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NPR's Scott Simon talks to Calvin MacKenzie, professor of political science at Colby College, about the report of the bipartisan National Commission on the Public Service -- a high-level panel of government experts that have issued recommendations on major reforms for the federal government.

He specializes in defense and proliferation issues at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He directs the Endowment's Non-Proliferation Project. The Endowment has just published the new report Iraq: What Next?, which examines the weapons inspection process so far.

Eileen Buckley of member station WBFO reports Buffalo is having a tough time hanging onto its pro-hockey team. Sabres fans complain ticket prices are too high and the team's lackluster season is bringing boos from the stands. The club is also plagued with financial problems.

New York Senate candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton and Republican Congressman Rick Lazio met in their second televised debate today. It was a far more polite exchange than their debate last month. From New York, NPR's Melissa Block reports.

Three scientists will share this year's Nobel Prize in Medicine for their research on the brain. Two Americans and a Swede, working independently, helped reveal the brain chemistry that explains subtle mental processes such as mood, alertness and memory. The research also led to drugs for diseases such as Parkinson's and depression. NPR's Richard Harris reports.

If you liked the movie, now go see the opera. From member Station KQED in San Francisco, Cy Musiker reports on the new opera inspired by the book Dead Man Walking about a nun working with death row prisoners.

NPR's Tom Gjelten reports on international reaction to the change of power in Yugoslavia. For years, the U.S. and European Union imposed embargoes and sanctions against the country in order to put pressure on then-President Slobodan Milosevic. But this may change with a new, democratically elected leader.

Campaign financing is a big issue in this year's elections, but the biggest spending story isn't coming from the special interests. Jon Corzine, the Democratic senate candidate in New Jersey, is setting new records for spending in a senate race, but most of the money he's using is his own. NPR's Peter Overby reports. (

NPR's Michelle Kelemen reports that Russian officials, desperate to end rampant tax evasion, created a special police force to combat the problem. And in order to ensure future candidates will be ready to take on the roll of "tax police", they've begun training teens, at a cadet school in Moscow.

NPR's Elaine Korry reports on the proposed merger of the second and third largest U.S. oil companies, Chevron and Texaco. Some analysts say ChevronTexaco will be better able to compete with other oil giants, but others say it's hard to predict how profitable the new company will be.