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FederalOfficials today launched an all-out attack on state initiatives legalizing the medical use of marijuana and other recreational drugs. Attorney General Janet Reno said she'd enforce federal laws against doctors who prescribe pot for patients. But as Joe Palca reports, the debate over the medical value of marijuana is far from settled.

A new study further complicates the decision-making process for women who are considering hormone replacement therapy. Recent bad news is offset by a finding that HRT may help reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease. NPR's Joanne Silberner reports.

President Ronald Reagan stumbled through his first debate with Walter Mondale in 1984. But that didn't stop Lee Atwater and other "spin doctors" on the Reagan team from trying to convince reporters that the Democrat had failed to knock their candidate down. On Morning Edition, NPR's Linda Wertheimer looks at the origins of political "spin" as part of the Present at the Creation series.

Harvey Pitt resigns as chairman of the Securities Exchange Commission. Pitt had a stormy 15-month tenure as SEC chief and was recently under fire for his handling of the appointment of William Webster to head an accounting oversight board. NPR's Scott Horsley reports.

Shipping companies file court papers charging West Coast dock workers with a work slowdown. Union leaders say they are working as fast as they can given the backup resulting from a recent lockout. NPR's Elaine Korry reports.

There's a new novel from Scotland's Irvine Welsh. His earlier work Trainspotting -- a darkly comic look at heroin use -- became a hit film. Porno follows the same characters in different pursuits. Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr reports.

As the terms of NAFTA gradually reduce protective tariffs on agricultural goods sent to Mexico, small farmers south of the border feel the effects. Many say NAFTA is destroying their livelihood. NPR's Gerry Hadden reports.

The city council in Holyoke, Mass., fights a federal plan to house Somali war refugees there. Council members argue Holyoke lacks the resources to handle the refugees, but many townspeople are working to help the newcomers to stay. Karen Brown of member station WFCR reports.

A new vaccine against the virus that leads to cervical cancer shows promising results, scientists say. Doctors say widespread use of the vaccine could sharply reduce the rate of the disease. NPR's Joe Palca reports.

Berlin's top playboy -- one Rolf Eden -- is finally ready to retire at age 72. Eden has been a fixture on the German party scene since he opened Berlin's first post-World War II night club. NPR's Guy Raz reports.