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NPR's Patricia Neighmond reports on the approval today of the abortion drug RU486. The Food and Drug Administration says the drug is safe and effectively produces an abortion, when used with another commonly available drug. Opponents tried to keep the drug off the market, saying it is unsafe not only for fetuses but also for women. But the FDA said the scientific evidence overwhelmingly favored RU486's approval.

NPR's Jon Hamilton looks at the scientific, legal and political history of RU486 in America.

Jean Bethke Elshtain teaches social and political ethics at the University of Chicago. She greets today's decision on RU486 with caution. She worries that the fundamental questions about life and birth and relationships -- the questions that often most divide our society -- are being avoided. She suggests society's search for technological solutions to issues, like a pill to end a pregnancy, helps us avoid dealing with the underlying problems, such as the number of unwanted pregnancies.

Noah talks to Cathie Carr, Chief Executive Officer of the Escapee RV Club about a fight by RV owners for their right to vote in Polk County, Texas. The RV owners residency is being challenged by Polk County Democrats, on grounds that members of the RV club are constantly traveling, and therefore can not lay claim to a "domicile" in Texas. Carr is furious about the challenge.

Republicans now have a slim majority of just six votes in the House of Representatives -- and all 435 seats are on the ballot in November. Democrats are hoping to become the majority if they can sweep the close races on the West Coast. One of the most closely watched of these contests is in California's fabled Silicon Valley, ground zero for the micro-chip and personal computer revolution. NPR's Richard Gonzales reports.

A new study by an advocacy group says putting more people in prison doesn't necessarily result in dropping crime rates. But as NPR's Tovia Smith reports, the study has drawn lots of spirited criticism and debate.

NPR's Anthony Brooks reports that both Vice President Al Gore and George W. Bush are pushing their plan on adding a prescription drug benefit to Medicare in an effort to attract elderly voters.

NPR's Joanne Silberner looks at how the abortion drug RU486 works. She talks to American women who were involved in the studies submitted to the Food and Drug Administration that led to today's approval.

The Olympics bring out the most devoted collectors: scavengers who scoop up spent shotgun shells, lapel pin traders, and high rollers who shell out 100-thousand-dollars for a gold medal winner's swim trunks. At Sydney Olympic Park, just about anything with five rings or a connection to an Olympic athlete seems to be selling. NPR's Eric Weiner reports.

NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports that Yugoslavia electoral body ruled that President Slobodan Milosevic and challenger Vojislav Kostunica must face a run-off vote on October 8 because neither won a majority in the first round. Yesterday, thousands of demonstrators gathered in the streets of Belgrade to protest the decision and to show their support for Kostunica who says he is the clear winner of Sunday's election.