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The arts have always been a part of American education - though often a small part. Sometimes they were used to encourage creativity...and sometimes, as during the turn-of-the-century wave of immigration, the arts were used to develop manual dexterity to prepare kids for the workforce. Now, for the first time, the arts are part of the national core curriculum through Goals 2000. Phyllis Joffe reports on the history of arts education in this country.

While the main focus of this week's Republican convention is the nominations of Bob Dole and Jack Kemp to head the GOP presidential ticket, several others in San Diego have at least one eye on the year 2000 and their prospects for topping the GOP ticket then. One of the best ways potential candidates can increase their stock in the party is to be a big booster for this year's candidate. NPR's Mara Liasson reports.

A newly energized labor movement is flexing its muscle at the Democratic convention. The AFL-CIO, especially, has hundreds of delegates in Chicago this week and plans to be more active in this year's elections than it has in a long time. It has already launched a $35 million campaign to help Democrats regain control of Congress and is buoyed by the recent passage of a new law raising the minimum wage. NPR's Cheryl Devall reports.

NPR's Anne Garrels reports from Moscow on talks to stop the fighting between the Russian army and Chechen rebels. Commanders for both sides have talked on the phone about separating their forces. Earlier in the day, Russian security chief Alexander Lebed returned from a secret overnight trip to meet with the commander of the Chechen forces to work out a military and political solution. It has been 20-months since Russian troops attacked to keep the Chechens from breaking away.

NPR's John Ydstie reports on how Bob Dole's tax-cut plan would affect different types of taxpayers. Middle-class families with children would do very well, as would people with lots of financial assets to sell. Of course, anyone who pays income tax would have their tax bill lowered, but whether they would be better off depends on what government services they use...and whether a program they depend on is cut or eliminated.

NPR's Ted Clark reports that though the US has again singled out Iran as the terrorist training base of choice, neighboring Afghanistan is far more culpable. For while terrorism in Iran is state sponsored, it is the absence of government in Afghanistan that has nurtured a whole new Foreign Legion of Middle East terrorists, a generation known in intelligence circles as the Afghan Arabs.

The Target discount chain has decided to stop selling tobacco products at its 714 stores...making Target the first major retailer to pull tobacco products from its shelves. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports store officials say they weren't making much money from tobacco products anyway. The development has some people wondering whether other major retailers might follow suit.

NPR'S Linda Gradstein reports that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has called for a general strike tomorrow to protest what he said was Israel's declaration of war agains the Palestinians. Arafat's strike call comes after Israel demolished a Palestinian youth center in East Jerusalem. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would regard with severity any attempt to escalate tensions or violence.

The unemployment rate fell to a seven-year low in August as businesses added a quarter-of-a-million new jobs to their payrolls. The Labor Department released its monthly survey for August this morning. It showed the unemployment rate had fallen to 5.1%. Stock and bond markets were calm because the business payroll figures were almost exactly what analysts had been expecting. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.

NPR's Joe Palca reports that a new prime number has been discovered. This new number is the largest known prime number. A prime number is a number that can only be divided by itself and one.