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Fidgety financial markets continued their volatile swings today. As Jim Zarroli reports, the Nasdaq composite index lost more than 4 percent of its value early in the day before rebounding sharply. But the Nasdaq, home to most new economy stocks, is still off 20-percent for the year. There's a sense of unease about some of the high-tech stocks that have powered the market's remarkable performance. Earnings at many companies have disappointed, and with interest rates and energy costs up this year, investors see little to cheer about.

Claire Doole reports from Geneva on a World Health Organization (WHO) initiative to control the trade and distribution of tobacco and related products. The WHO is meeting to push for a coordinated worldwide policy to address the massive public health problems linked to tobacco use. The proposal would allow WHO member states to set their own specific national policy on trade and distribution of tobacco products, but still encourage them to cooperate in curbing the problems related to the tobacco marketing and consumption.

NPR's Eric Westervelt reports on the efforts by the gun lobby to mobilize voters who oppose gun control. Charleton Heston is urging the three-and-a-half million members of The National Rifle Association to vote for George W. Bush and other Republican candidates. The NRA and The National Shooting Sports Foundation are concentrating on critical swing states, such as Pennsylvania and Florida. Groups that support gun control also are trying to get out the vote for their candidates.

No issue has divided the two major party presidential candidates more sharply than Social Security. Vice President Al Gore campaigns on guaranteeing current benefits for retirees and those who will soon retire. Texas Governor George W. Bush stresses the need to provide for younger workers by investing some Social Security funds in the stock market. And each candidate accuses the other of pitting one generation against another. NPR's Steve Inskeep reports.

Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan tells lawmakers he doesn't believe the economy needs short-term stimulus. Congress, he says, should focus on actions that promote long-term growth. And he admonishes Congress to get deficits under control. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.

NPR's John Burnett examines the controversy surrounding a study by two law professors that found major errors in almost 70 percent of death penalty cases. The report stated that the errors were serious enough to warrant a retrial. But not all legal scholars agree with the work, or its definition of what an error was. The study titled, A Broken System, reviewed more than 45-hundred death penalty cases from 1973 to 1995.

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan said today that surging oil prices bear close attention because they have the potential to disrupt the nation's longest ever economic expansion. As NPR's John Ydstie reports, Greenspan said higher oil prices have not sparked a new round of inflation, but that possibility still exists, especially given low inventories and tensions in the Middle East. He noted that federal budget surpluses have aided the expansion, but added that government's propensity to spend may mean smaller surpluses in years to come.

NPR's Mike Shuster in Jerusalem reports the outburst of violence in the West Bank and Gaza over the past few weeks has shocked many people. It came just two months after the Camp David summit talks where Israel and the Palestinians seemed closer than ever before to a final peace settlement. At Camp David, the fate of Jerusalem's holy places was on the table for the first time in the negotiations. The issue proved traumatic, and a catalyst for violence.

NPR's Barbara Bradley reports on attempts to rework the juvenile justice system. After juvenile crime dropped steadily last decade, many people are taking a look at the system and wondering if it's too heavy-handed. Nearly every state has made it easier to charge children as adults. Opponents to this policy say once a youth gets in the adult system, he's more likely to continue committing crimes. Several states are now considering a change in the way they try and sentence juveniles.

NPR's Jim Zarroli reports that Wall Street gave AT&T a thumbs down on its plan to split into four separate companies. Shares of the long distance and cable TV giant fell as much as 13 percent. The restructuring of AT&T will create separate shares for AT&T's wireless, cable TV, consumer and business operations. The company has been under intense pressure from shareholders to do something about it's sagging stock value.