March 12, 1998 All Things Considered (entire program) Requires the RealAudio Player

An index of the day's stories:

STATES' VIEW -- NPR's Debbie Elliott reports that President Clinton met today with state attorneys general to discuss the proposed 368 billion dollar tobacco settlement. The agreement has prompted competing interests ranging from tobacco farmers to Union pension funds to line up to claim a share of the proposed settlement. But critics say there's not enough money to cover everything the settlement promises to do. (6:00)

OTHER STORIES -- In other stories we're following today: Serbs & Kosovars, Amex & Nasdaq, and V-Chip. (1:00)

CA AF AXN -- NPR's Richard Gonzales reports that CA governor Pete Wilson has signed an executive order that ends minority preferences in the awarding of state contracts. The action is part of the implementation of a state ballot measure that abolished affirmative action in state agencies. (3:00)

MIAMI MAYOR -- Linda talks with Tom Fiedler, the political editor for the Miami Herald newspaper. They discuss the political ramifications of last year's mayoral election in Miami. The results of the runoff election held between Joe Carollo (kah-ROY-yoh) and Xavier Suarez were thrown out by an appeals court yesterday. Carollo, who lost in that election, alleged that voter fraud led to Suarez's election to the mayoralty. The court agreed, threw out the results of the runoff election, and appointed Carollo mayor. (4:00)

GREATER JERUSALEM -- NPR's Mike Shuster reports that it is increasingly difficult for Palestinians to live in East Jerusalem, the traditionally Arab section of the city. The municipal authorities in Jerusalem have steadily been pressuring the Palestinians to move out of East Jerusalem. The means are primarily bureaucratic and they conform with Israeli law. But in the process, thousands of Palestinians have been deprived of their right to live in Jerusalem and to build homes there. It is difficult and expensive for Palestinians to obtain a permit to build a house or add on to an existing one, and hundreds of Palestinian homes which were built without a legal permit have been demolished by municipal authorities. The city is also making it difficult for Palestinians to hold on to identification cards that give them the right to live in Jerusalem. (12:30)

CROPS -- The South is still in the midst of a cold snap -- and farmers from Alabama to the Carolinas are worried about their peaches, strawberries and blueberries. They're staying up all night, worrying about the wind as well as the temperature. Veta Christie of member station WFAE reports. (3:00)

FAMILY SPIN DOCTOR -- Commentator Marion Winik thinks of herself as her family's "spin doctor." For example, when the family wakes up fifteen minutes before the school bell rings, her children still manage to get there on time. When the kids complain, she points out their speed and precision and ability to move out of the house with such skill. (4:30)

SERBS & KOSOVARS -- NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports from the Serbian province of Kosovo that the Albanians and Serbians still aren't talking to each other. The Serb government sent a delegation to the provincial capital Pristina this morning. But, since it was only announced on TV, the ethnic Albanians called it a propaganda move and refused to meet the delegation. (4:00)

NASDAQ & AMEX -- NPR's Jim Zarroli reports it's the markets that are talking about merging today. The National Association of Securities Dealers, which owns and runs the Nasdaq market, is in negotiations to acquire the American Stock Exchange. The two stock markets plan a final annoucement on Monday if the boards of both organizations sign off on the proposed deal. (3:15)

ASTEROID -- NPR's David Baron has more on earth's possible encounter with a large asteroid in 2028. The mile-wide asteroid, dubbed X-F eleven, could pass as close as 30 thousand miles -- and there is a slight chance it could actually hit the earth. Astronomers have been discussing what to do in such cases -- whether to explode a nuclear device to throw the asteroid off course or find some other way to divert it from earth's orbit. (4:00)

YOYOS -- The yo-yo has made a comeback and is one of the hottest toys in 1998. Linda reports on the re-emergence of this enduring toy. These days, it's possible to pay as much as one hundred dollars for a yo yo. (7:45)

V-CHIP -- NPR's Dan Charles reports on the approval today by the Federal Communications Commission of technical standards for the V-chip. The devices will go into TV sets next year and will enable watchers to block programs containing violence, sex or profanity. About half of new sets over 13 inches will contain the chip, although some broadcasters have not agreed to participate in the voluntary program. (3:30)

LIBEL -- Robert talks with David Post, a professor of law at Temple University. They discuss the libel lawsuit being brought against Internet columnist Matt Drudge and his employer, America Online. Last August, Drudge quoted "an unnamed GOP source" saying that Presidential adviser Sidney Blumenthal had committed spousal abuse and that the Clinton Administration had covered up the incident. Blumenthal and his wife responded to this report...which Drudge later retracted...by filing a 30 million dollar libel suit against Drudge and the Internet service provider America Online, which makes Drudge's report available to a wide audience. America Online says that its service is similar to that provided by a newsstand, rather than that of a publisher, so it should not be held liable for Drudge's actions. (6:00)

LETTERS -- Linda 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))

DRUG STUDY -- NPR's Cheryl Corley reports that a study released yesterday by the Director of the White House office on National Drug Control Policy, Barry McCaffrey, suggests that there are many more hardcore drug users in the United States than previously thought. (1:30)

KRISPY KREME IN VEGAS -- Amy Dickinson visits a Krispy Kreme doughnut shop which recently opened in Las Vegas. Krispy Kreme doughnuts are a popular food in the Southeastern United States, and have almost a cult following. Many wistful Southern transplants showed up at the shop early that first morning to get a taste of home. (5:30)