Trade Retreats as Election Issue
November 1, 2000
Despite loud protests a year ago when the World Trade Organization met in Seattle, and a bitter debate in Congress over normalizing trade with China, the topic of free trade hasn't really been featured in the campaign for the White House. In fact, labor leaders who bitterly disagreed with Vice President Al Gore's support for opening up international trade agreements are still backing him for president. They believe Democrat Gore would do more to protect U.S. workers from the effects of the new trade deals than would Gore's Republican opponent, Texas Gov. George W. Bush. Listen as NPR's Kathleen Schalch reports for Morning Edition about trade issues and the campaign.

Education Proposition Could Transform California Schools
October 31, 2000
Mark Keppel High School is literally crumbling into chunks just outside of Los Angeles. There are gaps in the walls. The pipes are corroded. There are only two indoor bathrooms for 2,000 students. And the computer room has so few electrical outlets that the circuits break two or three times a school period. California voters are considering two initiatives this election season that could dramatically change Mark Keppel High School and the state's other public schools. A voucher plan is getting the most attention, but Proposition 39 may prove more significant for California's six million students. The proposition would change the way money is raised and distributed for education, potentially pumping much-needed cash into the devastated schools. Listen as NPR's Robert Smith reports on Morning Edition.