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Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix says that two months of investigation on the ground in Iraq have failed to produce any "smoking guns." Blix is preparing to brief the U.N. Security Council on the inspections process. NPR's Vicky O'Hara reports.

Tonight marks the beginning of Yom Kippur -- a time for reflection and atonement in the Jewish faith. American Jews have had strong and often divided opinions about peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors -- for many the security of Israel is an issue central to identity as well as faith. The preponderance of Jewish opinion in America has supported the peace process. But now, says writer Samuel J. Freedman, many moderate Jews find themselves asking painful questions. Freedman has just finished a book on American Jews and he says many moderate Jews feel paralyzed and that the most hawkish predictions have come true.

As violence continued to flare in the Middle East, American diplomats say they are mediating talks between Palestinian and Israeli security forces in an attempt to end 10 days of violence. Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Barak today repeated his ultimatum that PLO Leader Yasser Arafat must rein in Palestinian protesters or consider the peace process finished. But it's not clear Arafat has the power to stop demonstrations. NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports from Hebron.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports from Jerusalem on the latest developments in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as leaders from around the world begin flying into the region to try to save the peace process.

Three scientists will share this year's Nobel Prize in Medicine for their research on the brain. Two Americans and a Swede, working independently, helped reveal the brain chemistry that explains subtle mental processes such as mood, alertness and memory. The research also led to drugs for diseases such as Parkinson's and depression. NPR's Richard Harris reports.

NPR's Pam Fessler reports on the progress being made by the White House and Capitol Hill in attempting to end the appropriations process and send lawmakers home to campaign. President Clinton's signing of the Interior Department's appropriations bill meant that money spent on conservation projects will double next year. But the House also voted to override the President's veto of an energy and water bill, meaning that much contentiousness remains before the 106th Congress comes to a close.

NPR's David Kestenbaum examines allegations that two major cultural anthropologists brought social and political havoc - and even deaths - to a tribe of South American Indians - in the process of studying them. The charges are made in an upcoming book: Darkness in Eldorado: How Scientists and Journalists Devastated the Amazon, by Patrick Tierney. If it's true, it is a major scientific and human rights scandal. If it is *not* true, then that's a different kind of scandal. NOTE: For more information about The Ax Fight or for any of the other 22 films in the Asch/Chagnon Yanomamo Series contact: Documentary Educational Resources, 1-800-569-6621 or email: docued@der.org. The movie soundtrack in the piece was recorded courtesy of : Human Studies Film Archives, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution.

NPR's Linda Gradstein reports on the Israeli political Left. The last two weeks of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians have divided liberal politicians who previously supported the peace process.

(Update) Host Bob Edwards talks with NPR's Ted Clark about the emergency summit trying to revive the Middle East Peace process. President Clinton is extending his stay in Egypt as the talks enter their second day.

NPR's Michael Sullivan in Cairo reports Arab leaders are gathering in the Egyptian capital for a week-end summit conference, called to voice support for the Palestinians in their confrontation with Israel. Egyptian analysts expect the summit to conclude with a strong denunciation of Israel, but also with a reaffirmation of support for the peace process.

NPR's Linda Gradstein reports from Jerusalem where two Israeli reservist soldiers were killed by a Palestinian mob in the West Bank. International leaders are still trying to bring the two-sides together, but Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer declared on national radio that the peace process is dead and said the nation is on the road to war.

Wade Goodwyn reports on a study by a Texas advocacy group that says the state's death penalty system needs a drastic overhaul. The report, by the Texas Defender Service, says the system is full of dishonest prosecutors, incompetent defense attorneys, a weak appeals process, and racial bias in sentencing and jury selection.

Robert speaks with Robert Pelletreau, former Assistant Secretary of State, about the lack of popular support among Israelis and Palestinians for final compromises in the peace negotiations. They discuss what Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak must do for the peace process to be able to resume successfully.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports from Jerusalem where Friday's ceasefire deadline failed to end the violence between Israelis and Palestinians. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak called a timeout in the peace process over the weekend. The death toll from weeks of conflict reached 121 yesterday, with four more killings.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports on Palestinians' frustrated hopes for the peace process at Oslo.

NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr considers the future of the Middle East peace process.

The clock is ticking for Congress to address America's debt ceiling that lets the government borrow money to pay its bills. A financial catastrophe may follow if it isn't resolved by early December.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden in Jerusalem reports Israel's military sees no quick end to the latest Palestinian uprising in the West Bank and Gaza. With little chance for an early resumption of the peace process, Prime Minister Ehud Barak has ordered his aides to draw up plans for what he calls a "unilateral separation" from the Palestinians.

Veteran broadcaster Robert Trout recalls The Senator Was Indiscreet, a little remembered motion picture that cast a cynical look at the political process. The film talked about the balancing act between the press, public relations and politics. Actor William Powell played an inept senator with presidential ambitions. He had a secret diary that threatened to derail him. The story by George S. Kaufman never caught on with audiences. But Trout says there's a lot of cold-hearted wisdom in this movie comedy that we can still learn from today. It deals with patronage and pride in ways that were meant to be an exaggeration at the time. But after Spiro Agnew, Wayne Hayes, Watergate and the like, the film seems like a celluloid crystal ball.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden in Gaza reports the violence of the past two weeks has hardened attitudes among Palestinians, with growing numbers saying they no longer support the peace process.

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with two people affiliated with Seeds of Peace, Eliza O'Neil and Spencer Traylor, about how the program helps heal divides and what we can learn from it.

NPR's Rachel Martin talks to Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota about the Democrats' plan to set a minimum tax rate for corporations. Plus a new tax on the richest Americans.

Amid a surge in gun violence in Philadelphia, funeral directors are struggling to meet the demand for their services — including guiding families through their shock and grief.

NPR's David Kestenbaum reports that the Agriculture Department has created national standards for organic foods. A new USDA Organic seal will be given to foods produced WITHOUT genetically modified seeds, growth hormones, and other processes associated with traditional food products. Government officials say the new organic rules are among the toughest in the world, but some farmers say they may be bad for business.

NPR's Mary Ann Akers reports that the Bridgestone/Firestone company is blaming a faulty tire design and manufacturing processes at an Illinois factory for defective tires linked to 148 traffic deaths. After a four-month investigation, the tire maker cited the design of the 15-inch ATX tires and the unique way the rubber was processed at its Decatur, Illinois, plant. But the report also puts some blame on the Ford Explorer. Many of the accidents involved Explorers fitted with the Firestone tires. The report says Ford's recommended pressure for the tires was too low.