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Will he or won't he? South African President Mbeki is scheduled to speak to parliament tomorrow, where he may make a historic pronouncement regarding the AIDS health crisis. During the question time, he will be asked why the government hasn't yet declared a state of emergency, which would allow it to bypass international trade agreements and allow the importation and manufacture of cheaper, generic AIDS drugs. NPR's Brenda Wilson reports from Johannesburg.

NPR's Elizabeth Arnold reports that the Bush administration is rescinding environmental regulations that were approved in the last days of Bill Clinton's presidency. The latest rules to be reversed include one that requires the mining industry to post clean-up bonds and another that would reduce arsenic content in drinking water.Earlier, the Bush administration cancelled a rule that would have required lower carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.

In the final story in Morning Edition's series on literacy, NPR's Claudio Sanchez reports from Knoxville, Tennessee, on the inability of many college students to write college-level essays. Many four-year colleges are raising admissions standards or scaling back on remedial classes, so a good deal of remedial education now takes place at community colleges. Sanchez examines why American high schools graduate so many students who are ill-prepared for the rigors of college work.

NPR's Kathy Lohr reports on the national debate over minors' access to abortions. Many states have passed parental involvement laws. One mother says if the state had informed her, she could have talked her daughter out of having an abortion. Other parents say they should NOT be notified because the law forces some minors to go underground, where they get illegal and unsafe abortions.

Ohio Representative James Traficant is the subject of a federal investigation, in connection with free construction work and free cars the Congressman allegedly received from Ohio businessmen with interests before the government. Twenty years ago, when Traficant was a county sheriff, he was charged with taking bribes. He defended himself in court and won. His popularity launched him to Congress. Now, Traficant makes clear he's ready to defend himself again. NPR's Steve Inskeep reports.

NPR's Guy Raz reports Macedonian security forces ended a 24-hour cease-fire today and launched a new round of attacks against positions held by ethnic Albanian rebels around the city of Tetovo. Soon after the assault began, two Albanian men were shot dead by security forces at a checkpoint. The European Union's Javier Solana was in the capital, Skopje, for the second time this week and expressed hope the crisis will soon be resolved.

NPR's Michele Kelemen reports from Moscow that Russia today declared four U.S. diplomats persona non grata and will ask another 46 more to leave the country by summer. This follow's Washington's announcement it is expelling four Russians linked to alleged U.S. spy Robert Hanssen and has ordered out an additional 46 diplomats. Both governments, however, are playing down the long-term impact of the spy dispute on U.S.-Russian relations.

NPR's Julie McCarthy reports that the British government has called-in its military to help with the outbreak of foot-and mouth disease there. Nineteen new cases were found yesterday. Farmers are furious about the government's handling of slaughtered animals, as corpses pile up and rot. The tourism industry faces hundreds of millions of dollars in losses.

NPR's Tom Gjelten reports on China's demand that the United States end all reconnaissance flights over its waters -- even those in international airspace. Experts say the Chinese have been growing increasingly aggressive in their attempts to interfere with U.S. surveillance flights, culminating in the current detaining of the crew of the Navy spy plane that was forced to make an emergency landing after colliding with a Chinese fighter jet.

The Senate has now spent five days debating a bill designed to reduce the flow of money into federal election campaigns. The bill would outlaw so-called "soft money" contributions, large amounts of unregulated cash that go not to candidates but to the political parties. So far, the amendments that might have crippled the bill have been turned back. And although the bill has been turned back repeatedly in the past, this spring it seems to be building momentum. NPR's Peter Overby reports.