October 20, 1998 All Things Considered (entire program) Requires the RealAudio Player

An index of the day's stories:

Middle East Peace Talks -- All Things Considered host Robert Siegel talks with NPR's Ted Clark about Jordan King Hussein joining President Clinton at the Mideast peace talks to try to bridge the gap between Israel and Palestinians. The peace talks, at the Wye Plantation in Maryland, are in their sixth day and there is still no indication that they will succeed. (4:00)

The Military and the Lewinsky Case -- Robert talks with NPR Pentagon Correspondent Martha Raddatz about a note from the assistant commandant of the Marine Corps to all the Corps's generals telling them to discourage subordinates from making public comments critical of President Clinton. The action was sparked after reports that Marine officers were circulating a petition via e-mail---to gather support for impeachment. Several members or former members of the military have also published newspaper articles or letters blasting the President's conduct in the Monica Lewinsky affair. (4:00)

Reporting on Clinton Lewinsky -- The Committee of Concerned Journalists says news coverage of the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal has improved as story has developed, though much of it still is marred by insufficient scepticism of leaks and reliance on second-hand sources. The Committee placed much of the blame for shoddy coverage on what it called the "argument culture" of the talk show arena. The Committee is made up of high-powered journalists worried about impact of sleaze and speed on the practices of the press. In a report released today, members evaluated the reliability and fairness of news coverage of the story... in light of information since released in the Starr Report. NPR's Brooke Gladstone reports. (4:00)

South Carolina Gubernatorial Race -- South Carolina Gov. David Beasley (R) began the year in great shape for a second term. But as NPR's David Molpus reports, he has managed to alienate supporters on the way, found himself forced to deny rumors of an affair with his press secretary, and has made plenty of missteps. Meanwhile, Jim Hodges, the Democratic nominee, has come from nowhere to make this race a nail-biter (7:45).

Truth Commission -- In part two of her series on South Africa's Truth Commission, NPR's Charlayne Hunter-Gault reports on how the Commission brought the perpetrator of a massacre together with the community in which the killing took place. Brian Mitchell was a police captain who in 1988 ordered the killing of eleven people in the town of Trust Feeds, in KwaZulu-Natal province. After giving Mitchell amnesty, the Truth Commission encouraged him to return to Trust Feeds and apologize to the people there. He did, and many have accepted his apology -- and his offer of help in developing the town. (9:00)

Salinas's Legal Trouble -- NPR's Phillip Davis reports that Swiss prosecutors announced today they are ordering the seizure of more than a 100 million dollars of Raul Salinas' bank accounts. The prosecutors say the brother of former President Carlos Salinas--now in jail in Mexico charged with murder and corruption--received the money from drug traffickers. In Mexico, Salinas denied the charge, reiterating his claim that the money was given to him for legitimate investments by business partners. (3:15)

Earnings Reports Boost Dow -- NPR's Jim Zarroli reports the stock market has done very well since the Federal Reserve started cutting interest rates earlier this month. Today a string of mostly positive earnings reports added some strength to the rally, which has pushed the Dow Industrials up more than 10 percent since the beginning of the month. Even with the recent rise, though, the market is still well of its mid summer peak. (3:15)

Japanese Recession and Sushi -- NPR's Eric Weiner reports that Japanese are being forced to make some lifestyle changes as the recession in their country deepens. More and more people are giving up very expensive dining at sushi bars and turning to what might be called sushi cafeterias -- noisy, crowded establishments where the dishes of raw fish pass by on a conveyor belt. You're not allowed to talk -- just to eat quickly and get out; but it's cheap. (4:45)

105th Congress Wraps Up -- Congress is completing its final business, the 500-billion dollar spending package. The House votes today, the Senate tomorrow. As the end draws near, and members head home to campaign for re-election, the minority Democrats say it was a do-nothing Congress which passed up chances to regulate managed health care and reduce tobacco consumption. Majority Republicans say they did nearly all that should have been accomplished -- and will get the rest, like big tax cuts, when voters give them a bigger majority. NPR's Brian Naylor reports on the close of the 105th Congress. (4:30)

Microsoft Trial -- Robert talks with NPR's John McChesney about Microsoft's opening statement in the landmark antitrust trial that began yesterday in Washington. Microsoft lawyers denied allegations that it had tried to divide the market for internet browsers with a competitor and said the government's was using snippets of e-mail taken out of context. Microsoft's lead attorney, John Warden, said the government case was an attempt to "demonize" Bill Gates. (3:45)

Florida Tobacco Trial -- After four months of jury selection, an enormous class action suit in Florida is now underway. NPR's Cheryl Devall reports on the opening statements of the Engle trial -- a $500 billion lawsuit against cigarette makers on behalf of sick smokers. A tobacco lawyer said in his opening statement that Americans have known the dangers of cigarettes for 100 years, and sick smokers are themselves responsible for their choice to smoke. (3:45)

Foster Baby Battle -- NPR's Cheryl Corley has a story about a mother who's quit crack cocaine and says she has gotten her life together. She is fighting a politically prominent couple over her baby - whom the couple took in as foster parents. The case has brought charges of political influence, conflict of interest and racism into Chicago's domestic court. (6:15)

Texas Floods -- Renata Serafin of member station KXTS reports on the floodwaters that are continuing to swamp parts of central and southern Texas. Rivers are cresting at record levels, and at least 15 people have died. (1:30)

Russia Spy Trial -- NPR's Michele Kelemen reports from St. Petersburg that naval officer turned environmental activist Alexander Nikitin has gone on trial for treason. The charges stem from a report he helped write detailing poor maintenance, accidents and dumping of spent fuel by Russia's nuclear-powered Northern Fleet. The case is seen as a test of free speech in post-Soviet Russia. (4:15)

'Secrecy: The American Experience' -- Robert talks to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, about his book, Secrecy: The American Experience, which traces the government practice of making almost everything it can secret, including keeping important information from the president. Moynihan discusses how secrecy shielded error more than protects national security during the Cold War era. He gives examples from the Truman Administration. (Note: Secrecy is published by Yale University Press.) (8:15)

Waste Into Fuel -- NPR's Dan Charles reports on the first production line that uses a patented bacterium to convert agricultural waste into ethanol for fuel. Heretofore, this alcohol fuel came mostly from corn, but some worry that a successful ethanol transportation system would drive corn and other food crop prices up. The new ethanol plant, in Louisiana, is using sugar cane waste as a feedstock, and the technology will work on any cellulose, according to its designers. (3:30)

Dementia and Artistic Expression -- Robert talks with Dr. Bruce Miller, a professor of Neurology at the University of California, San Francisco about a study of 5 dementia patients who developed artistic abilities-- both visual and musical -- while they lost the ability of language. (4:15)