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The National Transportation Safety Board has concluded that the TWA Flight 800 disaster of 1996 was probably caused by an electrical short circuit. The four-year investigation formally ended today, as the board stressed that the flight was NOT brought down by a terrorist action. NPR's Mary Ann Akers reports.

Asthma is the most common chronic childhood disease. For some reason, rates of asthma keep going up every year. Researchers have been looking at the causes for this increase, which has been found to be much higher in the industrialized world. Everything from exposure to dust mites and cockroaches to diet has been implicated. Now, a new study from the New England Journal of Medicine concludes that there might be another cause: too much cleanliness. The more sterile the early environment for infants six months and younger, the more problems with asthma they seem to have later in life. NPR's Allison Aubrey reports.

NPR's Adam Hochberg reports on an agreement between the country's largest pork producer and the state of North Carolina to reduce pollution from manure lagoons.

Robert talks to California Attorney General Bill Lockyer about settlement in the state's lawsuit against Publishers Clearing House. Lockyer says this is just the beginning -- that he's been talking with other state Attorneys General about closing a similar settlement deal with another major sweepstakes company.

Commentator Kimberly Phillips-Fein remarks on recent popularity of religious figures such as Jesus Christ and Buddha as inspiration for authors of books on corporate strategy.

Leda Hartman reports on the lawsuit that Hoke County and four other rural counties in North Carolina have brought, against the state's method of disbursing money to school districts. The plaintiffs argue that poor school districts can't raise as much money for public education as wealthier districts, and that the inequality feeds a cycle of underachievement and poverty. The case is currently in North Carolina State Superior Court and is expected to go to the state supreme court.

Host Renee Montagne talks to reporter Richard Galpin about the resurgence of violence in East Timor. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees suspended operations in West Timor after three of its workers were severely injured in an attack by pro-Indonesian militias.

Claudio Sanchez reports on the latest results of a 30-year survey of nine, thirteen, and 17-year old American students. The report, which looks at reading, math and science scores, shows today's students are doing better in math than students did 30 years ago. Performance is mixed in reading and science. The survey finds the academic gap between boys and girls has virtually disappeared. It says the gap between white and minority students closed for a while, but has started to open up again. The report also says a much greater percentage of today's students are taking tough courses, such as calculus, than students did 30 years ago.

Host Renee Montagne talks to writer Beverly Donofrio about her search for faith in her new book, Looking for Mary. (5:30) Beverly Donofrio's new book is titled Looking for Mary is published by Viking Pr; ISBN: 06708

NPR's Mike Shuster reports that Mexico's President-elect Vicente Fox is on a two-day visit to Washington to present his proposals on trade, immigration and drug trafficking. Fox defeated the ruling party's candidate, President Ernesto Zedillo, in a July election. He supports opening borders as a way of addressing illegal immigration and helping to develop Mexico's economy. US business and labor leaders are unenthusiastic, but President Clinton has said he wants to hear more about Fox's ideas before expressing an opinion. In addition to visiting President Clinton, Fox met with Vice President Gore and plans a similar session tomorrow with Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush.