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NPR's Joe Neel reports that the Food and Drug Administration today released statements from three former Phillip Morris employees. The FDA says the statement support the agency's contention that tobacco companies purposefully manipulate the nicotine in cigarettes to keep smokers addicted. The FDA has proposed widening its jurisdiction over tobacco products to try to keep young people from smoking.

that it may not be completely certified as fully cooperating with the U.S. in the war on drugs. Each year, by law, the White House must present to Congress a report on how well, or how poorly, several nations are doing in the fight against the production and trafficking of narcotics.

NPR's Richard Knox reports that snakebite antidote supplies are running very low this summer. In many areas, doctors have run out of the crucial medicine before patients have completed treatment. So far, no deaths are blamed on the shortage, but antivenom experts say it's only a matter of time. The shortfall arose when the manufacturer of the main antidote cut back production.

Commentator David Fleischaker says we're facing high prices and a shortage of natural gas, with fewer rigs drilling, new fields less productive than old ones, and an explosion of demand. Natural gas has become the clean fuel of choice for consumers, industry, and the electric utility industry. The solution, he says, lies in balancing fuel development and the environment -- and learning to consume less.

A number of the athletes at the Olympic games this week took a detour to Flagstaff, Arizona before they arrived in Sydney. They were taking advantage of the regions High Altitude Training Sports Training Complex. High altitude is known to stimulate red blood cell production which improves muscle endurance. The athletes hope the experience gave them a competitive edge. Mitch Teich reports from KNAU in Flagstaff.

NPR's Madeleine Brand examines the controversy over the Republican ad that criticizes Vice President Gore's prescription drug plan and which critics charge contains a "subliminal" message. The split-second appearance on the screen of the word "RATS," in large capital letters, then becomes part of the word "bureaucrats." The ad lambastes bureaucracy. Brand looks at the effectiveness of so-called "subliminal" advertising -- in selling candidates as well as other products.

Negotiations in the strike between members of the Screen Actors' Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the advertisers who hire them for TV commercials resume tomorrow. Strikers claim they've disrupted the industry. Ad companies say everything is humming along fine with non-union actors, and commercial production has moved to Canada and abroad. NPR's Aaron Schachter reports.

A play based on George Orwell's anti-Stalinist novel Animal Farm is on stage in China, where it takes on anti-Maoist overtones. But much of the audience seems more impressed with the robust production than the politics of the work. NPR's Rob Gifford reports.

Butterball CEO Bob Wright talks turkey about a business that does roughly half its yearly business during the holiday season. Wright says his company -- a division of ConAgra Foods -- is about to trot out a variety of new turkey products. Wright's interview is from The Motley Fool Radio Show.

Host Ophira Eisenberg and Jonathan Coulton announce some sad news: NPR is ending production of Ask Me Another. There are still new shows to come through September, so stay tuned.

-- Today, the Senate will continue debate over the Chemical Weapons Treaty. It's already been ratified by more than 70 countries aiming to ban the use and production of chemical warfare agents...now a two-thirds vote is needed for U-S ratification. The treaty will take effect worldwide next week with or without American participation.

Robert talks with Chris Haddenfield, an editor at Golf Digest magazine. Haddenfield has just returned from visiting the movie set of "Tin Cup," a golf comedy starring Kevin Kostner. Haddenfield also talks about "Follow the Sun," a 1950s film about golf legend Ben Hogan, which was just re-released. And why are there so many golf movies in production right now?

President Clinton today renewed most favored nation status for China. Congress must vote on the renewal, and many members have been critical of China's human rights record and its lack of action on the infringement of American copyrights. Last week, the President threatened to institute massive tariffs on some Chinese products. NPR's White House correspondent Mara Liasson reports.

Los Angeles Bureau Chief and columnist for Advertising Age magazine, about attempts by some established manufacturers to appeal to the growing number of "Baby Boomer" consumers. McDonald's, Levi-Strauss, and Toyota are a few of the companies that are changing their marketing strategies to keep some 78-million 50-year-olds interested in their products.

Some non-Indian settlers in the Brazilian Amazon believe much of the land being given to the Indians could be used more productively for agriculture or mining. And they suspect that Brazil's government is enlarging the Indian territory as a back-door means of keeping it undeveloped. NPR's Martin Kaste reports from Amazon state.

French pornographers are up in arms over a plan to ban their products from national television. Lawmakers say the ban would protect children and reduce sexual violence. NPR's Nick Spicer reports.

NPR's Jim Zarroli reports on the expected rise in natural gas prices nationwide this winter. In one New Jersey town, residents could be paying 16% more to heat their homes. Industry experts say seasons of low gas prices are to blame: natural gas producers cut back on production because it was harder to make money. But now there's an increased demand for the resource. (

NPR's David Kestenbaum reports that the Agriculture Department has created national standards for organic foods. A new USDA Organic seal will be given to foods produced WITHOUT genetically modified seeds, growth hormones, and other processes associated with traditional food products. Government officials say the new organic rules are among the toughest in the world, but some farmers say they may be bad for business.

The U.S. lumber industry is finding it hard to post a profit. Their production prices have remained high, but in order to remain competitive with imported timber, many U.S. logging companies have been selling their wares at or below cost. Kathy Witkowsky examines how an independently owned sawmill in Seeley Lake, Montana, deals with the problem.

Michigan Public Radio's Matt Shafer Powell reports from Detroit that many autoworkers are likely to make considerably less money in overtime earnings this year because of production cuts by the big three carmakers. Loss of overtime will mean $20,000 less for some workers, and that will hurt businesses that benefit from workers' non-essential spending.