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Noah reads from the latest batch of listeners' letters.

The nation's governors are in full agreement about how to revamp the Medicaid program for the poor and disabled. But NPR's Joanne Silberner reports that there's no unanimity among Medicaid experts. Some say the proposals will give the states the flexibility to tailor programs to the needs of the poor. But others say they could leave people in need without health coverage.

Congress is passing a series of short-term funding measures for many government departments. But NPR's Phillip Davis reports that administrators are warning that they can't operate effectively without longterm spending plans.

Alan Lipke [LIP-kee] reports on a school district seeking to end a 25-year old desegregation plan. It claims to have done the best possible, considering housing patterns. Tampa is one of the few places where schools tried a district-wide desegregation plan that included both urban and suburban schools.

Reporter David Welna reports that last week 255 legislators from Mexico's ruling PRI party wrote a letter to President Ernesto Zedillo, criticizing Mexico's free market policy. The letter also urged the government to reassert control over the economy, promote lower interest rates and stablize the exchange rate. Although the legislators are now toning down their criticim somewhat, the attack on Zedillo and his policies has serious ramifications for the party.

As Lebanon marks a year since a huge blast at the Beirut port, the sister of one of the victims is still working to pick up the pieces of her life and continue her search for justice.

There's a big Hollywood party tonight to mark the upcoming birthday of George Burns. He will be 100 years old this Saturday. We play excerpts from a 1940s Burns & Allen radio show - which foreshadows George Burns longevity in a comic way. (3:30) (

Oregon Public Radio's Ley Garnett (LEE gar-NET) reports on the worst flooding to hit the western part of the state in 30 years. The Wilamette and Columbia Rivers are expected to crest in Portland at record levels tonight as citizens battle to shore up the riverbanks and save new developments.(6:30) -b- 8. BOSNIA. Noah talks with NPR's Andy Bowers in Sarajevo. They discuss the arrest of Bosnian Serb officers and response by Serbs to quit dealing with the Muslim-led Bosnian government and to halt contact with the NATO peace mission, Also, Richard Holbrooke, U-S Assistant Secretary of Sate, is being sent to Sarajevo Sunday to help the sides start talking again.

Robert talks with Dr. Robert Williams, director of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, about newly discovered information about galaxies. Based on preliminary data captured by the Hubble telescope, there are believed to be 5 times as many galaxies as we thought until now. Instead of 10 billion galaxies, the sample of the universe studied suggests there are more like 50 billion. Also, the galaxies closer to us are more distinct in shape. The older galaxies, 8 to 10 billion light years from earth, are amorphous in shape.

Noah talks with the Irish musician known as Enya (

On this observance of the birthday of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., we hear an excerpt of a letter written by King while he was imprisoned in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963. He is responding to a letter written by several white clergymen who criticized King's acts of civil disobedience and suggested his civil rights agenda could best be achieved in the courts. The exceprt is read by actor Wilson Cain III.

Danny speaks with NPR's Mara Liasson about a speech President Clinton made today to troops at the U.S. Army base in Baumholder, Germany. Those troops will be the first Americans to go to Bosnia as part of the NATO peacekeeping force. The President told them: "If you are threatened with attack, you may respond immediately and with decisive force." Mara says that among the troops and their families, there is some concern about having to go to Bosnia during the Christmas season.

NPR's Peter Kenyon reports that often, serious debate on Capitol Hill doesn't get a whole lot of news coverage, for it is the partisan stuff that really attracts the journalists. But that doesn't mean that members of Congress don't put aside politics and really dig into an issue in a serious manner. Kenyon found one such example this week in the House Judiciary Committee, which debates issues of refugees and political asylum.

Daniel talks to NPR's Joe Palca about flu season. There are more cases of the flu in the winter than in the summer, but researchers are not sure why. Research also suggests that flu shots are beneficial for all people, not just the elderly.

Daniel talks to Margaret Wertheim, author of the book, "Pythagoras' Trousers." In it, she argues that because math and physics, more than any other sciences, are linked to religion, women have been systematically excluded from their studies in a more profound way than form other sciences.

Jacki speaks with James Chiles, author of an article in the December issue of Smithsonian Magazine about the early days Congress. Chiles says that Congress in the early 19th century was a raucus place...with members hurling personal insults at each other, and in some cases resorting to violence.

Jacki talks with Colonel Piers Wood of the Center for Defense Information about the sucess or failure of U.S. troop deployments since the early 1980's. Col. Wood says military mission where their is a clearly defined objective have met with sucess. It's the mission such as peacekeeping where goals are not clearly stated, where U.S. Troops have had problems.

NPR's Maria Hinojosa reports on a trend in some cities where, in a reverse migration, couples are moving from the suburbs and back into the cities. There, in urban solitude, people can enjoy a shorter commute, they don't have to deal with the constant sound of lawnmowers and they can take advantage of greater cultural opportunities. Hinojosa reports the some companies are also jumping on the bandwagon and returning to cities to do business.

Trevor Rowe reports from the United Nations that as leaders of the world gather for the 50th anniversary meeting of the General Assembly, nations are questioning whether the UN's peacekeeping operations are on track...or outmoded.

NPR's Melissa Blocks leads us through the pages of a new book...an encyclopedia of New York City. The book is huge...it weighs more than seven pounds. It took 13 years to put together at a cost of one million dollars.