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An index of the day's stories: IN BAGHDAD -- NPR's Eric Weiner reports that the Iraqis today made good on their threat to keep an American led weapons inspection team from doing its job. The Iraqis claim the team leader, former U.S. Marine Captain Scott Ritter is a spy. Other U.N. teams in Iraq were able to go ahead with their work today, but today's incident represents yet another challenge of the U.N. and U.S. by Saddam Hussein. (4:30) INSPECTORS -- Jacki talks with Rolf Ekeus, Sweden's ambassador to the United States and formerly the chair of UNSCOM. They discuss what it is like for United Nations inspectors to be caught up in the political wrangling between the Iraqi government and the United Nations Special Commission. (4:00) INDONESIA -- NPR's Vicky O'Hara reports that Indonesia's President Suharto has told U.S. and monetary officials he is fully committed to an economic reform program, as mandated by an international bailout of the Indonesian economy. But carrying out those reforms will be very difficult for Suharto, politically and personally. It will mean economic pain for the Indonesian people AND for Suharto's extended family and friends. (3:30) JOBLESS PROTESTORS -- Sarah Chayes reports from Paris that the unemployed are continuting their protest campaign for more benefits. Today they marched and staged sit-down demonstrations in Paris and more than 50 other French cities. Leaders of the protest say the government's offer last week to increase benefits by $164 million (a billion francs) isn't enough. Protesters want a year-end bonus of $500, increased benefits and aid for the unemployed who are under age 25. (3:00) J'ACCUSE! -- Robert talks with Eugen Weber, a professor of European History at the University of California at Los Angeles. He's also the author of "France: fin de siecle." Professor Weber talks about the 100th anniversary of Emile Zola's famous political tract "J'Accuse." Its publication set off a furious controversy in France, which divided the nation along pro-and anti-Republic lines. (5:00) NORTHERN IRELAND -- NPR's Michael Goldfarb reports on a new Anglo-Irish blueprint that appears to have recharged talks about the political future of Northern Ireland. Violence during the Christmas break threatened to bring the talks to a halt. The new blueprint gives all parties in the talks an outline on which to focus during the new few weeks of negotiations. (3:00) SOUTH AFRICA -- NPR's Charlayne Hunter-Gault reports that South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission today asked the courts to rule on the legality of the Commission's controversial blanket amnesty for thirty-seven senior officials of the ruling African National Congress. The amnesty includes Deputy President Thabo Mbeki--slated to succeed Nelson Mandela as president--and five other cabinet members. Critics of the Truth Commission say its mandate does not allow for blanket amnesties, and that this case demonstrates a bias in favor of the ANC. (3:00) MENTAL ILLNESS -- Jacki talks with Richard Jed Wyatt, the chief of the Neuropsychiatry branch of the National Institute of Mental Health. They discuss the public perceptions of mental illness, focusing on how they pertain to highly-publicized court cases in which the defendant is perceived to be a victim of mental illness. (6:00) HOUSEWARES -- NPR's Cheryl Corley reports on the world's largest housewares show being held this week in Chicago. Thousands of products from companies all over the world are on display at the International Housewares Show -- an exposition of innovative gadgets that do everything from removing unwanted body hair to changing a flat tire by remote control. (4:00) COMPUTERS & PARENTS -- Commentator Esther Dyson says that with all the talk about getting computers in schools to train students, we shouldn't forget about parents. Computers can be a great tool for parent-teacher communication and a way for parents to learn more about their children's schools. (Esther Dyson's latest book is "Release 2.0: A Design for Living in the Digital Age," published by Broadway Books.) (3:30) STORM -- Rain, sleet and snow fell on parts of northern New England today, where thousands of residents are in their sixth day without power or heat. Maine Public Radio's Andrea DeLeon reports that emergency workers are worried about elderly residents who have refused to leave their homes. Some churches are offering mass...in the dark. (4:00) FINANCIAL IMPACT -- NPR's Tovia Smith reports on the potential wide-ranging financial costs of the storm -- from lost revenues and insurance claims to wasted dairy milk. (4:00) PRODUCT LIABILITY -- The Supreme Court today ruled that courts in one state cannot bar judges in another state from hearing testimony