February 26, 1998 All Things Considered (entire program) Requires the RealAudio Player

An index of the day's stories:

POLITICS OF CFR -- Robert talks with NPR's Peter Overby and Elizabeth Arnold about some of the reasons campaign finance reform has not generated broad political support, even though many Americans are very unhappy with the current system. They also discuss some of the impact that a failure to pass reform legislation will have on the upcoming mid-term elections. (7:00)

OTHER STORIES -- In other stories we're following today: UN-Iraq, Starr & Blumenthal, and Mossad. (1:00)

MOSSAD -- NPR's Edward Lifson reports that a new spy scandal allegedly involving Israeli intelligence has disrupted the normally friendly relationship between Israel and Switzerland. Swiss authorities say the Israeli secret service, the Mossad, was discovered illegally recording telephone conversations in the city of Bern. One person is in custody and four others are wanted in connection with the case. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed the arrest of an Israeli citizen in Switzerland... the latest of many humiliations for the Israeli Secret service. The head of the agency resigned on Tuesday. (4:00)

LETTERS -- Noah and Robert read from listeners' comments. To contact All Things Considered, write to All Things Considered Letters, 635 Massachusetts Avenue Northwest, Washington D-C, 20001. To contact us via the Internet, the address is A-T-C at N-P-R dot ORG (ATC@NPR.ORG). (3:30) ((STEREO))

NY COPS -- NPR's Melissa Block reports that the New York City police officers accused of taking part in a violent attack on Haitian immigrant Abner Louima now face federal civil rights charges. The 12-count indictment includes conspiracy charges against the four officers who already face state charges in the alleged attack. A fifth officer, a sergeant, is accused of helping the other four officers cover up their crimes. The indictment also includes the first charges alleging an attack on another immigrant, Patrick Antoine, who was taken to the 70th Precinct stationhouse the same night. (4:00)

DRUG CERTIFICATION -- NPR's Ted Clark reports that the Clinton administration today released its annual report certifying whether various nations are fully cooperating in the fight against international drug trafficking. This year's report lifted sanctions against Colombia, which produces most of the cocaine and heroin consumed in the US. Colombia was still found not to be fully cooperating, but President Clinton waived sanctions under a "national interests" provision. There has been rising criticism of the certification process; US officials said today they hope to develop a more multinational approach to monitoring the anti-drug effort. (4:00)

MARIJUANA CLUBS -- Reporter Ancel Martinez of member station KQED in San Francisco reports on today's California Supreme Court decision barring a San Francisco club from selling marijuana, even for medicinal purposes. The decision applies immediately to just one club, but it may have broader implications for other marijuana clubs which have cropped up since Californians voted to legalize the medicinal use of marijuana two years ago. (3:00)

LYONS -- National Baptist Convention president Reverend Henry Lyons met with reporters today at the organization's Nashville headquarters. Lyons has been indicted for racketeering and fraud charges, for allegedly diverting church funds to a secret personal bank account and misusing donations intended to help rebuild burned black churches in the South. Appearing with his attorneys, including F. Lee Bailey, Reverend Lyons declared that he has the support of his church. The National Baptist Convention U-S-A is one of the largest black church organizations in the country. Members of the group's executive board say they will stand by Lyons until he has his day in court. (1:30)

OPRAH -- Noah talks with NPR's Wade Goodwyn about Oprah Winfrey's victory in her court battle with Texas cattlemen. A jury in Amarillo, Texas decided that Winfrey was not liable for damages caused by a sharp drop in cattle futures prices after she aired a program that talked about the potential for an outbreak of mad cow disease. Last week, Federal Judge Mary Lou Robinson ruled that the case could not go forward under Texas' so-called "veggie libel" law, but would instead be tried as a conventional business defamation case. (4:00)

