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Congressman Wes Cooley was indicted for making false statements about his military record in Oregon state voters' pamphlets. The indictment says that congressman - who was elected in 1994 and didn't run again this year - lied when he said that he was a member of the Army Special Forces in Korea. From Portland, Colin Fogarty reports.

There is more to presidential politics than just the Republicans and Democrats fighting over control of the White House. Although Ross Perot did not receive as large a proportion of the vote in yesterday's election as he did in 1992, he made a significant showing in several states. We consider the fortunes of Perot, Ralph Nader, and other "minor party" presidential candidates.

Noah talks with Ethan James, former rock musician and punk rock producer, now a passionate hurdy-gurdy player. He has just put out his first CD featuring the hurdy-gurdy. It's called "The Ancient Music of Christmas." James brings two hurdy-gurdies into the studio - one he made himself, and the other from Hungary. He demonstrates how they sound and describes what they look like.

Noah talks with Miodrag Perisic, the deputy chairman of the Democratic Party in Serbia, about the ongoing protests against Slobodan Milosevic, and what it is that the demonstrators hope to accomplish, now that Milosevic has made it clear that he will not change his decision to annul the initial outcome of November elections in that region, which had given power to Opposition candidates.

Senior news analyst Daniel Schorr says that with all the fuss about the revised Consumer Price Index and the effect it will have on social security recipients, no one seems to have noticed that the welfare reform bill will plunge many more of our nation's children into much deeper poverty.

Bill Daley, President Clinton's nominee for the nation's new commerce secretary, is known for his Democratic fundraising talents...and his ability to cross party lines for support. NPR's Cheryl Corley reports from Daley's hometown of Chicago.

The FBI is sifting through thousands of new tips, looking for evidence pertaining to the Olympic bombing investigation. NPR's Kathy Lohr reports that the agency is pleased with the response generated by the agency's announcement earlier this week that a reward would be given to anyone helping to solve the crime.

For the second straight day, a river of Rwandan refugees is flowing out of eastern Zaire and returning to their homeland after two miserable years of exile in camps along the border. NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports the refugees, mostly ethnic Hutus, no longer seem afraid to live under the rival Tutsi-led government, and government authorities are welcoming their countrymen back home.

Linda talks with Ron Elving and Phil Duncan of Congressional Quarterly magazine. They discuss the make-up of the 105th congress -- which includes a Senate that's more conservative, and a House that's picked up a few more Democrats. With Republicans maintaining control of both houses of Congress and a Democrat in the White House -- both men agree that we can look forward to an era of compromise.

The stock market rally that began just before the election still has some strength. The Dow Jones Industrials were up again today...the eighth day in a row the blue-chip index has set new record. Market analysts cite many factors, including the lack of any threat of inflation. NPR's Jim Zarroli has the details.

Delta and Continental are talking about the possiblity of merging the two airlines, according to published reports. The talks are described as preliminary, but analysts point out that both airlines have pulled off impressive turnarounds and few overlapping routes. The complementary route structure would make it easier for the two airlines to clear regulatory hurdles. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.

Robert talks to Dr. Richard Perryman, the chief of pediatric cardiac surgery at the University of Miami. He performed a heart transplant at Jackson's Children's Hospital on a 90 minute old baby - Cheyenne Pyle is the youngest heart transplant in history.

Pentagon scientists say they've found evidence of ice at the moon's south pole. The finding means it might be easier to establish human colonies on the moon. But the moon's south pole is a foreboding piece of real estate -- it's perpetually dark and ultra-cold. NPR's Richard Harris reports.

Federal prosecutors say they will retry both Charles Keating and his son (Charles Keating, III) now that their convictions on federal fraud chages have been set aside by a federal judge. The elder Keating became a symbol of the Savings and Loan debacle after federal regulators seized Keating's Lincoln S&L, which cost taxpayers an estimated $2.6 billion. The convictions were overturned because members of the jury knew of and improperly discussed the elder Keating's earlier conviction on state fraud charges. That conviction has also been overturned.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports from Goma, Zaire that tens of thousands of Rwandan refugees suddenly began flooding back to Rwanda today. The dramatic development came after an exiled Rwandan Hutu militia abandoned a vast refugee camp a few miles outside of Goma. For the past two years the Hutu militiamen had prevented the refugees from returning to Rwanda, whose Tutsi-led government is fighting the exiles. The breakthrough comes as the international community finalizes plans for a multinational force to help get food and medicine to those refugees remaining in Zaire.

NPR's Claudio Sanchez reports the District of Columbia Control Board has fired Washington's superintendent of schools, and is taking most powers away from the city's elected Board of Education. The Control Board--empowered by Congress to manage the city's affairs due to Washington's severe financial crisis--recently issued a report saying the city's school are in a state of crisis. Today, they appointed a 9-member panel to try to save the city's school system.

NPR's Andy Bowers reports from Moscow that political infighting in the Kremlin has flared up again. It had been quiet in the Russian capital following President Yeltsin's heart operation until today, when that calm was shattered by a report in a respected newspaper. The paper published what it says is a detailed transcript of a bugged meeting by Yeltsin aides talking about illegal campaign paryments during the presidential campaign in June.

Computer and software makers are cutting back on technical support. Two magazines surveyed readers recently...and both found complaints about technical support up sharply. The reason? Tech support is expensive to provide and it's hard to see how it will pay for itself. Also at issue is the freeloader problem: as the industry cuts back, no one wants to pick up everyone else's tab. NPR's John McChesney reports.

The school district in Cleveland, Ohio is in trouble. The district has been taken over by the state...and now parents, educators and students are involved in a new experiment that many say will save the system. Others say the program will kill the public schools altogether. Poor families are eligible for school vouchers which can be used at private schools... even Catholic schools. This is the only voucher program in the country that includes Catholic schools, and voucher advocates are hoping it will prove their contention that public schools need competition if they're ever going to improve. NPR's Claudio Sanchez reports.

Commentator David Crystal notes the use of puns and plays on words in newspaper headlines.