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Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush spent a second day barnstorming California today, bringing along the man who nearly derailed him back in the primaries. Once a rival, Arizona Senator John McCain has become a cheerleader for Bush, and the two are showing off their newfound camaraderie. NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Linda from Salinas, California.

Linda talks with Congressional Statistician Bruce Oppenheimer about Al Gore's Congressional voting record. Dr. Oppenheimer is a professor of Political Science at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. His latest book is called Sizing Up the Senate; University of Chicago Press, October 1999.

The Reform Party opened its national convention in Long Beach California today, still divided over the official standing of presidential candidate Pat Buchanan. Supporters of the firebrand conservative insist he has won a mail-in primary for the Reform nomination, while other party members say he has been disqualified. Buchanan supporters had the upper hand in the convention hall, so the dissenters walked out. NPR's Andy Bowers talks to Noah live from Long Beach.

Noah talks with Sam Norris a biologist with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources and a former president of the West Virginia Mycological Association. He says it's been an unusually good year for mushrooms due almost daily warm rains in the highlands of West Virginia. They've collected large amounts and rare varieties including one mushroom which changes to the color blue when picked.

Alan Cheuse reviews Alice Lichtenstein's first novel called, Genius of the World, about an American family in turmoil. The publisher is Zoland.

NPR's Guy Raz reports from Berlin that the under the pressure of globalization, the German government is moving to loosen up the country's highly regulated economy. German officials are considering whether to abandon the country's strict regulation of shopping hours. Shops are still forbidden to open on Sundays and must close by 8 pm during the week.

Commentator Dave Bean, an English teacher at Gould Academy in Bethel, Maine, wonders what's happened to Ricky Valarde, a student flirting with gangs and dropping out of school, who gets excited about climbing. He presses Bean to take him and they work in exchange for the gear. Bean goes climbing with him one last time, and learns they can count on each other.

NPR's Steve Inskeep reports that Republican Presidential candidate George W. Bush is campaigning today with Senator John McCain on the West Coast.

In the 1980s, Dungeons and Dragons inspired millions of kids to spend their spare time pretending to be wizards and dwarves. A new version of the D&D rule book comes out tonight, and the designers are betting it will lure today's kids away from video and computer games.

Linda and Noah read from the All Things Considered listener mailbag, including reactions to commentator Carol Wasserman's Aug. 8 essay on the realities of aging.