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NPR's David Welna reports on the tragic death of Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan, the Democratic nominee running in a hotly-contested Senate seat against incumbent Republican John Ashcroft, who perished in a plane crash, along with his son and a campaign adviser. Carnahan's death robs the Democrats of one of their best chances at picking up a Senate seat. But more importantly, it robs a state of a very popular public official, and it darkens the mood as the presidential candidates hold their final debate tonight in St. Louis.

NPR's Julie Rovner looks at health care policies President Clinton has established by executive order, often because he could not get them through Congress in legislation. Those items are subject to change under whoever takes over the White House next. Some of those policies deal with patients' rights and abortion.

NPR's Linda Gradstein in Ramallah, West Bank, reports many Palestinians are dismissing the results of the Middle East peace summit in Egypt, saying the uprising against Israel must continue.

Robert talks to Washington Post Columnist E.J. Dionne and David Brooks, Senior Editor of the Weekly Standard about what the Republican and Democratic candidates need to accomplish in tonight's debate, with just a few weeks left in the campaign.

Commentator Rawlins Gilliland, a public speaking-consultant and former National Endowment for the Humanities Poet-in-Residence, says other people's music seems to form a soundtrack to his life. It's a constant background din -- as he drives with his top down, talks on his cell phone, stops at a gas station, works out at his gym, visits a park, and finds a birthday party in progress on his own block.

NPR's Gerry Hadden reports from Mexico City on efforts to fight the spread of the AIDS virus, especially among the migrant worker population. Six cross-border programs have been established to provide educational and other resources, but researchers say migrant laborers who contract the virus in the United States and then come home to their families, often spread the virus deep inside Mexico, to areas where there are no AIDS programs. The campaign to halt the spread of AIDS also is hindered by cultural taboos that make it difficult to educate the population and change people's behavior.

John Burns, Middle East Correspondent for the New York Times, is in Aden, Yemen, covering the investigation into the explosion that killed seventeen sailors abroad the U.S.S. Cole last week. He tells Noah Adams about investigators' discovery of bomb making materials in a house near the port where the U.S.S. Cole was moored. Burns also talks about the effort to retrieve bodies and wreckage from the Navy destroyer.

Alan Cheuse reviews a new novel by J.D. Landis called Longing. It's about nineteenth century Europe's most romantic musical couple, composer Robert and performer Clara Schumann. (1:45) Longing, by J.D. Landis is published by Harcourt Brace; ISBN # 0151004536.

NPR's Mandalit Del Barco reports that both sides have reached a tentative agreement in the month-long public transit strike in Los Angeles. If the union and transit authority ratify the accord, buses could be back on the road tomorrow.

Robert talks with Itamar Rabinovich, president of Tel Aviv University, and former Israeli Ambassador to the United States. Rabinovich was a member of Israeli Prime Minister Barak's delegation in Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt, as an observer to the negotiations for a cease fire agreement. He talks about the Israeli government view of the agreement.

As part of an effort to air stump speeches on Wednesdays this election season, All Things Considered plays a portion of Democrat Al Gore's speech in Cedar Rapids, Iowa last week. Gore said that even though we are living in a time of great prosperity, more needs to be done for those left behind -- to help improve education for all children, to provide good health care coverage for all people, to ensure that seniors can afford their prescription drugs. Gore said under his administration, he would use the prosperity to help everyone, not just the wealthy.

NPR's Michele Kelemen reports that American Edmond Pope went on trial in a Moscow court today, accused of trying to buy Russian military secrets. Pope's supporters deny he's a spy, insisting he's a businessman who was buying declassified Russian technology. Members of the U.S. Congress have urged the Clinton administration to hold up aid to Russia if Pope is convicted. The trial is expected to last several weeks.

NPR's Martin Kaste reports that prosecutors in Argentina are trying to bring to trial members of the former military government who participated in kidnapping the children of "the disappeared." The disappeared were political dissidents who were taken away and later killed during the era known as the "dirty war." Grandmothers of the kidnapped children have conducted an exhaustive campaign to identify kidnap victims and re-unite them with their blood relatives. Prosecutors cannot file murder charges against former military leaders because of a general amnesty, but the amnesty does not cover wide-scale kidnapping of children.

