Morning Edition on WAMC

Talk in Israel of a military strike on Iranian nuclear facilities has reached a fever pitch. Last week brought the news of an alleged "war plan" leaked to a blogger. This week, a well-informed military correspondent in Jerusalem reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is "determined" to attack Iran before the U.S. election.

One night in the late 1960s, Eugene Gagliardi was lying awake in bed trying to figure out how to save his company. He was thinking about the Philly cheesesteak.

Gagliardi ran a family business that sold hamburgers and other meat to restaurant chains in the Philadelphia area. But within the span of a few months, the company had lost several of its biggest customers.

If you vote, you might very well be confused about what the rules will be when you go to cast your ballot this fall. There's been a flood of new laws on things such as voter identification and early voting, and many of them are now being challenged in court.

Some cases could drag on until Nov. 6, Election Day, and beyond. The outcomes will affect voters, and maybe even the results.

Severe drought has parched huge swaths of the United States this year, the first time since the mid 1950s that drought has affected so much of the nation.

With so much scorched land, the center of the country could be described as a tinderbox; in recent months, severe wildfires have raged across several states. And in at least 10 Western states, including Wyoming, many fires are fought by teams of prison inmates.

Last year, consumers spent $17 billion on video games. That sounds like a lot, but it was nearly $1.5 billion lower than the previous year. One reason: there haven't been any new game consoles out to excite buyers.

Only Nintendo's Wii U might be on shelves for the holiday season.

The console makers are having a hard time figuring out how to improve on what they've got.

Try asking a gamer like Ryan Block what would entice him to drop a few hundred bucks on a new console.

State auditor Suzanne Bump says Massachusetts has lost more than $5.5 million to fraud in public assistance during the financial year that ended in June.

Bump's office documented the losses in a final report of the 2012 fiscal year that was released Wednesday.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps, accounted for most of the fraud, at nearly $1.7 million.

The report comes shortly after the state passed a law that would enact stricter penalties for food stamp trafficking and restrict cash assistance purchases.

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DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Government help is available for some Western Massachusetts property owners interested in energy-efficient repairs following tornado damage last summer.

Massachusetts energy officials say Hampden and Worcester county building owners have until Oct. 1 to start applying for grants or no-interest loans through a state program.

The so-called ReBuild Western Massachusetts program provides aid for energy-efficient upgrades including building insulation, solar electric and solar hot water system. It also covers Energy Star windows.

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STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: