October 23, 1998 All Things Considered (entire program) Requires the RealAudio Player

An index of the day's stories:

Mideast Peace Agreement Reached -- NPR's Ted Clark talks with host Robert Siegel about the marathon nine day negotiation that ended today with a new interim peace agreement that would exchange land for the Palestinians with new security arrangements for the Israelis. The negotiation was held up at the last minute Friday by Israeli efforts to get the release of jailed Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard thrown into the agreement. (4:00)

Regional Reaction -- NPR's Eric Weiner reports from Jerusalem on the mixed reaction in Israel to the Wye accord signed at the White House today. Conservative settlers and their Knesset allies denounced the agreement, while Liberals praised it. He also reports on the reaction form Palestinians. (3:30)

The Pollard Question -- Robert talks with Walter Pincus, a writer for the Washington Post, about how the case of convicted spy Jonathan Pollard became a last minute sticking point in the Wye meetings. Pollard went to federal prison in the 1980s for selling thousands of classified documents to Israel. As a last minute condition for their signing the Wye agreement, Israel reportedly asked the United States to release Pollard and grant him passage to Israel. (4:30)

Hemp Ban -- Fonda Bock of member station in Louisville reports Kentucky tobacco farmers are leading a push to legalize the cultivation of industrial hemp in the U.S. The farmers are looking for a crop that's close to tobacco in profitability. But the federal government is opposed, because it claims that would be the first step toward legalizing marijuana. (6:30)

Harrison's 'The Road Home' -- Reviewer Alan Cheuse talks about the latest book from author Jim Harrison. It's a follow-up to his book from a decade ago following the saga of a woman called Dalva. "The Road Home" provides a further history of Dalva's family, and is told through the journals of the protagonists. Cheuse says it's filled with lovely moments. (Note: "The Road Home" by Jim Harrison is published by Atlantic Monthly Press.) (2:00)

Truth Commission Pt. 5 -- The final installment of our series on South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. NPR's Charlayne Hunter-Gault talks with Archbishop Desmond Tutu in Cape Town about the Commission's historic mission. The 67-year-old Anglican cleric and Nobel peace laureate has headed up the Commission's investigations over the past two-and-a-half years. (9:00)

Africans in America -- Historian Faith Ruffins reflects on the notion that all Americans in the present, are heirs to all of the nation's past. And slavery is a complex part of a past that cannot change. Ruffins is a historian with the Smithsonian Institution's American History Museum in Washington, D.C. Her commentary is part of a collaboration between NPR and the PBS documentary series "Africans in America -- America's Journey Through Slavery." (3:30)

'Life is Beautiful' -- Comedian Roberto Benigni is among the most popular movie makers working today in Europe. His brand of physical comedy has been compared to that of Charlie Chaplin. And his films regularly outperform American blockbusters in his native Italy. Nothing he has made has ever been as popular, or as controversial as his latest picture. La Vita e Bella (or Life is Beautiful) is a sometimes bittersweet, often raucous WWII comedy that is set partly in a German concentration camp. Critic Bob Mondello admired the film's style, but found its mix of elements troubling. (3:30)

Gilligan's Island Reunion -- Commentator Amy Dickinson attended the reunion for surviving cast members of the TV show Gilligan's Island. Bob Denver and the others gathered on a boat for a three-hour tour on the Potomac river. (4:15)

Clinton's Role in the Mideast Deal -- All Things Considered host Linda Wertheimer talks with NPR's Mara Liasson about the signing at the White House of the new interim Middle East peace agreement thrashed out in nine days of negotiations. The agreement provides for Israel to withdraw from another 13 per cent of the occupied West Bank in exchange for new security guarantees from the Palestinians that will be overseen by the CIA. (4:30)

The CIA's Role -- Linda talks with Vincent Cannistraro, a consultant for Beckett Brown International Security, about the unprecedented role of the CIA in the Mideast peace talks in Maryland. Cannistraro talks about the new compliance monitoring role of the CIA in the Middle East; an idea developed during the current meeting of Arafat and Netanyahu. Cannistraro was formerly director of counter-terrorism for the CIA. (4:30)

Schorr on the Mideast Deal -- NPR senior news analyst Daniel Schorr says that the fate of Jonathan Pollard had been a point of controversy long before it resurfaced during the Wye Mills negotiations. (3:00)

Tennessee Senator Murder Case -- Linda talks with John Yates, a reporter with the Tennessean, about the arrest of Byron Looper in connection with the murder of state Senator Tommy Burks. Looper, who legally changed his name to "Low Tax" was Burk's Republican opponent. The Democrat Senator was expected to easily win against Looper, who was indicted last March for theft and misuse of his office of Putnam County property assessor. Burks was fatally shot in his pickup truck on Monday. Lopper had been missing since the death, until his arrest near his home this morning. (4:00)

Northwest-Continental Merger Hits Snag -- The Justice Department filed an anti-trust suit in U.S. District Court in Detroit today to block the planned purchase by Northwest Airlines of a controlling interest in Continental Airlines. The two airlines said they would fight the suit and they denied that the merger would reduce competition in the airline industry. NPR's Steve Inskeep reports from Washington. (3:30)

Maine Voters -- All Things Considered host Noah Adams talks to voters on some of the islands off the coast of Maine about politics in very small town New England. Some typical issues: who pays for paving roads, how should propane tanks be shipped, and should the government regulate the buoy lines used in lobster traps? One issue voters don't care about: President Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky. Maine historically has had the highest voter turnout of any state in the country. (9:30)

Saving the Sixth Grade -- Commentator Marion Winik on her most recent political battle -- trying to keep the 6th from moving out of her kid's elementary school. This was a more gratifying experience than trying to stop the Vietnam war or put an end to nukes. Marion Winik's new book is called "The Lunch Box Chronicles: Notes from the Parenting Underground" (3:00)

Yankee's Ticker-Tape Parade -- NPR's Margot Adler reports on celebration in the Big Apple. The crowd roared, confetti poured and the World Series Champion New York Yankees -- complete with ailing teammate Darryl Strawberry -- made their way today up Manhattan's Canyon of Heroes. The march included 13 marching bands, 10 classic cars, eight Yankee floats, seven double-decker buses, and the Radio City Rockettes on a flatbed truck. (3:30)

Friday Sports Talk -- All Things Considered host Robert Siegel speaks with Stefan Fatsis, a sportswriter for the Wall Street Journal who joins us each friday for a discussion of issues in sports. Today they talk about the poor T.V. ratings achieved by the World Series, the worst in history, despite the resurgence of popularity baseball experienced this season. Stefan points out that ratings for professional football are also down, a fact which concerns the networks which have forked over billions of dollars to the NFL for broadcast rights. Of course, both sports are better off than pro basketball right now. Networks are obliged to pay millions of dollars even though the first games scheduled to be televised have already been cancelled due to labor strife. (4:00)