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With the Iraqi-supported Kurdish Democratic Party militias of Mahmoud Barzani routing his Iran-backed rivals of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, NPR's Michael Shuster talks with Robert about the view of the conflict from Baghdad. The bottom line is that acting through its Kurdish surrogates, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein appears to have regained control of his northern Kurdish provinces after five years of having been prevented from doing so by the United States and its UN allies.

It's a battle for which city has the hottest New Year's Eve celebration. In New York's Times Square, police estimate a half million people will line the streets in a celebration complete with search lights, lazer beams and 3000 pounds of confetti. But in Las Vegas, 200,000 visitors are expected to celebrate and the big moment will come at 9 pm, with the "implosion" of the Hacienda Hotel. Rooms at adjacent hotels with good views have been booked for months, and "implosion parties" are planned. NPR's Margot Adler reports.

NPR's Jon Hamilton reports on a new study, which shows no differences along racial lines in the outcome of medical or surgical treatments among veterans. Other studies have shown wide disparities in health care between African-Americans and Caucasians, in particular. These studies often suggest that socioeconomic differences and access to health care are the main causes for higher disease and death rates among the black population as a whole. The new study suggests that when all things are equal, African-American men actually have a lower rate of disease and death, relative to whites.

The controversial new fat substitute Olestra is making its way to supermarket shelves. The Food and Drug Administration approved Olestra earlier this year for use in snack foods such as chips and crackers. Proctor and Gamble, which makes Olestra, says it will allow people to eat potato chips without the fat. Critics say Olestra causes gastrointestinal distress, and robs the body of important nutrients. Frito Lay is the first to come out with a product line based on olestra. The company is now test marketing the chips in three cities around the country. NPR's Joe Palca travelled to one of those test cities, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to see what kind of reception Olestra was getting.

Robert talks to Jacob Weisberg, Chief Political Correspondent for the on-line magazine Slate, about political advertising throughout the campaign, and the BIGGEST political ad of them all, the four-day convention. This year's GOP convention has been highlighted by music and video and packaged presentations. There's been a look and sound from the stage unlike any other GOP event before, with lots of minorities. And Weisberg notes the inclusion of performers like Brian McKnight, an R&B artist, whose song Monday night seem to baffle a lot of the audience who weren't used to hip-hop at a GOP event. There have also been video presentations of past Republican presidents. Another recurring theme: the live feed of the candidate, George W Bush from the campaign trail every night, making his way to Philadelphia.

NPR's Nina Totenberg reports on today's Supreme Court decision limiting the scope of the federal Clean Water Act. The court split along its familiar ideological lines, 5-4, in ruling that the Army Corps of Engineers can't use the law to forbid the building of a landfill in a migratory bird habitat. The area, near Chicago, contains abandoned gravel pits that flood with water and attract birds for nesting and breeding. The court majority ruled that Congress intended the Clean Water Act to apply to large or navigable bodies of water.

Liane Hansen speaks with Anthony DeCurtis, contributing editor at Rolling Stone Magazine, about the controversy surrounding the Grammy nomination of Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP for Album of the Year. Parents and gay-rights groups have criticized Eminem for his gay-bashing, homicidal, and misogynistic lyrics. {STATIONS NOTE: 0:52 into the piece, an excerpt of music from "The Marshall Mathers LP" is heard, including the line: My words are like a dagger with a jagged edge/That'll stab you in the head whether you're a fag or lez/Or the homosex, hermaph or a trans-a-vest/Pants or dress/Hate fags? The answer's yes}

Democratic Senators Harry Reid and Mo Cowan have joined Republicans John McCain and Representative Peter King to call for the pardon of former heavyweight boxing champ Jack Johnson. He was the first black fighter to win that title, in 1908. Another win in 1910 sparked race riots nationwide, and his relationships with white women only added to the controversy. He was convicted of taking women across state lines for "immoral purpose." Audie Cornish has more.

On his third and latest album, iii, Canadian musician Michael Milosh serves up a collection of seductive, down-tempo electronica, inspired by his year living and recording on Thailand's tropical Koh Samui island. A classically trained cellist since the age of 3, Milosh writes on his MySpace page that he's "always had an intense attraction to songs that are sad, soft and beautiful" and that in his music, he attempts to "ride that thin line of mixing technology with some heart." On iii, he's succeeded in doing just that.

President Clinton today promised to keep the U-S on the front lines in the fight against terrorism. He calls terror attacks one of the biggest threats to U-S and global security, and he says America must be a leader in stamping out that threat. Clinton's comments came in a speech at George Washington University. Earlier, he signed a new anti-terrorism measure. It requires sanctions against foreign companies that do substantial energy business with Libya and Iran. NPR's Mara Liasson reports.

