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NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports from Jerusalem that two months after the Camp David summit broke down without an agreement, Israel Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat have met again to talk about peace. The meeting comes as the public debate is both camps has centered on formulas about how authority in East Beirut could be divided, something that was a taboo subject only weeks ago.

NPR's Michele Kelemen reports that although Russian forces continue to lose men in Chechnya nearly every day, the war rarely grabs headlines any more. Soldiers who have fought there complain the war is bogging down, but few Russians are demanding publicly that their government revise its strategy, seek a political settlement, or pull out of Chechnya.

NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr reasons that the American electorate's lack of interest in foreign affairs emboldens rogue leaders like Slobodan Milosevic and Saddam Hussein.

NPR's Anthony Brooks reports from St. Petersburg on Democratic Presidential candidate Al Gore's efforts to win voter support in Florida for his Medicare reform plan. Florida is considered a critical state. Both Gore and his Republican opponent, George W. Bush, are offering proposals to add prescription drug coverage to the Medicare program.

NPR's Martin Kaste reports from Caracas, Venezuela, where high ranking representatives of oil exporting countries are gathering for a summit. OPEC leaders will discuss how to respond to demands for increasing oil production, as a way of lowering petroleum prices. They're not expected to take any action that would drive oil prices below twenty-five dollars a barrel.

NPR's Julie McCarthy reports from Prague that demonstrators rioted in the streets of the Czech capital today as the International Monetary Fund and World Bank formally opened their annual summit. The protesters -- who see the IMF and World Bank as evil forces of "globalization" -- threw gasoline bombs, rocks and bottles at police. Inside the convention center, the meetings got under way without interruption.

NPR's John Burnett reports that as the bottom falls out of the Texas ranch economy, ranchers are turning to economic diversification -- such as ranch tourism -- to preserve their holdings. Tourism includes hosting mountain bike events or charging for admission to the bat cave. Some put a twist on the Tom Sawyer story by charging visitors to help with the ranch work.

Two stories on the Presidential campaign: NPR's Anthony Brooks reports on Democratic nominee Al Gore's appearance last night on MTV's Choose or Lose program, where he answered questions from college students. NPR's Andy Bowers reports on Republican nominee George W. Bush's appearance on CNN with Larry King. Host Larry King interviewed Governor Bush and his wife, Laura.

NPR's John Ydstie reports that a new study by the Census Bureau shows the number of Americans living in poverty has dropped to the lowest level in two decades. The study also shows that approximately 17 percent of American children are growing up in poverty.

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.