April 29, 1998 All Things Considered (entire program) Requires the RealAudio Player

An index of the day's stories:

Washington Politics -- NPR's Brian Naylor reports that partisan squabbling is on the rise as Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill focus on the November elections. House Speaker Newt Gingrich has stepped up his criticisms about what he calls the administration's refusal to cooperate with investigators on alleged campaign finance irregularites. White House spokesman Mike McCurry countered that the administration would go about the nation's business, and leave the politics to Gingrich. But earlier he said Gingrich needed to "come back to his senses." There has been increased grandstanding on a number of issues, including tobacco legislation, U.N. funding and drug control. (4:00)

Housing Report -- All Things Considered host Noah Adams talks with Dr. Ellen Bassuk, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. She is also the president of the Better Homes Fund, which studies the needs of homeless families with children and designs programs to meet their requirements. They discuss the report issued by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which shows that a growing number of the working poor need housing assistance. Bassuk says that housing vouchers are important for keeping families in homes and off the streets. (4:30)

New York State Fertility -- An influential panel of doctors, ethicists, lawyers, members of the clergy and other citizens in New York issued a report today that recommends regulations on the use of new fertility technologies by physicians. The panel, called The New York State Task Force on Life and the Law, says the main focus of the recommendations is on "laws that promote clarity about parental rights and responsibilities that protect the stability of the parent-child relationship." They are advocating the passage of legislation that would, among other things, establish that the woman who gives birth to a child is its legal mother and that doctors are required to tell women if a medical procedure is experimental. NPR's David Baron reports. (4:00)

Viet Kieu -- Two decades of exile for Vietnamese nationals living in America has created a relatively new concept in Vietnam -- the Viet Kieu. Commentator Andrew Lam recently returned from Vietnam, where he was born, only to find that his status as Viet Kieu made him the object of curiosity and envy. (3:30) 19:15.2

Bank Mergers -- NPR's John Ydstie reports that the House Banking Committee examined the recent flurry of mergers in the banking industry in a hearing today. Committee members heard from bank executives, bank regulators and consumer advocates. The main topic was the industry's ongoing consolidation and whether it will be good for consumers. Committee members also wanted to know if the existing regulatory structure can provide adequate safeguards. (5:00)

Economic Miracle -- Fifty years ago, when Israel was born, the main thought of its founders was the physical survival of its people. That's not so anymore. The country went from being an economic basketcase to a country whose standard of living is better than some Western European nations in a comparatively short amount of time -- and has made Israel the envy of its neighbors. NPR's Eric Weiner reports. (7:00)

Sweeps -- All Things Considered host Robert Seigel talks with Tom Bierbaum, who tracks the Nielsen Media Research ratings and "sweeps" for the entertainment trade newspaper Daily Variety. May, November and February are months targeted for monitoring by advertising agencies. The ratings garnered locally during "sweeps" are used to determine the cost of advertising for the rest of the year. (3:45)

Noggin -- Noah talks with Herb Scannell, the president of the Nickelodeon cable network. Nickelodeon is the highest-rated of the cable networks, and carries programming aimed predominantly at children. It's also the most-watched children's television network. The Children's Television Workshop -- the company responsible for producing Sesame Street -- and Nickelodeon are now joining forces to form a new channel featuring educational programming for children. The new channel will be called "Noggin." (3:45)

Rainforest -- Brazil and the World Bank are collaborating on an effort to preserve a huge part of the Amazonian rainforest, equivalent in size to all the national parks in the United States. The World Bank will help finance the effort. But some environmentalists note that promises to hold back logging and mining interests by developing countries are very hard to keep. NPR's John Nielsen reports. (4:00)

Biology of Suicide -- What drives people to suicide? NPR's Michelle Trudeau reports that in laboratories around the country, neuroscientists are trying to find out. They're studying the brains of people who've committed suicide and comparing them with people who died suddenly. People who commit suicide appear to have different brain chemistry than others. (8:00)

RU-486 -- NPR's Patricia Neighmond reports on the latest findings about the controversial abortion drug RU-486. The largest U.S. study to date is being published tomorrow in the New England Journal of Medicine. The FDA reportedly is poised to approve the drug, but the pill's backers are still having problems finding a manufacturer to make and distribute the drug in the U.S. Abortion rights opponents say they will continue to find ways to block the manufacture and sale of the drug in this country. (5:00)

Abortions Overseas -- Last night, the Senate approved a bill that pays the back dues owed by the United States to the United Nations, but imposes a ban on any U.S. aid to international family planning groups that lobby for abortion rights. Commentator Iain Guest says this ignores the health crisis facing poor women in the so-called Third World. Many women throughout the Third World die or are damaged by botched abortions -- he says they need education and health care that is often provided in part by international groups who may also discuss abortion. (2:30)

Contact Group and Kosovo -- Noah talks with NPR's Sylvia Poggioli, who reports that senior officials from the six-nation Contact Group meeting in Rome have agreed on new sanctions against Serbia. The goal of the measures, which reportedly include a freezing of assets, is to force the Serbian government into beginning negotiations with the Albanian majority in Kosovo province. (5:00)

Albright in China -- The BBC's Richard Lister reports that the issue of political prisoners is high on U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright's agenda as she visits Beijing. A senior official says they're urging the Chinese to clarify their definition of counter-revolutionary crime. Albright is working towards a strategic partnership with China with hopes of achieving something concrete by time of President Clinton's scheduled visit. (1:30)

Beijing Spring -- NPR's Mary Kay Magistad reports there's been a change in China's political climate, a trend toward relaxation since the installation of a new premier last autumn. People welcome the thaw, with the opportunity to talk politics openly and discuss the possibility of reform. But they're also cautious, knowing very well what a false spring in China can mean. (7:00)

Kaczynski Report -- NPR's Richard Gonzales reports on the contents of the pre-sentencing memorandum that has been released for convicted unabomber Theodore Kaczynski. According to the report, Kaczynski killed out of a desire for revenge for years before his first attack. His formal sentencing takes place Monday, May 4. (3:30)

Diary Excerpt -- We'll hear an excerpt from Theodore Kaczynski's diaries, which were released today by the court. (1:30)

Hair Anniversary -- Thirty years ago today, the American Tribal Love-Rock Musical Hair opened on Broadway. We mark the anniversary with a playing of the title song. This item is unavailable due to copyright issues.