they deem relevant. The ruling gives new life to a multimillion dollar lawsuit against General Motors by the sons of a woman who died in a fiery highway crash. Ruling unanimously in a Missouri case, the justices said a decision issued in one state could not be used to keep a man from testifying in a separate lawsuit in another state. The justices reversed a lower court ruling that had thrown out an $11.3 million damage award against General Motors. NPR's Nina Totenberg reports. (4:00) UNSCOM -- Iraq followed through on its threats to keep a UN weapons inspection team from doing its work today. Baghdad refused to provide the official escorts that team members need in order to gain access to secure sites. Iraqi officials insist that the team's leader -- American Scott Ritter -- is a spy. Iraq did allow other teams to continue examining other suspected weapons sites today. The UN inspectors are charged with determining that Iraq has destroyed all of its weapons of mass destruction. Robert talks about the situation. (1:00) ALBRIGHT -- NPR's Ted Clark reports. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, looking ahead toward another "successful" year in foreign policy, calls on Congress to approve NATO enlargement, keep U.S. troops in Bosnia, approve United Nations and International Monetary Fund funding, and Africa investment legislation. UN funding is currently caught up in a dispute over abortion. (4:00) ISRAEL -- Israel has set twelve pages of conditions that Palestinians must fulfill before Israel will withdraw any more troops from the West Bank. The Israeli conditions are expected to complicate President Clinton's efforts to break the deadlock in the peace process. NPR's Linda Gradstein reports. (3:00) FOUNTAIN OF (CELLULAR) YOUTH? -- NPR's Joe Palca reports on a new study that suggests that a key enzyme found in all cells may be responsible for aging. The study appears in next week's edition of Science magazine...researchers found that by adding the enzyme to human cell cultures, they could extend the life of cells two-fold. Though scientists say it's premature to declare that the secret to youth has been found...the discovery is a significant advance in understanding how the body ages. (4:00) GEORGIA MUSIC -- Jacki talks with Georgia governor Zell Miller about a proposal he made today that would provide the parents of every Georgia newborn with a classical music cassette or compact disc in order to boost the infant's intelligence later in life. Miller proposed a $105,000 allocation for the program in a $12.5 billion budget proposal that he presented to the state's General Assembly. He specifically proposed that Beethoven's "Ode To Joy" from the Ninth Symphony be included...and has enlisted the help of Yoel Levi, the conductor of the Atlanta Symphony, in choosing other appropriate classical pieces. (3:30) FOOTBALL ON TV -- Robert talks with Ken Auletta, media correspondent for The New Yorker magazine, about today's announcement that the CBS network has won the rights to televise American Football Conference games. CBS has agreed to pay about $4 billion for the rights to broadcast the games for eight years, beginning with the 1998 season and running through the 2005 season. AFC games were previously aired by the NBC network. Yesterday, the NFL said that the Fox network would retain its rights to broadcast National Football Conference games under a new eight-year agreement. The cost of rights to the games has dramatically increased in the last years, since they are a virtual guarantee of viewership by a demographic group in which advertisers are very interested...18-to-25 year old men. Auletta talks about what this will mean for CBS, which is trying to revamp its advertising base and improve its overall performance....and what the loss of the games will mean for NBC, which is already reeling from the news that its well-received show "Seinfeld" plans to end its nine-year run. (4:30) OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER -- Jacki speaks with author Alex Kotlowitz about his new book. Kotlowitz spent time exploring two towns in southern Michigan, Benton Harbor and Saint Joseph. They are geographically close, separated only by the St. Joseph River. But while St. Joseph is mostly white, prosperous and idyllic, Benton Harbor is mostly black, impoverished, and crumbling. When the body of a teenage boy from Benton Harbor was found floating in the river in 1991, Kotlowitz discovered that the two communities reached very different conclusions about how the boy died, which revealed deep suspicions, fears, and a vast racial divide. Kotlowitz says these two towns are an accurate portrait of race relations throughout America. ("The Other Side of the River" is published by Doubleday and should be in stores now.) (8:00) |
