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Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush is in New York tonight for a political dinner where the guests will also include his rival, Democrat Al Gore. He will also tape an appearance with late night comedian David Letterman. But this morning Bush began his day in Michigan, a key swing state where he talked to workers at an engineering plant. He told them Gore represented old style thinking about economics and government. NPR's Steve Inskeep reports.

NPR's Jim Zarroli reports AT&T's corporate board is still weighing various restructuring options, ranging from sticking with the status quo to a plan that would break the company into several parts. The AT&T board is expected to vote this evening and make an announcement Wednesday morning. Some Wall Street analysts were skeptical of the more radical restructuring proposals because they represented a retreat from the company's recent strategy of selling packages of local, long-distance, wireless and internet services.

NPR's Brian Naylor reports on the latest tussle between the White House and Republicans on Capitol Hill. Late last night President Clinton vetoed another spending bill, this one that would finance the Treasury Department, White House and Congress itself. The veto apparently came in retaliation for the GOP's rejection of a compromise that would have financed schools and other social programs. Both sides came away from the squabble with inflamed rhetoric, with Republicans claiming that Mr. Clinton is deliberately trying to force a government shutdown, while the President saying that classrooms should be funded before the operation of Congress.

NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports from Rome that tomorrow, Pope John Paul the Second will proclaim Thomas More the patron saint of statesmen and politicians. Thomas More, the Renaissance humanist, jurist, diplomat and author of Utopia, is revered by Christians as a symbol of integrity and conscience. He was beheaded by King Henry the Eighth for refusing to recognize the monarch as England's supreme spiritual leader. The suggestion to make Thomas More the patron saint of politicians came first from former Italian president Francesco Cossiga.

NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports from Rome that an Italian cardinal has denounced the growing popularity of Halloween as an unwelcome foreign import. Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini urged Italian children to follow traditional Catholic rituals honoring the dead tomorrow, November first -- when the Church celebrates as All Saints' Day. Italian sociologists worry about a revival of witchcraft. Until a few years ago, Halloween was unknown in Italy. This year, jack-o-lanterns adorn shop windows, and children are dressing up as witches and vampires.

Methamphetamine, also known as speed, crank or crystal meth -- is highly addictive and can do serious harm to the nervous system. In the last few years, meth has become a major epidemic in the farm belt, where's its manufacturers are also users. NPR's Robert Siegel reports from Shawnee County, Kansas, where meth has replaced crack and heroin as the drug of choice.

NPR's Joanne Silberner reports on new information about the safety of P.P.A., the main ingredient in many cold remedies and appetite suppressants. On Thursday, advisors to the Food and Drug Administration declared P.P.A. unsafe, based on a new study showing young women who take these medications have a higher-than-normal risk of stroke. The FDA usually goes along with such recommendations, though some experts say that the study isn't conclusive and that more research is needed before banning P.P.A.

NPR's Gerry Hadden reports that a traditional game of deliberately submitting to electric shocks is still being played in Mexico as well as Central and South America. Practitioners approach people, often in bars, and for a small fee, attach them to a device that applies an electric shock, which intensifies until the client can no longer take it. People who play call it say it's a fun game of endurance. But some American doctors question the safety of the practice, especially for people who have undiscovered heart problems.

NPR's Brian Naylor reports that, before adjournment, Congress voted to limit the development of low power radio. Low power stations broadcast within an area of four to seven miles, and are meant to benefit schools, churches and others in a local community. Broadcaster groups, including NPR, have said those new stations could interfere with currently licensed FM broadcasters. The omnibus spending bill approved by Congress and sent to President Clinton includes a ban on removing the cushions that protect individual FM signals, except in nine test markets.

Crittenden is a former reporter for The New York Times. Shes the author of the new book The Price of Motherhood: Why the Most Important Job in the World is Still the Least Valued. In the book, Crittenden writes about the cost to mothers when their work is unrecognized and undervalued. For instance, because child care is not counted as labor, caregivers receive no Social Security credits, and as a result they lose out on retirement income. Crittenden spent five years research on her book talking to economists, socicologists, and to mothers.