ROBESON -- A posthumous lifetime achievement award was given to actor and singer Paul Robeson at the Grammy Awards last night in New York City. He was highly acclaimed for his role as Othello, which he played in London in 1930...and was well-known for his participation on the Broadway stage, most notably in the musical "Show Boat." In the 1940's, Robeson's career was hampered by his involvment with so-called "left-wing" causes, speaking out against racism and anti-Semitism, and supporting socialism and trade unions. We'll hear part of a statement made last night by his son, Paul Robeson, Jr., as he accepted the award on his father's behalf. (4:00)

UN-IRAQ -- NPR's Tom Gjelten reports from the United Nations that Britain and the U-S are circulating a draft of a new Security Council resolution that would warn Iraq of the "severest consequences" if it violates the new arms inspection agreement signed with Secretary General Kofi Annan early this week. Passage of this resolution by the full Security Council remains in doubt because of resistance from Russia, China and France to any resolution that would automatically authorize military action should the arms inspection agreement not be honored. (4:30)

CIA -- Robert talks with Tim Weiner, the intelligence correspondent for the New York Times, about his article claiming that the Central Intelligence Agency has drafted plans to topple Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq. This plan would be the fifth covert attempt by the CIA to depose the Iraqi leader. According to Weiner's article, the CIA would enlist help from Kurdish and Shi'ite agents to sabotage economic and political targets. (4:30)

PROHIAS OBIT -- Noah talks to MAD Magazine editor Nick Meglin about artist Antonios Prohias, who died Tuesday in Miami. Prohias fled his native Cuba in 1960 when he was targeted as a dissident by Fidel Castro. He showed up in New York City in the offices of MAD, and sold them his "Spy Vs. Spy" cartoon. His work has been in every issue since January 1961. Prohias was 77. Meglin says the art worked because language was not a barrier to these pantomime sketches of two spies bent on destroying each other. (3:00)

PHONE NETWORK -- Dan Charles explains how much of the nation's long distance service malfunctioned yesterday. Engineers are still trying to locate what went wrong, but the incident (during which people could call Baghdad, but not the next state) highlights the complicated structure, and vulnerability, of the national phone system. (3:30)

FLOWERS -- NPR's Joe Palca takes a look at why flowers bloom. Scientists are reporting that they've found the gene that controls how plants recognize day length. In tomorrow's issue of the journal Science, researchers say that the finding could have important implications for agriculture. (4:30)

STARR & BLUMENTHAL -- NPR's Mara Liasson reports that White House aide Sidney Blumenthal appeared today before the Whitewater grand jury to answer questions about whether there is an effort to obstruct independent counsel Kenneth Starr's investigation of the president. Blumenthal said afterwards that he had been asked numerous questions about his contacts with reporters, which he vigorously defended as within his rights. This is the latest confrontation between the White House and Starr's office in what has become an increasingly complicated legal and political fight between the two. (4:30)

INTERNET TAX -- NPR's Kathleen Schalch reports that President Clinton told a conference of high-tech investors that he wants to keep Internet commerce free of sales taxes for the next few years. In doing so, the President endorses legislation already in Congress that would block Internet sales taxes for the next six years. The nation's governors and mayors oppose the legislation. (4:00)

AIRLINE MONOPOLY -- NPR'S Jim Zarroli reports the Justice Department has widened an investigation into whether the largest airlines are monopolizing passenger traffic at the nation's busiest airports. Some airlines have established "fortress hubs" where they control more than 80% of the passenger traffic. The airlines say they are simply competing aggressively in a tough market. (4:00)

MOONDOG -- The musician known as "Moondog" has released a new CD of his compositions. Though he's always been an outsider in the music industry, his compositions have earned the respect of some of the world's greatest composers. Moondog was born in Marysville, Kansas in 1916, and lost his sight while in high school. He made a reputation for himself as a member of music's avant-garde, writing and selling books and music on the street. NPR's Dean Olsher has a profile of this unusual musician, who not only makes and plays his own instruments, but also creates highly ordered music that seems a world apart from his own disordered life. (NOTE: The latest Moondog CD is called "Sax Pax for a Sax" by Moondog & the London Saxophonic, available on Atlantic Records. We also heard music from "Moondog," by Moondog, available on CBS Records.) (8:00)