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Noah talks with Jerry Pace, a retired Hazardous Materials Coordinator for the Federal Aviation Administration and the president of HazMat Guru Consulting and Training, Inc., about the business of transporting dangerous materials across the country and the safety precautions airlines use. In the wake of concerns that hazardous materials may have caused the crash of ValuJet 592, it's come as a surprise to many people that commercial airlines often carry cargo other than passengers in order to make ends meet.

Commentator Mickey Edwards says Senator Bob Dole's decision to resign has left a bit of a headache for the Republicans in the Senate. The fight for the leadership position is now between two men from Mississippi... Trent Lott and Thad Cochran.

Peter Aronson reports from Mississippi on Kids Quest, a child care center at the Grand Casino Biloxi. Gamblers with children appreciate the convenience that Kids Quest provides. With its colorful atmosphere and video karaoke, Kids Quest is also popular among kids. Gambling critics argue that by offering child care, casinos are only encouraging compulsive gambling among parents. While the people who run the Kids Quest at the Grand Casino Biloxi believe that they provide a safe and exciting environment for kids, they are worried that some parents over-use the facility.

Noah talks to Fatemah Ziai (FAH-tee-mah zee-AH-ee), counsel for Human Rights Watch Middle East, about the detention of Iyad al-Sarraj (EE-yad al saw-RAWJ) (rhymes with garage) by the Palestinian Authority. A psychiatrist and human rights activist, al-Sarraj has been critical of the Palestinian Authority's governance of the West Bank and Gaza. Human Rights Watch and two other U.S.-based human rights groups have criticized his detention.

NPR's Eric Weiner reports that Isreali Prime Minister Shimon Peres is ready to talk about a ceasefire in Lebanon. But there is pressure from the public to continue the popular operation, and with an election just five weeks away, there's pressure for him to look tough.

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.

NPR's Julie McCarthy reports on one of the last remnants of the Cold War: tensions on the Korean peninsula. Many South Koreans are chafing at the presence of 37,000 American troops, but the unpredictability of North Korea presages that US forces will be there for years to come.

NPR's Adam Hochberg reports that investigators in the Florida Everglades began recovering larger parts of the ill-fated ValuJet flight 592, including both engines and two tires. On the fifth day after the crash that killed 110 people, NTSB officials were also looking into tracking the oxygen generators being transported on the plane which are suspected of playing a key role in the accident.

Robert talks with The Honorable Riad Tabbarah [REE-ahd tah-BAHR-uh], the Lebanese Ambassador to the United States about the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in the South of his country, and talk of cease fire.

NPR's Mike Shuster reports on Russia's Ministry of Atomic Energy...MinAtom... [min-AT-um] and its director Victor Mikhailov. This agency has responsibility for all the stockpiles of highly enriched uranium and plutonium in Russia. Mikhailov has made life very difficult for US officials who have been trying to help Russia safeguard the material. MinAtom will not admit the extent of the problem it has with security, and according to some officials has stood in the way of most attempts to improve the safeguards.