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Debbie Elliott reports that a federal judge dismissed half of the federal government's 1999 lawsuit against major cigarette makers, handing the tobacco industry a partial victory. The judge ruled that the government could not use two health laws to recover billions of dollars in Medicare expenses used to treat ill smokers. U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler said the government could proceed with two other claims under federal racketeering laws.

NPR's Steve Inskeep reports on the next phase of the presidential campaign... television. Vice-President Al Gore and his wife appeared on CNN's Larry King Live last night to answer questions about prescription drugs, social security, and budget surpluses. Gore also responded to criticism about what opponents call his tendency to exaggerate the facts. The Democratic candidate also offered to stop campaign commercials funded by soft money.

NPR's Jack Speer reports the U.S. government had to correct its inflation numbers going back to January today, but the correction is a small one and doesn't change the overall picture of a strong economy with stable prices. The government's main inflation gauge, the CPI, was boosted by a tenth of a percent to 2.7% for the period January through August. Separately, the White House announced the budget surplus for the current fiscal year would be about $230 billion.

NPR's Michele Kelemen reports on concerns over the sale of Media-Most, Russia's largest private media group. The head of Media-Most says he was under duress last July when he agreed to sell his company in exchange for the government dropping fraud charges against him. Some say the charges were part of a Kremlin campaign to muzzle the media group's outlets, which have been critical of Putin.

NPR's Tom Goldman reports on a day of startling upsets by US athletes at the Olympics in Sydney. First, Rulon Gardner, a Greco-Roman wrestler of modest prior accomplishment, defeated the Superman of his sport, Alexander Kareline of Russia. Three-time gold medal winner Kareline had not lost a match since 1987. Later in the evening, the American baseball team shut out Cuba in the gold medal game. The favored Cubans had won the last two Olympic titles.

Senator Joe Lieberman is a household name because he's running for vice president. But he also has a second campaign to run this fall, for re-election to his Senate seat in Connecticut. He insists he intends to run both races, but some Democrats are having second thoughts. They worry that if Al Gore and Lieberman win the national race, Connecticut's Republican governor will fill the vacant Senate seat with a Republican. Connecticut Public Radio's John Dankosky reports.

NPR's Ted Clark reports that the Taliban, the militant Islamic movement that's taken over most of Afghanistan, has sent a delegation to the U.S. to lobby for international recognition of the Taliban as the country's legitimate government. The Taliban is trying to gain Afghanistan's United Nations seat. It also wants to dilute international criticism in the areas of human rights and terrorism. The Taliban has refused to hand over Osama bin Laden, who's accused of masterminding the 1998 attacks on U.S. embassies in Africa.

NPR's Mandalit Del Barco reports on how regular bus and rail riders are dealing with the two-week-old public transit strike in Los Angeles. Many of these people are poor, service workers who don't own car. The extra costs of getting to their jobs have left some worried about how they'll pay for rent and groceries.

Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman was regarded as a bold and risky choice for a vice presidential candidate, the first Jew to appear on a major party's national ticket. Since he was named in August, Lieberman has clearly helped the man who picked him, Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore. But while Lieberman's strong emphasis on his religion and ethnicity has been a plus, it has also generated controversy in some unexpected ways. NPR's Nina Totenberg reports.

NPR's Debbie Elliot reports that the national anti-smoking initiative that was created by the tobacco industry's settlement with states is running ads during the Olympics. The controversial ads, spoofs of industry ads, feature body bags to portray tobacco's death toll. The industry says it is being vilified in violation of the agreement. Ad analysts say the ads are effective and reach an unprecedented audience for a public health message.