MORNING EDITION (14.4 | 28.8)
(entire program)

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A Face Behind the Criticism (14.4 | 28.8) -- NPR's Adam Hochberg reports from Raleigh on North Carolina's new law that requires candidates to appear personally in any television or radio ads that attack their opponents. The law is intended to make election campaigns less negative. (4:34)

Insurance Discrimination (14.4 | 28.8) -- Host Madeleine Brand talks to Wall Street Journal Reporter Scot Paltrow, about his story this week regarding the open discrimination that insurance companies in the South practiced for decades, charging higher premiums for their black policy holders. The companies ended the practice in the 1960's, but many of them never went back and adjusted rates on pre-exiting policies. Paltrow says that means that hundreds of thousands of black customers are still paying unfair rates. (4:05)

Vietnam's Economy (14.4 | 28.8) -- Vietnam's leaders have been keeping their society in tight control since the country was re-united under a Marxist government twenty-five years ago. Correspondent Daniel Zwerdling reports for NPR News and for American RadioWorks on how Vietnam's entry into the world economy is starting to effect restrictions on free speech, and how social vices...like drugs and prostitution...are on the rise. (7:29)

Snowmobile Ban (14.4 | 28.8) -- Kathy Witkowsky reports on the announcement that snowmobiles are now banned from most national parks and recreational areas throughout the United States. Snowmobile enthusiasts and the industry that builds the winter vehicle promise to fight the decision. (3:30)

Mixed-Race Heritage (14.4 | 28.8) -- As part of Morning Edition's year-long series " The Changing Face of America, " writer Michele Serros interviews three friends about their mixed-race heritages. Each has different stories. Crystal usually just simplifies her Irish/Native American/South American background as "black-and-white." Marcus speaks English, Spanish, or German depending on where he is. And Mark uses music to transcend his Asian-Mexican American heritage...he says it allows him to communicate soul to soul. (8:40)

Sick Day in May? (14.4 | 28.8) -- Host Madeleine Brand talks with Frank Guerrero of the anti-corporate activist group RTMark about their proposal for a May first Sick Day. The group wants Americans to skip work on May Day as a way to protest their lack of leisure time. (3:30)

Faster Cargo Ships (14.4 | 28.8) -- Scott Horsley of member station KPBS reports on a faster way to move cargo. Currently, businesses can pay extra to have their goods shipped overseas via air, or they can pay less and wait longer using ocean freighters. Now Fastship, a Philadelphia company, wants to change that by building ships that can cut through the heavy seas twice as fast as freighters. (4:41)

Arms Dispute (14.4 | 28.8) -- NPR's Ted Clark reports that after 3 days of discussion, Russian and U.S. officials were not able to resolve a growing arms dispute. The United States wants to build a limited national missile defense system, but that would violate the 1972 Anti-Balistic Missile Treaty, and Moscow seems unwilling to amend the treaty. (3:24)

National Missile Defense System (14.4 | 28.8) -- NPR's Steve Inskeep takes a look at the details surrounding the proposed national missile defense system. If approved, around 100 missile sites would be built, although that number could rise if the U.S. perceives a greater threat from rouge nations or terrorists. (4:52)

Bush Platform (14.4 | 28.8) -- NPR's White House Correspondent, Mara Liasson, reports that Governor George W. Bush is positioning himself as a moderate by staking claims on traditionally Democratic issues such as education, health care and low income housing. (7:40)

UN Forensic Autopsies (14.4 | 28.8) -- Patrician Nunan reports that UN forensics teams are conducting autopsies on victims of last September violence in East Timor, trying to establish precise causes of death. The autopsies are part of an on-going UN effort to find out how many people were involved and who should be held accountable. 3:30

Coach in Congress? (14.4 | 28.8) -- Carolyn Johnsen of Nebraska Public Radio reports that retired University of Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne is running for congress. After coaching for 25 years and leading the Cornhuskers to 3 national championships, Osborne is hoping to convince Nebraska's 3rd district to send a political rookie to Capitol Hill. (4:56)

Neal Conan/Play-By-Play Announcer (14.4 | 28.8) -- In the first of a series of radio-essays, NPR's Neal Conan talks about his new part time job as a play-by-play announcer for a minor league baseball team. Conan's will talk about his experiences with the Aberdeen Arsenal every other Friday throughout baseball season. (3:17)

Cloned Cell Findings (14.4 | 28.8) -- NPR's David Baron reports on a study in today's issue of the journal, "Science," which finds that cloning can rewind a molecular clock involved in aging and may produce especially youthful and long-lived animals. A team of American and Canadian scientists found that cloned cows have cells that appear as young, or younger than those from normal cows of the same age. (4:04)

Letters From You (14.4 | 28.8) -- Host Madeleine Brand shares letters from listener. (2:00)