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Whoever the new U.S. president is, the new administration will have to deal with Russia under Vladimir Putin. NPR's Tom Gjelten reports that an early challenge will be deciding whether or not to sanction Russian arms sales to Iran. Effective today, the Russians are withdrawing from the understanding former Russian Prime Minister Chernomyrdin reached with U.S. Vice President Gore regarding such sales.

Florida Circuit Court Judge N. Sanders Sauls began today promising a 12-hour hearing and a ruling before the night was out. As of late afternoon, it was clear the hearing would last at least that long, but far less clear that the judge would be ruling tonight. It took the court more than four hours just to deal with opening statements and the first witness for the campaign of Vice President Al Gore. NPR's Brian Naylor reports from Tallahassee.

The New Jersey Attorney General has released state documents, detailing the use of racial profiling by state troopers there. Robert talks with David Kocieniewski, a reporter for the New York Times Trenton, New Jersey Bureau. He says the documents show thirty to fifty percent of the people stopped were minorities, and eighty percent of those who had their cars searched by troopers were minorities.

PepsiCo will buy Quaker Oats for $13.4 billion in stock, giving PepsiCo a new array of food and beverage products, including Quaker's big seller -- Gatorade. The deal gives PepsiCo a boost in its battle with arch rival Coca-Cola over customers who drink non-carbonated beverages. Coke withdrew a pricier bid for Quaker Oats last month. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.

Ross Reynolds of member station KUOW reports on the White House's plans to launch a new ad campaign targeting the drug ecstasy. The drug is often used at parties called raves, and its popularity is soaring. Ecstasy can be dangerous to those who use it, causing side affects ranging from mild nausea to panic attacks. But some "ravers" are coming up with their own safety strategies, and they aren't quite what the government had in mind.

California voters will be asked to decide whether non-violent drug offenders should be required to undergo treatment instead of going to jail. Proposition 36 would mandate probation and treatment instead of jail and would provide millions of dollars to fund drug treatment programs. Supporters say it would be more effective than jail, opponents believe the measure doesn't provide adequate monitoring. NPR's Ina Jaffe reports.

Jackie Northam of Chicago Public Radio reports one of the most influential theatres in the US is moving to a new location. Chicago's famed Goodman Theatre will soon pack up and relocate to a new 46-million dollar location in the city's north loop. The change of venue gives the Goodman a larger and more versatile space to use. City planners hope the move will help revitalize the historic area.

NPR's Guy Raz reports that tens of thousands of Germans demonstrated today in Berlin against a recent upsurge in neo-Nazi violence. German President Johannes Rau addressed the crowd, and the chief rabbi of Berlin offered a prayer for Jews who died in the Holocaust. Today, November 9th, is a date of great symbolism for Germans. In 1938, Nazi thugs went on a rampage, smashing Jewish shops and synagogues. On this date in 1989, the Berlin Wall was breached.

Despite numerous waves of migrations that have swept across Europe in the recent past, from the Huns to the Mongols and a host of others, most European men are descended from Stone Age settlers who populated Europe nearly 40 thousand years ago. The information is based on genetics rather than archaeology. It comes from studying the Y chromosome, a genetic element that's passed strictly from father to son. NPR's Joe Palca reports.

NPR's Tom Gjelten reports that Senior Pentagon and Administration officials defend the decision to send the U.S.S. Cole to refuel in Aden, Yemen where the ship was attacked. The officials say that U.S. Navy ships had refueled in the Yemeni port dozens of times before. They say there had been no special security alerts to warn against such refueling stops.