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NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports from Jerusalem that a gamble by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak to get a peace treaty to use as an electoral platform seems to have failed. Though U.S. envoy Dennis Ross is on his way back to the Middle East for one last ditch effort to find a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, there is little hope that he will succeed. If he doesn't, Barak's bid for re-election next month appears doomed.

NPR's Brian Naylor reports on trouble facing the nomination of Linda Chavez to be George W. Bush's Secretary of Labor. The nomination has run into some problems following the revelation that an illegal immigrant lived in Chavez's house for a period of time and apparently did some work for her. Opponents of the Chavez nomination point to similarities to Zoe Baird, President Clinton's first choice for attorney general, whose name was withdrawn after it was revealed she had what is now known as a "nanny problem."

NPR's Pam Fessler reports on the large number of federal regulations that the Clinton administration is issuing during its last days in office. Among the most controversial are: banning road building and logging in millions of acres of federally owned forests; restricting the sulfur content of diesel fuel; protecting the privacy of medical records; setting federal standards for organic foods; and holding employers liable for ergonomic injuries. President Clinton says the new regulations have been in the works for a long time, and they aren't last minute initiatives.

NPR's Steve Inskeep reports from the Capitol on Senate passage of the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform Bill. By a vote of 59-to-41, the Senate approved the measure. The House has passed similar campaign finance reform bills in the past, but opponents of this one hope to slow it down, at least. (4:26) For moe NPR News coverage of campaign finance reform, check out Money, Power & Influence.

NPR's David Welna reports on the partisan debate raging on Capitol Hill over the turmoil in the stock market and what that could mean for President Bush's tax reduction program. Republicans insist that if the economy is faltering, tax cuts need to be implemented without delay. Democrats argue that the falling stock prices mean it would be too risky to pass a 10-year tax cut plan, given the fact that there is no way to know whether the administration's long-range projections on the economy are accurate.

NPR's Steve Inskeep reports that Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens received a dubious award yesterday. The Republican was given an "oinker award" by the Citizens Against Government Waste, citing the amount of federal pork barrel spending the group says he's brought home to Alaska. But Sen. Stevens didn't shy away from the award. Stevens says he's proud of the federal dollars he's won for his state.

NPR's Guy Raz reports from northwest Macedonia that army tanks today began shelling positions held by ethnic Albanian rebels in the hills over Tetovo. The government tonight gave the rebels 24 hours to clear out of the hills -- or face an all-out assault. In the capital, Skopje, the European Union's security chief, Javier Solana, warned the rebels they would achieve nothing by force. The rebels said they were prepared to negotiate, but vowed to continue fighting if the government refuses to grant the Albanian community greater civil rights.

NPR's Jon Hamilton reports on a new trend in medicine -- using extreme treatments for diseases that aren't immediately life-threatening. We look at how doctors are using bone-marrow transplants and other treatments traditionally reserved for severe cancer cases in patients with diseases like arthritis and multiple sclerosis. It's a controversial approach and effectiveness studies are only now getting started. But it's helping some people return to normal, disease-free lives.

NPR's Cheryl Corley reports on a lawsuit filed by the estate of Margaret Mitchell, author of the epic Gone With the Wind. The estate objects to a novel by Alice Randall, scheduled to be published this June. Randall says the book, titled The Wind Done Gone is a parody of the classic novel, told from the perspective of a young slave girl. Lawyers for the Mitchell estate argue it's an unauthorized sequel. (8:00) (Post broadcast correction: The name of the attorney for Houghton Mifflin is Joseph Beck.)

Eric Engleman reports from Moscow on today's reaction from Russia to President Bush's speech yesterday outlining proposals for a missile defense system. The Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov repeated Moscow's view that the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty is a cornerstone of global arms control, and not a relic of the Cold War, as President Bush sees it. At the same time, Ivanov welcomed the president's desire to consult with other governments on the matter.