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Congress and many states are trying to require restaurant chains to post nutritional information on their menus in an effort to combat obesity. The restaurant industry opposes such mandates, arguing that the market will naturally respond to consumer demand. The popular restaurant chain Ruby Tuesday's already has. NPR's Patricia Neighmond reports.

NPR's Laura Sydell takes a look at the tanda, a traditional economic plan used by Mexican immigrants to raise money to start small businesses. Many cultures from around the world have traditional lending systems to help where banks may not exist or help. This is the third part of Morning Edition's series on immigrant entrepreneurs.

Traditionally, the people who manage U.S. fisheries count the number of desired fish and tell fishing fleets how many they can safely take. NPR's Christopher Joyce reports on a proposal by marine scientists to change that practice, which they say leads to overfishing. They want to measure the effects fishing has on an ecosystem -- other fish, mussels, even plants -- before setting catch quotas.

NPR's Melissa Block talks with Barack Obama, candidate for U.S. Senate from Illinois and tonight's keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention in Boston. He talks about his background and his intention to touch on civil rights issues in his speech, though he confesses that he's doubtful many in the arena pay any attention to the speakers.

Many Latin American countries like Nicaragua may soon be priced out of the global market for textiles and apparel. The Multi-Fiber Arrangement, which created a worldwide system of textile quotas, is scheduled to expire Jan. 1, 2005. This could trigger a massive transfer of wealth and jobs from other developing nations. Will there be a race to the bottom? NPR's Kathleen Schalch reports.

Catholics and evangelical Christians are among swing voters key to this year's presidential race, a new poll finds. Many voters who describe themselves as religious say the economy and foreign policy are more important this year than cultural issues. Hear NPR's Renee Montagne and political scientist John Green.

NPR's David Schaper reports on state-of-the-art bike storage that's just opened in a downtown Chicago park. It's getting many commuters onto bicycles now that they have a secure place to store their wheels as well as a club atmosphere in which to shower and change into work clothes.

As violence continues to roil Iraq, many question whether planned January elections are even feasible. Some analysts say the U.S. and allied leaders have gradually compromised their commitment to building a secular democracy in Iraq in favor of better security. Hear NPR's Tom Gjelten.

Banning Eyre reviews the new CD Eco de Sombras by Susana Baca. Considered by many to be the latest world music "diva", Baca is from Lima, Peru and her songs come out of a rich Afro-Peruvian music tradition. This is a tradition that has been largely ignored in Peru, and the musicians there who do play this material have had to act almost as archaeologists, locating songs, rebuilding old instruments, recreating a style.

In his book Retire on Less Than You Think, author Fred Brock says retirees can live comfortably on about 40-45 percent of their pre-retirement income. In contrast, many experts say retirees will need about 70 to 80 percent of what they earned before they stopped working to maintain a similar lifestyle.