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Anne Sutton of member station KTOO in Juneau reports that Alaska's love affair with tourism is showing signs of strain. The seasonal influx of visitors has put wear and tear on the state's infrastructure, and residents aren't sure the tourist dollars that come with them are enough to offset the damage. So voters will go to polls October 5th to decide whether to level a per-head tax on out of state visitors.

On the government's fiscal calendar the new year begins Friday, and NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr says that it's not going to be a holiday.

NPR's Anthony Brooks reports on the latest change to the presidential primary and caucus schedule. New Hampshire, historically the nation's first primary state, announced it was moving its date back one week, to February 1, 2000, because Louisiana had moved theirs back to February 8. Iowa, whose caucuses were scheduled for January 31, may now have to move back to January 24. All in all, another bizarre indication of how the presidential season is starting earlier than ever.

General Motors has reached a settlement in a lawsuit resulting from a 1997 car accident. In the crash, a Chevrolet Chevette was struck by another vehicle, and burst into flames, killing the driver. The motorist's widow sued GM. The number-one automaker was sharply criticized by the judge in the case for its efforts to keep two key documents out of the proceedings. The documents date back to 1973 and 1981 and both relate of the potential cost of lawsuits from collisions where a gas-tank fire erupted. Robert speaks with NPR's Don Gonyea about the case.

NPR's David Welna reports that barring last minute roadblocks, Illinois Governor George Ryan will become the first sitting US governor to visit Cuba under Castro's rule, even though many in his party are denouncing the trip.

Linda talks to Nadine Selden of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies from her office in Istanbul. Selden says relief efforts are still underway for people effected by the earthquake in Turkey six weeks ago. The most recent aftershock was this morning. Selden says that ten-thousand winterized tents are being prepared for people who have no permanent housing.

NPR's Eric Weiner reports that hundreds, maybe thousands, of people were killed in East Timor in recent weeks because of the rampages of Indonesian army organized militias. But whether the culprits are brought to justice or not is another matter. The United Nations Human Rights commission has voted to establish an international inquiry for East Timor, but Indonesian officials have rejected it.

Linda speaks with former New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley, who is competing with Vice President Gore for the Democratic Party's nomination for President. He joins us from Los Angeles.

NPR's David Kestenbaum reports on the first known death in a study of gene implantation. An 18-year-old Arizona man with a rare metabolic disease died in mid-September after undergoing the experimental therapy at the University of Pennsylvania. Experts say the fatality could force changes in the way these experiments are performed and may slow down the advance of so-called "gene-therapy."

President Biden's approval rating slid to just 43%, according to a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll. The decline is principally due to independents, a key swing group.

The political identity of composer Dmitri Shostakovich has been a topic of debate for decades.

The blockbuster movies have been pushed back once again — Top Gun: Maverick is now scheduled to hit theaters in the spring and Mission: Impossible 7 won't be released until next September.