All Things Considered Host Linda Wertheimer traveled to Missouri to talk to voters about their views on the candidates. Today she talks to a group of older white men about their thoughts on the last debate. The encounter doesn't seem to have swayed their support for George W. Bush.

Kentucky's governor has declared a state of emergency in the eastern part of the state, where sludge from a coal mine spilled into two streams last week. Two-hundred-million gallons of toxic slurry -- a byproduct of coal washing with the consistency of wet cement -- have made the usual sources of drinking water in ten county area unfit for use. Noah interviews Larry Priest, a resident of Martin County, Kentucky, with a mobile home next to Cold Water Creek. Priest calls the spill the biggest black milkshake you've ever seen in your life.

NPR's Pam Fessler reports President Clinton, survivors of the U.S.S. Cole explosion, victims' families, and military officials gathered for a memorial service in Norfolk, Virginia, today. Attendees cheered the survivors, who arrived by ambulance. The president said service members like those on the Cole, prevent war by "standing guard for peace." He said the U.S. will find the terrorists who bombed the Cole, and justice will be done.

Theresa Schiavone of Colorado Public Radio reports on the play "Tantalus." The marathon-length Greek drama begins in Denver this weekend and is scheduled to travel to London in January. While 3 days of metered verse might be too much for some people, the producers of "Tantalus" say the drama's themes are still contemporary. They hope a more modern script will hold the audience's attention.

NPR's Linda Gradstein in Jerusalem reports there were sporadic clashes in the West Bank and Gaza today, the day after the Israeli and Palestinian leaders agreed to work toward ending the violence. But in a development that could re-ignite the unrest, Israel Radio reports security forces have arrested some of the Palestinians suspected of taking part in the mob killing of two Israeli soldiers in Ramallah last week.

NPR's Ted Clark reports the Clinton Administration is disputing assertions that the 7-year-old framework for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks is no longer viable. But a growing number of Palestinians and some Israelis say the violence of the past three weeks has irrevocably altered the situation.

Researchers from Yale and Brown Universities report in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association that they have measured the actual brain volume of children who were born prematurely, using M.R.I. scans once the children reached eight years of age. They found that the earlier the premature birth, the more insult to the brain, resulting in a related decrease in I.Q. test scores. It's a first step towards quantifying how much delayed brain development affects intelligence. NPR's Michelle Trudeau has the story.

In the third and final debate last night, presidential candidates George W. Bush and Al Gore presented radically different cures for the issues that ail America. For Democrat Gore, the answers lie in policy, and on issue after issue Gore said he disagreed with his opponent. Republican George W. Bush took different tack. He argued that the real difference was who could be trusted, who could get things done, and he pointed to his record in Texas. In marshalling evidence to support their divergent views, both candidates occasionally stretched the truth. NPR's Peter Kenyon sets the record straight.

Satirist Harry Shearer was recently struck by a thought about the A & E program Biography. What would happen if the show ran out of famous people to profile?

The major party candidates for president returned to campaigning in swing states today after holding their third and final debate last night in St. Louis. Both camps treated today's events as victory rallies, claiming their man had the upper hand last night. NPR's Anthony Brooks has the latest on the Gore camp, and NPR's Steve Inskeep reports on the Bush campaign.

Linda speaks with Preston Gralla, executive editor for the Downloads area of ZDNet's Website, about how to read electronic books. They compare the Palm Pilot, Compaq's new IPAC handheld, and the Rocket e-book reader. The Rocket reader is soon to be replaced by a new generation of e-book reading devices manufactured by RCA. Gralla says that now might not be the right time to buy the devices. (8:00) The ZDNet Website can be found athttp://www.zdnet.com

NPR's Mike Shuster in Jerusalem reports the violence in the Palestinian territories abated Friday, but tensions remain high. Prospects for a peace summit involving Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat remain unclear.