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The Republican platform committee has crafted an agenda that preserves some existing conservative planks while also adopting positions to fit the campaign agenda of presumptive party nominee Texas Governor George W. Bush.

He used to be known as Cat Stevens — and his recordings from the 1970's are being rereleased on CD to mark the 30th anniversary of his 1st American hits. In 1977, he embraced the Islamic faith and turned his back on the music industry. He was denounced for his reported support of the Ayatollah Khomeni's death decree against novelist Salman Rushdie, and just this month, he was not allowed to enter Israel for his reported support of Hamas. Yusuf Islam tells Liane his side of the story, and about his life and faith.

A new magazine arrives on-line today, after a few false starts. Failure magazine is, as its title implies, about failure: battles lost, sports blunders, products that didn't catch on. The fact that someone would even come up with an idea for such a magazine suggests that, in an age when dot-coms come and go like buses, the very notion of failure may not have the stigma it once did when Willie Loman first walked the boards. NPR's Brooke Gladstone reports. (7:30) For more information, visit http://failuremag.com

NPR's Cheryl Corley reports a new study by the group Railwatch says miles and miles of railroad tracks pose potential safety hazards and are not regularly inspected. The report also charges that increased transportation of hazardous materials by rail has raised public health and environmental risks. The railroads strongly dispute the report's allegations.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom will remain in office after a Republican-led recall effort failed. The special election cost the state nearly $300 million in taxpayers' money.

NPR's Brian Naylor reports that a bill to ban almost all forms of Internet gambling failed to pass the House of Representatives yesterday. The measure would have allowed betting on horse and dog tracks, jail-alai matches to continue. Critics of the bill say it is unenforceable, since most online casinos operate outside the United States.

NPR's Steve Inskeep reports that George W. Bush made a campaign stop in Little Rock Arkansas yesterday. The Texas Governor toured a youth center, and later attended a fund raising dinner.

Howie Movshovitz of Colorado Public Radio reports that, despite another record breaking summer at the box office, many theater chains are deeply in debt. One major reason is that they've borrowed heavily to build new, high tech theaters across the country. And as movies spend less time in theatrical release, the profits even from blockbusters aren't offsetting increasing costs.

Commentator Richard Rosenfeld compares the upcoming presidential election to the election of 1800, when Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were running against each other. Rosenfeld says back then, gun control was also a big issue.

Linda talks with Steve Bowlin, Director of Public Works for the drought-stricken town of Throckmorton, Texas. He joins us by phone from the construction site of a pipeline, which workers began laying today to pump water from the town of Graham, 35 miles away from Throckmorton.