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NPR's Barbara Bradley reviews possible criminal and civil court actions that could be taken in relation to the Firestone tire failures. Both federal and state criminal charges seem unlikely. But several southern states are investigating possible civil suits, saying the tire maker should have reported tire failures and suspicions that the products might be defective.

We hear about the reaction in Japan to the Firestone hearings in Congress. Firestone is only one of several Japanese companies whose business practices are under scrutiny. Noah talks with LA Times Tokyo Correspondent Sonni Efron about how Japanese companies are dealing with the recalls within their corporate culture.

As the law now stands, victims of domestic violence can't sue their former partners for the cumulative damage of a long-term abusive relationship. But Commentator Lis Wiehl says the Washington state Supreme Court may change that, opening the door to compensation for victims of domestic violence.

Cuban President Fidel Castro, in the United States for the first time since his last U.N. visit in 1995, has kept a generally low profile. Five years ago, he was wined and dined by the business, media, and foreign policy elite in New York. This year has been different. Castro will be the guest of honor this evening at a church reception, but media and business leaders have shown little interest in seeing him. Tom Gjelten reports that the growing U.S. interest in Cuba does not translate into greater eagerness to deal with Fidel Castro, who is increasingly seen as irrelevant to Cuba's future.

Brigham Young University's athletic teams are training with a new kind of sports drink: pickle juice. Some claim that pickle juice reduces cramps and benefits athletes during play. George Curtis is the head athletic trainer for BYU. He joins Linda from Provo, Utah to talk about the virtues of pickle juice.

Scott speaks with Dr. Lawrence Schoen about the seventh Annual Klingon Language Conference he helped organize this weekend in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania.

NPR's Sarah Chayes reports from outside Paris that an Air France Concorde jet crashed just after takeoff today from Charles de Gaulle airport. All 109 people on board and four on the ground are believed dead. A German tour company had chartered the flight, so most of those on board were Germans.

Linda speaks to Rob Broomby, Berlin correspondent for the BBC, about reaction in Germany to today's Concorde crash in Paris. The flight had been chartered for a German tour group. Broomby discusses what's known about the passengers and the cruise they were scheduled to take, as well as plans for relatives and comments by German authorities.

Commentator Lis Wiehl explains that tribal courts, which operate on many Indian reservations, function separately from the federal court system. These courts have not had to apply the U.S. Constitution directly, leaving out Constitutional guarantees like the right to free legal counsel. But one of the problems with suspending Constitutional protections, is that convictions obtained in tribal courts can be used against defendants later in federal and state courts.

NPR's Elaine Korry reports on the latest terrain for advertisers: private vehicles. Several companies will make your monthly payments if you let them wrap your car with commercial messages and logos. Some motorists who've signed up seem to like the arrangement, but critics say it's another unfortunate step toward the commercialization of everything.