the West Coast this week, broadcasting from NPR's Los Angeles bureau. As part of his series on L.A., John Ridley, NPR commentator and writer of film, television and novels, takes a road-eye view of the city's car culture.

Host John Ydstie visits with workers of Scranton, Pennsylvania, laid-off and left behind by a television-tube factory that's being moved to Mexico. For some, the lay-off is breaking up marriages and worrying their children. But others say they're glad--- that the closing means they're on to more fulfilling jobs.

NPR's Allison Aubrey examines the danger that common food allergies pose to some Americans. Common allergens, such as peanuts and certain grains, are often unlisted as ingredients on food packaging, or contaminate other food prepared in the same factory. Such problems lead to product recalls every year and have prompted the Food and Drug Administration and food processors, to find ways to test for allergens.