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NPR's Michele Kelemen reports that environmentalists in Russia are going to court over Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's restructuring of the country's environmental protection system. Activists fear that the new system is really a cover for a plan to open up long protected nature reserves to commercial usage, to bring in badly needed cash to the central overnment. Kelemen visited a reserve in southern Siberia where rangers are worried about their future and the protection of the reserve.

There were violent scenes in the South African town of Sasolburg today, when a white businessman was arraigned in court on murder charges. He is accused of dragging one of his black employees to death behind a pickup truck. The incident has caused outrage among South Africans, and led to accusations that not enough is being done to halt racist violence, six years after the end of apartheid. Jim Fish of the BBC has a report.

NPR's Steve Inskeep reports from Allentown, Pennsylvania on the Bush campaign. The Texas Governor is preparing for a speech today on prescription drugs and trying to recover from using profanity in front of an open microphone.

NPR's Don Gonyea reports on the marathon Gore/Lieberman campaign swing through several key states yesterday. The tour began Sunday with a meeting with construction workers in Philadelphia, continuing to Flint, Michigan and Tampa Florida. The circuit ended in Louisville at a dinner sponsored by the AFL-CIO. Along the way, Al Gore spoke about issues he thinks will appeal to working families: tax breaks for the middle class, better wages, and lower prescription drug costs.

NPR's Pam Fessler reports on the Democrats' push to get their agenda acted on during these final weeks of the 106th Congress. Led by President Clinton, Senate Leader Tom Daschle and House Leader Richard Gephardt, the Democrats once again urged passage of an increase in the minimum wage and a patients' bill of rights. But both parties know that much of what is going on maybe less about legislation and more about gaining the electoral advantage as November 7 approaches.

Noah speaks with Craig Dremann, co-owner of the Redwood City Seed Company, about the Indian Military's claim that the world's hottest chili pepper is grown in Assam. He says it's the hottest domesticated pepper, but the hottest is a wild pepper called the Pepper Tepin, which grows in the dry desert mountains of Northern Mexico. His company sells old fashioned vegetable and herb seeds from all over the world, including Assam. For the chili seeds, he's had to developed his own testing system, which is similar to the scoville scale at the turn of the century.

Host Bob Edwards talks with Wendy Hamilton of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. The group was founded twenty years ago.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports that the increasing popularity of olive oil in Israeli cooking is creating a thriving olive oil industry. More Israelis are switching from soybean oil, as they acquire a taste for olive oil.

NPR's Elaine Korry reports on the protest over the Labor Day weekend, in which dairy farmers around the country dumped more than two million gallons of milk to protest low prices. Dairy farmers are asking the government to raise the federal price support for raw milk because, they say, they're losing money, despite relatively high retail prices.

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews A Good House, Bonnie Burnard's first novel. It won the 1999 Giller prize, Canada's most prestigious literary award. It's just been published in this country.