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NPR's Mandalit Delbarco reports that while President Clinton visited southern California this week, local officials were scrambling to figure out how they'll cope with the new welfare reform act the President has said he will sign. The reform would cut legal immigrants off from many key support payments (such as SSI, food stamps and Medicare), and cities like L.A., with a high number of immigrants, will have to look to state and local coffers to pick up the costs that may result.

NPR's Ted Clark reports that after two days of talks with Palestinian negotiators, the Middle East peace process is still on hold. The U.S. has presented bridging ideas to both the Israelis and the Palestinians, and next week the U.S. will decide what steps it should take next. The good news is that the two sides are at least are talking (via the U.S.), and there is again some cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian security forces. Yesterday, the two services cooperated in arresting several alleged Hamas terrorists believed to be tied to last month's coffee shop bombing in Tel Aviv. Another hopeful sign: the U.S. State Department praised Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat for his very strong statement against terrorism.

NPR's Eric Weiner reports from Jerusalem that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could face criminal charges stemming from a controversial two-day appointment of an Attorney General earlier this year. A three-month police investigation into the brief appointment of Roni Bar-On as Attorney General, has recommended that Netanyahu and his Minister of Justice be indicted for breach of trust as the result of the appointment. It is alleged that the unqualified Bar-On was picked for the job as part of a political deal by the Prime Minister to assure key votes from his government coalition partners. A decision on whether to hand down the recommended indictments will be made by the State Attorney's office by early next week.

Ed O'Loughlin (oh-LOCK-lin) reports from Johannesburg on the diplomatic row between the United States and South Africa over a possible South African bid to sell weapons technology to Syria. US officials say such a sale would jeopardize American economic aid to South Africa, because the United States considers Syria a "terrorist" nation. US law prohibits aid to countries which provide arms to "terrorist" states. South African President Nelson Mandela has denounced the US, saying outside pressure will not affect his foreign policy.

Bill Passman was a rich man by the time he was 30. His first real job in the software industry made him a millionaire and put him in position to start his own company. But Passman found out building your own business is a much more complicated -- and humbling --experience than working in someone else's. He struggled for five years and lost millions of dollars in investor money, but those who know him say that experience is what makes him a good businessman today. NPR's Chris Arnold reports.

For post-World War II America, 16-millimeter film was the medium of choice...for newsreels and educational films. While it's been placed by video in the market, some schools still rely on these films to teach everything from law of gravity to Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven." But preservation is a problem...Chicago's cash-strapped public schools are worried that, unless they can find a safe repository for the films, they'll lose a valuable educational resource. NPR's Rick Karr reports from Chicago.

NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports on concern amongst Eastern European governments about negotiations over the future of NATO. Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary are considered the most likely candidates to be invited to join the organization at its Madrid summit in July. But with pressures mounting between Russia and the members of NATO, and concern that the Eastern European members might someday pose a threat to Russia, citizens of these nations are becoming worried that they might pay a price for the benefits they'd receive as participants in a NATO expansion. (8:00) Funder 0:29 XPromo 0:29 CUTAWAY 1B 0:29 RETURN1 0:29 NEWS 2:59 NEWS 1:59 THEME MUSIC 0:29 1C - 1D FORMAT BREAKER

NPR'S Margot Adler reports that the U.S. State Department and New York's Mayor Giulini have announced tough new parking regulations for diplomats. Starting April 1, diplomats will no longer be exempt from parking fines. Those who ignore the law and refuse to pay tickets within one year run the risk of losing their special license plates. The news isn't being received well among envoys. One Russan diplomat says the city was mounting virtual warfare against the diplmatic corp.

NPR's Ann Cooper reports that New York City refuses to back down in its standoff with foreign diplomats over the issue of illegal parking and unpaid tickets. The city has implemented new parking guidelines under which UN diplomats must pay their tickets within a year or lose their diplomatic license plates. A UN committee has given the State Department a week to resolve those parts of the new guidelines which it considers unacceptable. New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani says the new rules do not violate international law and that the State Department should not be intimidated.

Laurie Neff reports from Jerusalem on Israel's decision today to go head with the construction of a large housing project in disputed east Jerusalem. That decision was made despite U.S. misgivings and a Palestinain warning of violence. The Har Homa project will place 6,500 homes for Jews in an area claimed by Palestinians as their future capital. Paelstinians see the move as Israel's attempt to solidify its claim over all of Jerusalem before final status talks on the future of the city can be held. Israel says it simply needs more housing for all the people who want to live in Jerusalem, and has pledged to build 3,000 units of arab housing near Har Homa as well.