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Steve Young of Vermont Public Radio reports on the turmoil in that state's politics, since the state legislature voted to approve civil unions. Governor Howard Dean, a once-popular Democrat who had been a shoo-in for re-election, has come under heavy criticism from an anti-civil union movement called "Take Back Vermont." Even if Dean survives, his fellow Democrats in the legislature, who constitute a majority, may not. The anger may last beyond Election Day.

With the ousting of president Slobodan Milosevic earlier this month, Yugoslavia is poised to re-enter the world community. But NPR's Anne Garrels reports the change is causing anxiety among Kosovar Albanians who fear their push for independence will suffer as much under the new government as the old.

Host Rene Montagne talks with author Mark Salzman about his new book Lying Awake. Salzman's earlier works have dealt with teenage Buddhists in suburbia and failed child prodigies. In this latest book, he brings to life a modern-day nun who's religious visions turn out to have a devastatingly mundane source.

Noah talks with Douglas Broderick of the Wold Food Program in Pyongyang about the famine in North Korea. The threat of famine and starvation has been present in the country since the mid 1990's. Nearly one-tenth of the population died as a result. WFP feeds some eight-million North Koreans, who are still struggling with droughts and the loss of farming support from the former Soviet Union.

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.

This year, Peg Collison joined tens of thousands of older Americans in making the move from her home of almost thirty years into a retirement community. She had planned for the move, saving her money and taking out long-term health insurance. Still, her decision to move was difficult for her family, her friends and herself. As part of our series on the Changing Face of America, Peg Collison and her son, radio producer Dan Collison, produced a three part series on her transition. It's called Mom's Good Move.

A sailor who died in the suspected terrorist bombing of the U.S.S. Cole will be buried at Antietam National Cemetery -- a Civil War cemetery that has been closed since the Korean War. The National Park Service agreed to make an exception for Fireman Apprentice Patrick Roy, whose family lives near the site. Noah interviews John Howard, Superintendent of the Antietam National Battlefield, in Sharpsburg, Maryland.

Office equipment company Xerox is in trouble. Today, Xerox reported its first quarterly loss in sixteen years. As NPR's Jack Speer reports, the company is selling off assets and laying off employees to try and reduce its debt load. It is also seeking to regain dominance of the market for copiers and low-price printers, after ceding much of the territory to aggressive competitors such as Ricoh, Canon and Hewlett Packard.

Commentator Andrew Lam talks about the housing crunch caused by the digital gold rush in the San Francisco Bay area. Scarce apartments are going to the highest bidder. Some people are renting the right to sleep in someone's dining area or walk-in closet. And the dream of home ownership Lam's family and other immigrants had has faded.

Today's events on the presidential campaign found both major party candidates on the defensive. Vice President Al Gore said he was not a big spender or an ally of big government, promising a smaller federal government if he is elected. George W. Bush was defending his education record as governor of Texas against charges that he had overstated improvements in student performance. NPR's Peter Kenyon has this report.