Linda interviews Alexandra Nechita (nuh-KEE-ta)...a ten year old artist...and her parents. Young Nechita has been compared to Picasso-- she is an abstract artist whose paintings are selling for thousands of dollars. She is doing a huge tour for the book of her paintings called "Outside the Lines" and giving dozens and dozens of interviews. Despite all the attention, she is looking forward to going home, seeing her baby brother and taking him to Chuck E. Cheese's pizza parlor.

We learn about what old sounds can and can't be restored. Sound restorer Steve Smolian demonstrates how he goes about his job using materials provided by Quest for Sound line callers as part of Lost and Found Sound. From listener Laurie Baker's little sister singing "All Things Bright and Beautiful" to listener Martha Platt's grandmother speaking in Swedish - Smolian uses his talent and specialized equipment to bring back long lost voices.

Is it OK to gloat privately at a former friend's misfortune? What should you do about the gift you really don't like but are afraid to toss? Randy Cohen, who writes The Ethicist column for The New York Times Magazine, joins NPR's Steve Inskeep for this week's installment of ethical dillemas from our listeners. (If you wish to pose an ethical question to Randy, write to the broadcast via email: watc@npr.org Put the word "ethics" in the subject line, and leave a daytime phone number.)

NPR's Melissa Block reports that with the New York Yankees in the World Series for the first time since 1981, Yankee fans are thrilled. Some optimistic ticket-seekers were still waiting in line today outside Yankee Stadium. Scalped tickets, many of them counterfeit, are being sold for hundreds of dollars; ticket brokers are getting as much as $1800 for box seats. Souvenir stands are doing landmark business on Derek Jeter t-shirts and Yankees caps. And most fans say owner George Steinbrenner should quit talking about moving the team, and leave the Bronx Bombers in the Bronx, in the House That Ruth Built.

President Bush has adopted a harder line toward North Korea than his predecessor did. At the White House today Mr. Bush raised doubts as to whether the communist North is keeping agreements it made with former President Clinton. Also at the White House, Secretary of State Colin Powell said the United States will not immediately resume the negotiations that the Clinton administration began with Pyongyang. The remarks came as Mr. Bush met with South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, who is seeking reconciliation with the North. NPR's Don Gonyea reports.

Chas Chandler was one of the founding members of the Animals (actually he was playing bass with the Alan Price Combo when Eric Burdon joined and they changed their name to the Animals). His bass lines propelled their biggest hits, including "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" and "We Gotta Get Out of this Place." When the original Animals broke up in 1967, Chandler - who was known for his keen business acumen - put together three musicians, one American and two Londoners, who became the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Chandler died today at the age of 57. NPR's Michael Goldfarb has an appreciation. (3:00) (IN S

Daniel speaks with Savi Chaudry, a reporter with Australian Broadcasting Corp., who has been covering the Miss World Pageant in Bangelore, India. The pageant has provoked strong protest from many Indian groups - from the far left who believe it's a sign of consumerism and cultural imperialism, to the far right who believe it flies in the face of Hindu values. Today, Ms. Chaudry says, there were 10 thousand troops on hand to make sure the demonstrators didn't get out of line and that the pageant could go ahead tonight as planned, which it did, without anyone managing to immolate themselves, as some women had threatened.

Robert talks with Paul Venables, Co-creative Director at Goodby, Silverstein and Partners in San Francisco, about the Internet company ad culture. Last year during the Super Bowl, 17 dot-com companies advertised during the big game. Firms spent as much as three-million dollars for a 30-second spot. These companies were unknown to many and had little to no profits to their name. This year, the Super Bowl commercial line-up will feature mostly the traditional old economy companies. Three e-companies are returning, however: E-Trade, Hotjobs and Monster.

As an undergraduate at the University of Colorado, Nikki Stange studied psychology and did some counseling for a suicide hot line. The experience served her well several years later, after she had gotten interested in computers. She's now in her mid-30's and works for a silicon valley firm called Drivesavers that retrieves data from damaged disks, hard and floppy, after disaster has struck a computer. 9 times out of ten, she says, the information can be salvaged; the rest of the time, it's Nikki Stange's job -- as a data crisis counselor -- to deliver the bad news.

David Greenberger reviews the new CD from the Chicago band The Pinetop Seven -- the CD is called Bringing Home the Last Great Strike. {The Pinetop Seven has been around for five years, and has had several changes in its line-up since then. But the core sound of the band -- quirky instrumentation, drawn on varied musical traditions -- remains the same, thanks to Darren Richard, who has written all the songs, and sings them. The band's music is full of juxtepositions -- intimate and vast, richly layered and stark -- and Greenberger tells us the sound is timeless and utterly modern at once.} (3:00) Bringing Home the Last Great Strike, by The Pinetop Seven, is on Truckstop Records, from Chicago. The band's Web site is http://www.pinetopseven.com.