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A pending ballot measure in California would funnel $3 billion over 10 years into embryonic stem cell research. President Bush restricted federal funding for such research three years ago. The California bond measure is largely supported by scientists and affected families; its detractors oppose it on mostly religious or fiscal grounds. NPR's Ina Jaffe reports.

The Web site uglydress.com maintains a visual record of ugly bridesmaids' gowns. NPR's Renee Montagne reports.

More than 50 years after the release of her first album, Raitt's voice remains a subtle instrument: earthy with an ache around the edges. Its sly intimacy is, as always, a deep pleasure.

American cyclist Lance Armstrong wins the Tour de France in Paris, setting a new record with six victories. The final margin between Armstrong and his nearest competitor, German Andreas Kloden, was 6 minutes, 19 seconds. Hear NPR's Brian Naylor and John Wilcockson of Velo News.

Immigrant communities in Los Angeles and Southern California are arguably the most diverse places in the country. The different groups sometimes live in ethnic enclaves and don't mix. But Alex Cohen member station KQED visits a small sliver of L.A. County that can accurately be described as a melting pot, an ethnic stew like no other.

Political conventions aren't what they used to be. Floor fights over platforms and nominees have given way to "unified, happy affairs." NPR News Analyst Cokie Roberts reviews the history of some of the most contentious conventions.

The latest novel by Ward Just, An Unfinished Season, is set in 1950s suburban Chicago and its hero is a copy boy working for a tabloid newspaper in the city. Just talks with NPR's Scott Simon about the book and how he came to write fiction after a successful career in journalism.

NPR's Liane Hansen talks with pianist John Bucchino about his new CD, On Richard Rodgers' Piano. Bucchino used the legendary songwriter's 1939 Steinway to record the disc.

In Sindelfingen, Germany, a slow economy weighs heavily on people's minds. Recent changes in many German workers' standard of living have included cuts in unemployment benefits and increased hours of work. NPR's Emily Harris reports.

A new wave of fighting breaks out between supporters of a radical Shiite cleric and U.S. and Iraqi government forces. Clashes are reported throughout southern Iraq and the Shiite-dominated Baghdad slum known as Sadr City. An American military spokesman says 300 Shiite militiamen were killed in one city alone. NPR's Ivan Watson reports.