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The European Court of Human Rights says Russia's government is responsible for the 2006 killing in London of Alexander Litvinenko, a former KGB agent turned exiled dissident.

NPR's Audie Cornish speaks with Jacqueline Charles of the Miami Herald and John Holman of Al Jazeera English about the Haitian migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border and those being returned to Haiti.

Protests and rallies against how "dot-com" culture is changing certain districts in the San Francisco bay area just reached a new level. This month the city of San Mateo banned "dot-coms" from locating in its downtown district. From member station KQED, Caitlyn Kim reports.

NPR's David Welna reports that for weeks, free of charge, Chicagoans have been able to pick up ping pong paddles and play at any one of three hundred tables set up around the city. It's an attempt to let residents and visitors have some fun whenever the mood and wind seem right.

Next we hear an excerpt from Natural Law candidate John Hagelin, in an address given yesterday at the American University in Washington, D.C.

Independent Counsel Robert Ray announced today that his office has ended its investigation of the Whitewater land deal, and found insufficient evidence to charge President and Mrs. Clinton with wrongdoing. That conclusion had been expected, based on indications from the previous Whitewater independent counsel, Kenneth Starr. Ray's statement also says he found no evidence that Mrs. Clinton intentionally withheld billing records from her private law practice that had been sought by the independent counsel, and that turned up months later in a room at the White House.

The presidential campaign took a turn for the ugly today, as the two campaigns swapped charges and ads. Republican George Bush accused Democrat Al Gore of "changing his tune" on Hollywood and having a tendency to "make up facts." The Gore campaign fired back with an ad accusing Bush of making up his facts of his own in a negative television ad. NPR's Andy Bowers is in Sunnyvale, California, where Gore today talked about his plan for making prescription drugs more affordable.

In a report from the annual International Monetary Fund/World Bank meeting in Prague, NPR's Julie McCarthy says managing director Horst Koehler is eager to show that the IMF has become more attentive to the needs of Third World nations it is trying to help. Asian nations in particular felt the IMF imposed unduly harsh conditions in exchange for debt relief during their financial crisis in the late nineties. Faced with planned protests by an array of activists, Koehler also said the IMF is now listening to the concerns of a broad range of non-governmental organizations.

Misty Hyman, an American, defeated Australia's Susie O'Neill Wednesday for the gold medal in the 200 meter butterfly. O'Neill, nicknamed Madame Butterfly by her countrymen, was heavily favored in the race, and Hyman, a first-time Olympian, reacted to her victory with joyous disbelief. Americans fared well in the pool, also capturing gold in the women's 4x200 freestyle relay. Jenny Thompson anchored the US team, winning her seventh career gold medal. Pieter van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands won swimming's glamour event, the 100 meter freestyle, making him the surprise star of the swimming competition. NPR's Howard Berkes reports.

Robert talks to Mimi Sheraton, author of The Bialy Eaters: The Story of the Lost Bread and a Lost World, about the book. It recounts her journey to Bialystok, Poland, where the bread rolls with roasted onions in the middle get their name. There she found the story of a Jewish community which numbered 50,000 before World War Two, and now is reduced to just five people. No bialys remain, either. She then went on a round the world journey to find Bialystok survivors. (6:00) The Bialy Eaters: The Story of the Lost Bread and a Lost World, by Mimi Sheraton, is published by Broadway Books, 9/12/00.

NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr wonders why America, so ready to help the world's poorest nations through food aid, is hesitant to help them through debt relief.

Robert speaks with Yevgenia Borisova, a staff writer for The Moscow Times about the sudden growth of the Russian electorate just in time for the Presidential election this past March. Borisova reports that Russia's election board added 1.3 million fictitious voters to its rolls -- with the apparent intention of assuring victory for Vladimir Putin.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden in Jerusalem reports three Israeli policemen are soon to stand trial for the brutal beating of three Palestinians at a checkpoint earlier this month. The incident gained international attention after photographs the Israelis took of themselves and of their victims were published in local newspapers.

Noah talks with BBC reporter Jacky Rowland about Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic's campaign trip to Montengro today. Milosevic called pro-western leadership and Serbian opposition "rabbits, rats and even hyenas." Montenegro's leadership is boycotting the upcoming Yugoslav election.

Every Wednesday this election season, All Things Considered is airing excerpts of speeches by presidential candidates. Today we hear first from Republican candidate George W. Bush, in portion of a speech delivered Monday in Little Rock, Arkansas.

NPR's Brian Naylor talks to two House members who came to Washington as House revolutionaries -- and who are leaving, as promised, after three terms, honoring their campaign pledge.

Alan Cheuse reviews the latest book by Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood. It's called The Blind Assassin (1:45) The Blind Assassin is published by Bantam Doubleday.

Linda speaks with Rex Gephart, head of the Los Angeles MTA's "Metro Rapid" program, which aims to reduce bus travel times by 25 percent. As part of the plan, the MTA has equipped two of its major bus lines with a new device that hold a green lights for approaching buses. Gephart says ridership has increased significantly on the lines being tested. He says L.A. is the first city in the U.S. to implement so-called "signal priority" so extensively.

NPR's Tom Goldman reports on the Opening Ceremonies of the Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. The event ceremony celebrated Australia's rich and strange history, with a lawnmower ballet, displays of horsemanship and tributes to the island nation's Aboriginal history. But it was the selection of Australian sprinter Cathy Freeman, an Aborigine and gold medal favorite, as the final torch bearer, that provided the emotional highlight of the 4-hour event.

NPR's Brian Naylor reports on the move by Republicans in the House to authorize the building of a monument to former president Ronald Reagan on the National Mall in Washington. It has already passed the House Resources Committee and is on the way to a full floor vote before Congress adjourns next month. Democrats say the move is less about honoring Reagan than it is about injecting him into the current presidential campaign. The move, if it passes, would circumvent a law that says no one can be honored with a memorial in the nation's capital until 25 years after the person's death.