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John Sanders knows the conditions in jail-like border facilities all too well.

Since January of this year, the computer trade press has run one article after another questioning the basic health of the Internet. Pessimists say the Internet will either experience so-called brownouts or an actual collapse sometime soon. But NPR's John McChesney, who talked with a number of Internet experts for this report -- found that the pessimists are in a small minority.

John Biewen, of Minnesota Public Radio, reports that the rent-to-own industry is fighting two recent court decisions. Courts in Minnesota and Wisconsin have held that Rent-A-Center, the largest such operation, violated state usury laws. The company maintains that interest rate caps do not apply because they are not loaning money.

A special prosecutor in New York has concluded a four-year investigation into evidence-tampering by that state's police. Daniel speaks with reporter John O'Brien of the Syracuse Herald-Journal who says the report says the state troopers tampered with evidence in as many as 36 cases. O'Brien says the scandal has rocked the justice system, causing state police supervisors to resigned, cases to be retried and judges to dismiss convictions.

For years, newspapers and yellow pages have had a virtual monopoly on certain kinds of advertising. But the swift rise of the internet is creating new forms of competition that could change the established order. Websites that specialize in local events and entertainment are springing up in cities around the country...and many of these sites are expected to aggressively compete for local advertising dollars. NPR's John McChesney reports.

After some of the worst civil disturbances in years, Protestant leaders in Northern Ireland met today with British Prime Minister John Major. Protestants have been protesting violently over the banning of a parade. Police decided to prevent the exclusively Protestant, two hundred-year-old Orange Order from parading through a predominantly Catholic area in its annual march.

The new anti-terrorism law instructs officials to deport legal immigrants who have crimes on their records, even relatively small offenses that were committed and paid for years ago. Advocates for immigrants are protesting and even the Immigration and Naturalization Service says the law is keeping its resources tied up on people who are not dangerous to society. NPR's John Nielsen has a report.

NPR's Michael Goldfarb reports from London that with two weeks before the General Election, Prime Minister John Major is facing a rebellion within his own Conservative Party. His party is divided about adopting the proposed single European currency. Instead of campaigning for votes for his party, Major has been forced to campaign within his party for support of his European policy.

NPR's Michael Goldfarb reports from London on the troubles of British Prime Minister John Major. With a little more than three months before a general election, his authority within the Conservative party is disappearing. The most recent setback is over his get-tough-on-crime legislation. Last night, the House of Lords rejected a key portion of that legislation which concerned wiretapping.

Much has been made of how "Heaven's Gate" used the Internet to help disseminate their beliefs, but many Internet users caution against the conclusion that the computer network somehow encourages cults. As NPR's John McChesney reports, the idea that the Hale Bopp comet could be accompanied by a UFO got some of its currency from talk radio, and a number of people used the Internet to debunk the group's message.

In testimony on Capitol Hill today, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan laid the groundwork today for possibly raising interest rates when the Fed meets next week. Greenspan said there are signs that inflation could rebound, and that the Fed must be proactive in snuffing out any signs of inflation with a rate hike. But lawmakers were not convinced that a rate hike is really necessary, given steady economic growth and stable inflation numbers. NPR's John Ydstie reports.

Today would have been jazz saxophonist John Coltrane's 70th birthday. This past weekend, the town where he grew up...High Point, North Carolina (known as "the furniture capital of the world")...dedicated a marker to him. Paul Brown, of member station WFDD, talked to some of the townspeople who remember Coltrane...and some who don't.

Linda talks to people who will be effected by changes in the welfare system: Diane Barcy, who lives in public housing in Dayton, Ohio; Robert Rector, senior policy analyst for welfare issues at the Heritage Foundation; Ariela Rodriguez, director of social services at the Little Havana Activites and Nutrition Centers of Dade County; Sharon Daly, Deputy Director of Catholic Charities USA; and Governor John Rowland of Connecticut.

A non-partisan research group has some surprising conclusions about who gets welfare money, how long they stay in the system, and why they don't have jobs. NPR's John Nielsen reports the study contradicts many statements made in the debate that surrounded the welfare reform act that Congress passed and President Clinton signed.

NPR's John Ydstie reports that the proposed constitutional amendment to balance the budget is still alive, but faces an uphill battle. While advocates may have picked up a few votes in Congress, other factors may be working against them. Economists split on the issue, but point out that the phrasing of any such amendment would be very important.

The federal government plans to change how it enforces protections on small wetlands. At present, developers get almost automatic permission to develop wetlands under 10 acres. But the Army Corps of Engineers is about to drop that exemption and require more extensive review before development is permitted. NPR's John Nielsen reports that the change is expected to run into fierce opposition from real estate developers and other business interests.

NPR's John Burnett reports on a decision today by federal judges that redrew thirteen congressional districts in Texas and nullified their primary election results in order to conform with recent Supreme Court rulings outlawing so-called "racial gerrymandering." This decision has important implications for some Congressional races in Texas. Some incumbents who had faced no primary opposition could now find themselves with rivals for those seats.

President Elect George W. Bush had a lunch meeting in Austin today with Democratic Senator John Breaux of Louisiana to talk about ways of bridging the gap between the parties back in Washington. One way to do it might be to appoint Democrats to the president's Cabinet, of course, and Breaux himself has been mentioned as a candidate for the Energy Department. NPR's Don Gonyea reports from the Texas capital.

Noah interviews John C. Jeffries Jr., Professor of Law at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and author of Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr., about the phrase "constitutional crisis," and whether it's really applicable to the current presidential election. Jeffries says it reminds him of his days as a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr., a Nixon appointee, during the Watergate crisis.

NPR's John Ydstie reports on a shakeup of the Bush administration's economic team. Adviser Lawrence Lindsey and Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill both have announced their resignations. The president is expected to name a new Treasury secretary quickly, according to the White House, and to outline a new economic plan that will include tax cuts.