May 18, 1998 All Things Considered (entire program) Requires the RealAudio Player

An index of the day's stories:

Indonesia and the G-8 -- Commentator Iain Guest says that the crisis in Indonesia has exposed the less-than-perfect policies and practices of the International Monetary Fund. He says that the Birmingham summit has provided a perfect opportunity for world leaders to give up their pretenses at global economic reform. (3:30)

Lebed Victory -- NPR's Andy Bowers reports from Moscow on the victory of former paratroop commander Alexander Lebed in the vote for governor of Siberia's Krasnoyarsk region. All observers agree the general will use the governorship -- and the seat in Russia's upper house of parliament that goes with it -- to launch a presidential bid in 2000. (3:00)

Chicago Housing Complex -- Jackie Northam of member station WBEZ in Chicago reports on the demolition of Chicago's Robert Taylor Homes, the nation's largest public housing complex. Today, the first of 28 buildings met the wrecking ball, starting a process that is expected to go on years. Federal and local officials are hoping to replace the notoriously dreary high-rises with friendlier low-rise buildings and an industrial park to create jobs. (3:00)

Drugging Foster Kids -- All Things Considered host Linda Wertheimer talks with Tracy Weber, a staff writer for The Los Angeles Times. They discuss the lack of supervision and monitoring when foster children are given potent -- and potentially dangerous-- psychiatric drugs. This practice has come under particular scrutiny now in the state of California. (4:30)

Clinton in Europe -- NPR's Mara Liasson reports on President Clinton's summit today in London with leaders of the European Union. The United States and the European Union pledged to bring down trade barriers. Additionally, the United States pledged to remove the threat of sanctions to punish businesses dealing with Libya, Iran and Cuba -- a major irritant to the EU. The President later took his call for freer markets to the World Trade Organization in Geneva. (4:30)

Raloxifene -- A study released today at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Los Angeles suggest that the drug raloxifene may prevent breast cancer in some women. Raloxifene drugs are already approved as a treatment for osteoporosis. But as NPR's Joe Palca reports, there are questions remain about whether taking any drug for decades is really a good idea as a way to prevent cancer. (4:30)

'Cities of the Plain' -- Alan Cheuse has a review of the final chapter in novelist Cormac McCarthy's Border Trilogy. The latest installation -- called Cities of the Plain -- features John Grady Cole from the first book in the group, All the Pretty Horses -- and Billy Parham from the second, The Crossing. (2:30)

The Luxury Box -- Commentator Linda Ryan recently watched a baseball game from a "luxury box." Surrounding by all the comforts of home, she couldn't help but be reminded of visits to her divorced father's apartment. Something about the box said to her "single guy, swinger, forced visits." Suddenly, she was a kid from a broken home -- ordered to visit -- or an employee forced to attend the game. (3:00)

A Perfect Game -- Yesterday, New York Yankees pitcher David Wells pitched the first regular-season perfect game in Yankees history -- and only the thirteenth perfect game in the modern history of the major leagues. We'll hear a portion of the play-by-play of the game, which the Yankees won, 4-to-0, over the Minnesota Twins. (4:30)

Microsoft -- NPR's John McChesney reports the Justice Department and a coalition of 20 states filed a pair of much-anticipated antitrust lawsuits against Microsoft today. The Justice Department accused Microsoft of "leveraging" its dominance in operating systems to achieve unfair advantage in other areas, such as the market for internet browsers. (5:00)

Chinese Rockets -- NPR's Mike Shuster reports that some Republicans in Congress are questioning whether campaign contributions influenced U.S. use of Chinese rockets. (4:00)

Schorr on Satellites -- NPR senior news analyst Daniel Schorr says that U.S. business interests in China often influence U.S. foreign policy toward China. In the case of human rights violations, business often wins: when it comes to national security, things become more complicated. (3:00)

Supreme Court on Public Broadcasting -- The Supreme Court ruled today that public broadcast stations can pick and choose the political candidates they invite to their debates. The high court says the nation's state-owned stations can exclude candidates not deemed "newsworthy" -- without violating their free-speech rights. NPR's Nina Totenberg reports. (4:00)

Oregon Primaries -- Colin Fogarty of Oregon Public Broadcasting reports that officials expect almost two-thirds of all ballots cast in tomorrow's primary elections in Oregon to be done by mail. The increased use of mail-in voting in Oregon and other states has caused major shifts in the way candidates campaign and try to win votes, and has made it more difficult to predict the outcome. (4:00)

Money-Laundering Bust -- Today, Attorney General Janet Reno announced that the Justice and Treasury Departments had made the largest-ever seizure in a money-laundering case -- more than 35 million dollars. The investigation spanned three years, involves six countries, and includes Mexican banks and drug-smuggling cartels. It has resulted in 112 arrests and the seizure of $35 million in illegal drug proceeds, more than two tons of cocaine, and four tons of marijuana. The Treasury Department is calling the seizure "the culmination of the largest, most comprehensive drug money-laundering case in the history of U.S. law enforcement." NPR's Chitra Ragavan reports. (3:00)

Northern Ireland Agreement -- Noah Adams reports from the Irish Republic that most voters plan to cast "yes" ballots in Friday's referendum on the Good Friday political settlement for Northern Ireland. While many have reservations about making constitutional changes and renouncing the Republic's claim to the North, most feel the agreement will give Northern Ireland its best chance for peace in years. (8:00)

Northern Ireland Cinema -- Foreign producers have been coming to the Northern Ireland in the past year because of its beautiful locations and cheap labor. That industry is expected to increase with the prospect of lasting peace. There are actors, writers, and crew...but, so far, no indigenous director has stepped forward to tell his or her own story. The year-old Northern Ireland Film Commission hopes to change that. Matt Cowan reports. (7:45)