February 23, 1998 All Things Considered (entire program) Requires the RealAudio Player

An index of the day's stories:

Iraq Deal: Analysis -- All Things Considered host Robert Siegel talks with Richard Murphy, an assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs who served from 1983 to 1989. They discuss the deal brokered by U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan this weekend, and what it all means for the United States and its interests in the Persian Gulf region. (5:00)

Lewinsky and the Justice Department -- NPR's Chitra Ragavan reports that the Justice Department finds itself at the center of a number of legal issues that have arisen during the independent counsel investigation into President's Clinton's alleged affair with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. (7:15)

Freedom of Information Act -- All Things Considered host Noah Adams talks with Tom Blanton, the director of the National Security Archive, about the Archive's 12-year project of acquiring an internal CIA report analyzing the Bay of Pigs military operation under the Freedom of Information Act. (7:15)

Copyright Cohiba? -- NPR's Phillip Davis reports from Havana that Cuba, even though it has no relations with the United States, has gone to a US court to keep an American firm from marketing a cigar under the famous Cuban brand name, Cohiba. (5:15)

Bowling -- Luke Burbank of member station KUOW in Seattle reports on a craze that may be revitalizing bowling's stodgy image. (4:00)

Commentary: Marion Winik -- Commentator Marion Winik remembers her father's presence as being big and powerful. She always wanted to make as big an impression as her father did when he walked in a room. She talks about her childhood in suburban New Jersey in the 1960's and the influence her father had on her life. (3:30)

Military Reaction -- NPR's Martha Raddatz reports that the Pentagon will maintain its military buildup in the Persian Gulf for the foreseeable future, even if the U-S is satisfied with the agreement on arms inspection reached in Baghdad today. The U-S says it is intersted in deeds, not words...and until it is satisfied that Iraq's Saddam Hussein is honoring UN resolutions on allowing free and unfettered arms inspections, it will keep its recently expanded military force ready and waiting. (4:00)

Jordanian Reaction -- NPR's Eric Weiner reports from the streets of the Jordanian capital of Amman that news of an agreement between the U.N. and Iraq over arms inspections has brought a collective sigh of relieve in the Arab world. (4:00)

Congressional Reaction -- Reaction to news of Kofi Annan's agreement with Saddam Hussein was cautious on Capitol Hill today. NPR's Brian Naylor reports. (4:00)

Daniel Schorr -- NPR senior news analyst Daniel Schorr says that U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan's diplomatic mission to Iraq has placed the Clinton administration in a difficult position. (3:00)

Florida Storms -- Pat Duggins of member station WMFE in Orlando reports from Seminole County, Florida, where a series of tornadoes ripped through central Florida last night and killed more than 30 people, destroying hundreds of homes and businesses. (3:15)

West Coast Weather -- NPR's Renee Montagne reports on the soaking rains and bad weather afflicting California. A flash flood warning is in effect for the city of Los Angeles and surrounding areas. (1:00)

Migrating Swans -- Van Williamson documents the efforts of a group of environmentalists and scientists to reestablish the trumpeter swan as a migratory species in the Chesapeake region. (9:00)

Trumpet of the Swan -- Author E.B. White reads from his children's book "The Trumpet of the Swan," about a young trumpeter swan which is born without the ability to make the distinctive trumpeting sound. This report is not available due to copyright issues.

UAW and Caterpillar -- NPR's Don Gonyea reports that the rank-and-file membership of the United Auto Workers voted to reject a deal with Caterpillar that would have ended six and a half years of labor unrest at the Peoria-based company. (3:30)

Commentary: Mardi Gras -- Commentator Dominic Papatola is experiencing his first Mardi Gras as a transplanted Minnesotan now living in New Orleans. The whole festival and the accompanying mayhem has come as something of a shock. (4:00)