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NPR's Peter Overby reports on the bragging by both Democrats and Republicans about how many millions they've raised for congressional elections. This is expected to be the most expensive congressional campaign season ever, and the Democrats say they have the most money in hand now -- a rare occurrence. Both parties seem poised to break the legal limit on how much can be spent directly to help a candidate. They note that a federal court has outlawed the spending caps in six western states and the parties say they might just assume the caps will be thrown out for the rest of the country too.

NPR's Claudio Sanchez reports on a new media campaign designed to provoke pre-election discussion about how to improve American education. Television commercials will advocate better choices for families of all income levels. The group that sponsors the campaign is led by businessman Ted Forstmann. Forstmann is "on record" advocating government-paid tuition vouchers. But another participant, Senator John McCain says he doesn't support that. Former Reagan Administration official Robert Bennett says other options include support for home schooling and more student access to high technology.

General Barry McCaffrey testified before a House subcommittee today on his White House Office of National Drug Control Policy's efforts to get its message out through the media. McCaffrey defended past efforts at trading ad time for anti-drug messages in TV show scripts. And though he did not specifically address it in his testimony, in his PRINTED statement he indicated that his office would be exploring ways to collaborate with Hollywood. NPR's Brooke Gladstone reports.

NPR's Gerry Hadden reports from Mexico on the results of the presidential election. Official projections of the final vote count show opposition candidate Vicente Fox the clear winner. Fox's victory ends the 71-year rule of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI. The former rancher and Coca-Cola executive says he will stop corruption, double spending for public education, and jump-start the economy with foreign investment and jobs programs.

NPR's Tovia Smith reports from Boston on ethics complaints against the Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor. Jane Swift may have violated the state's conflict-of-interest law by asking her staff to babysit and move her family to a new house. But some say Swift is being made a scapegoat by conservative groups, who would have applauded a male official for the same things for which she is being criticized.

From member station WABE, NPR's Josh Levs reports on the case of Alabama marijuana grower Ronnie Chandler, the first person sentenced to die under the federal drug kingpin law. Chandler was convicted of ordering the murder of a man who told authorities about Chandler's drug dealings. But the only evidence the prosecution had linking Chandler to the case was a statement by the gunman, who now says he lied about Chandler's involvement. Chandler's attorneys are petitioning for a new trial.

NPR's Eric Weiner reports that the President of Indonesia used his state-of-the nation speech today to apologize for his performance in his first 10 months in office. Abdul Rahman Wahid has been under intense criticism for failure to cope with the country's severe economic problems, ethnic and religious violence, and corruption at a level that frightens away foreign investment. Some lawmakers have talked of impeachment, but the general consensus seems to be that Indonesia has spent the last few years in political turmoil and that the new president should be given more time to solve problems.

NPR's Linda Gradstein reports from Ramallah that many Palestinians look forward to reaching a peace agreement with Israel as a way of revitalizing the local economy. They say a peace agreement would attract foreign investors who currently are leery of the region's political instability. Some Palestinian economists also suggest that under a peace agreement, Israel might be convinced to lift tariffs and remove restrictions that prevent goods from travelling between the West Bank and Gaza. Unemployment is high in Palestinian territories and per capita income is much lower than in Israel, a situation that fuels Palestinian anger.

Ford is announcing today that it will increase the average fuel economy of its sports utility vehicles by 25 percent over five years. As NPR's Jack Speer reports, the company said it was responding to environmentally-conscious consumers who want their vehicles to burn less gas. Ford, which pioneered the trend toward big, gas-guzzling SUVs, appears to be shifting course under the direction of chairman William Ford Jr., an avowed environmentalist. But Ford's move may be prompted by economics, too. SUVs are highly profitable and high gas prices could put that lucrative market at risk.

Morning Edition's monthly series on the lives of Centenarians, One Hundred Years of Stories, features people from across the country who are one hundred years old--or older. In today's report producer Neenah Ellis talks with Margaret Byrd Rawson. During her lifetime, she pioneered research into dyslexia and continues to pursue her studies today despite the heavy burden of aging has placed on her.