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The Census Bureau today reported that Americans' income edged up last year for the first time in six years and fewer families are living in poverty. The report, hailed by President Clinton, showed median household income of $34,076 in 1995, up 2.7 percent from 1994. The agency said this is the first real increase in six years after adjusting for inflation. NPR's John Nielsen has the details.

Commentator John Chambers wants to highlight what he says is a rare occurrence in Washington: a genuine joint effort by the EPA, Congress, and the Clinton Administration to help clean up brownfields. Brownfields are abandoned industrial sites which have been devastated by the environmental impact of industry. These blighted areas, which are often in inner cities, may now be cleaned up due to a major new initiative designed to bring brownfields back to life.

NPR's John Burnett reports that a year after the devestating explosion at the Alfred P. Murray Federal building that killed 168 people and injured hundreds more, Oklahoma City is still trying to come to terms with the tragedy. Survivors have struggled with returning to work, while coping with the loss of friends and co-workers who perished in the explosion, and damaged buildings near the blast site are still being demolished, so rebuilding can be undertaken.

NPR's John McChesney reports that America Online's new flat- price for unlimited use of the Internet appears to be a big hit...so big that many AOL subscribers are having difficulty logging on as the average user extends his or her stay. The surge in demand for AOL's services has some analysts wondering whether AOL can defy the predictions of some that the commercial online services have a limited future.

Silicon Graphics, one of the nation's premier computer makers, is admitting that it may have been duped into selling supercomputers to a Russian laboratory that designs nuclear weapons. Edward McCracken, the chairman of Silicon Graphics, says his company "made some serious judgemental errors" when it shipped two small supercomputer systems to Russia. The U.S. Attorney's office in San Jose, CA. has opened an investigation. NPR's John McChesney reports.

Before astronaut Jerry Linenger's (LINN-in-jurr) began his voyage aboard the Russian spacestation Mir, he was asked what he would miss most. He said it would be hard being away from his 14-month-old son John. So he set out to "write" him a letter every day. Today we begin a series of letters from space as Jerry Linenger reads letters to his son.

NPR's John McChesney reports that Intel's better-than- expected earnings report has reassured many analysts that the personal computer market is healthy -- at least for the time being. Intel's third-quarter report showed profits up by more than 40% over the same quarter of last year. The company credited widespread acceptance of its Pentium- and Pentium Pro-based computers and servers.

The Senate race in Massachusetts promised everything voters want in an election: two smart, popular candidates...the incumbent Senator, John Kerry, and the current governor of Massachusetts, William Weld; seven issue-oriented debates; and a voluntary limit on campaign spending. But the race has been tight for months and as election day draws near, the mud is flying and the voluntary spending caps both candidates had imposed are off. From member station WBUR, Patrick Cox reports.

NPR's Phillip Davis reports on the competing strategies for giving away pieces of the broadcast spectrum. The extra capacity will allow digital television to be phased in while analog service continues. The current telecommunications law orders the FCC to give them to braodcasters free, a plan bradcasters support. Others, including consumer groups and Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain of Arizona want the agency to auction the frequencies.

Commentator Jacob Weisberg says all this attention and frenzy over campaign contributions from Indonesian donors is misplaced. The Democrats didn't break any new ground in accepting forbidden contributions, there's no evidence of a quid pro quo arrangement, and John Huang broke no new ground in exploiting the Commerce Department to raise money. The "Indogate" business stinks...but it's merely typical.

A federal judge today denied a motion by Reform Party presidential candidate Ross Perot to stop the presidential debates next week unless he is allowed to participate. Attornies for Perot and Natural Law Party candidate John Hagelin argued that it was unconstitutional for them to be excluded from the debates because they met all of the objective criteria set out by the Commission on Presidential Debates. NPR's Kathleen Schalch reports.

NPR's John Ydstie reports on how Bob Dole's tax-cut plan would affect different types of taxpayers. Middle-class families with children would do very well, as would people with lots of financial assets to sell. Of course, anyone who pays income tax would have their tax bill lowered, but whether they would be better off depends on what government services they use...and whether a program they depend on is cut or eliminated.

As U.S. Forces come within striking distance of Iraq, Clinton Administration officials said today they aren't expecting any further Iraqi attacks against U.S. warplanes patrolling the skies above that country. But, NPR's John Nielsen reports that Defense Secretary William Perry warned today that further U.S. airstrikes against Iraqi targets are still a possibility.

NPR's John McChesney reports that the competitive struggle between upstart Netscape Communications and software colossus Microsoft escalated this week. It's become known as the battle of the browsers. Browsers are the software that provide access to the World Wide Web. At a gala bash in San Francisco on Monday, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates released the latest version of his Internet Explorer, and this coming Monday, Netscape will release version 3 of its Navigator.

A former Clinton administration official who is being investigated for possible illegal fundraising activities now faces new allegations. John Huang appears to have raised more than 150-thousand dollars for the Democratic National Committee while he was on leave of absence from his job at the Commerce Department. That would violate the Hatch Act, which forbids political fundraising by federal employees. NPR's Peter Overby reports.

NPR's John McChesney has a profile of Jeff Hawkins. Four years ago, Hawkins changed the direction of computing with the Palm Pilot. Handheld computers -- or personal digital assistants, as they are also known -- are a huge hit. And Hawkins is still in the thick of the competition, even though he left Palm several years ago. Hawkins is now the CEO of Handspring, and Handspring's Visor is successfully stealing market share from the dominant Palm Pilot.

NPR's Don Gonyea reports on the latest personnel announcements of President-elect George W. Bush, starting with Missouri Senator John Ashcroft for Attorney General. Ashcroft, a strong conservative, was defeated in his bid for re-election last month by the late Mel Carnahan. He's also a former two-term governor and state attorney general. New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman was chosen to head the Environmental Protection Agency.

NPR's John Nielsen reports on the background of Christine Todd Whitman, who has accepted president-elect George W. Bush's offer to head the Environmental Protection Agency. Whitman already has national stature and her acceptance is evidence that running EPA is no longer viewed as a stepping stone to national prominence. And she's neither friend nor foe to an environmental community that has been skeptical of the GOP agenda.

Weekend Edition host Scott Simon talks with John Maginnis, author and publisher of the Louisiana Political Fax Weekly about the run-off election for one of Louisiana's seats in the U.S. Senate between Democrat incumbent Mary Landrieu and Republican challenger Suzie Terrell. (5:00)

In an effort to address an estimated $500-million budget deficit, the state of Connecticut lays off 6 percent of its workforce. Gov. John Rowland warns more state workers could lose their jobs if unions fail to agree to concessions in the coming months. Caitlyn Kim reports.