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NPR's Nick Spicer reports from Brussels, where Russian president Vladimir Putin met today with NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson, as well as with leaders of the European Union. The public statements at both NATO and the EU were conciliatory, and Russia and the EU even resolved a long-standing dispute over the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. But the meetings were clouded by controversy over Chechnya. Protesters demonstrated against Russia's war in the breakaway republic, and EU officials indicated the issue was a topic of debate in their meetings.

Charles de Ledesma reviews 1 Giant Leap a multimedia project that combines documentary film, recorded music, and spoken word, all compiled on a CD and a DVD. Two producers spent six months traveling to more than 20 countries, recording musicians, writers, and storytellers. Featured on the project are readings from Kurt Vonnegut and Dennis Hopper, and performances by Michael Stipe, Nenah Cherry and Baaba Maal, among others. All of the audio corresponds with short films, with themes like time, death, happiness, money, and God. The CD 1 Giant Leap is from Palm Pictures, catalog # PALM CD 2077-2.

Tornadoes kill at least 33 people in several states, including Alabama, Tennessee and Ohio. In Carbon Hill, Ala., two tornadoes kill seven people. Hear Melanie Peeples and NPR's Adam Hochberg.

NPR's Mara Liasson reports on lame-duck sessions of the past, including the 1998 session where the House impeached President Clinton, and the 1954 session where the Senate censured Wisconsin's Joe McCarthy.

The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in a trademark case that pits lingerie chain Victoria's Secret against a small Kentucky novelty store called Victor's Little Secret. At issue is whether Victor's Little Secret, a seller of sex toys and videos, is violating federal law by diluting the value of the Victoria's Secret trademark. NPR's Nina Totenberg reports.

Beyond the glamour of Hollywood and the romance of the Golden Gate Bridge, there is another California -- and it's home to the greatest garden in the world. The 400-mile-long Central Valley supplies fully one-quarter of the food America eats. Now the region faces huge changes. In the second of a four-part series on the future of the valley, NPR's John McChesney reports on the benefits and pitfalls of pesticide use, and the pressure on farmers to "go organic."

Commentator Chris Tsakis gets his heart broken and finds comfort in the corniest songs -- songs he'd despise if they didn't echo his emotions so perfectly.

Lee Malvo, one of the suspects in the Washington, D.C.-area sniper attacks, may have confessed to police that he pulled the trigger in more than one of the shootings, The Washington Post reports. NPR's Larry Abramson reports.

On Capitol Hill today, politicians are holding yet another hearing about the risks of mercury. It's part of the latest wave of concern about mercury, which also turns up in fish, air pollution and in some vaccines. As NPR's Jon Hamilton reports, these fears have been around for hundreds of years.

Robert Siegel talks with Mamoun Fandy, an Egyptian political scientist and expert on Islamic fundamentalists, about the language of the alleged bin Laden audio tape released yesterday.

Service to America, is a new national awards program that honors individuals for excellence in civil service. Bob Edwards talks with a few of the recipients.

The Senate agrees on a bill to create a Homeland Security Department after negotiating over labor issues for the new agency's staff. The House could vote on the measure today. NPR News reports.

Iraq accepts the terms of a U.N. resolution ordering it to disarm and to permit new arms inspections, but denies it has any weapons of mass destruction. An advance team of U.N. arms inspectors will go to Baghdad Monday. NPR's Vicky O'Hara reports.

It turns out the Jedi Archives depicted in the latest Star Wars film bear a striking resemblance to a storied library far, far away.

Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) joins the race to become House minority leader, emphasizing campaign finance reform. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) appears to be the frontrunner in a competition that also includes Rep. Harold Ford, Jr. (D-TN). NPR's David Welna reports.

New York City is going to court in a bid to evict homeless people from shelters if they fail to find their own apartments quickly enough. It's a reaction to severe overcrowding at facilities where people wait for beds at shelters to open. NPR's Nancy Solomon reports.

NPR's Michele Kelemen reports on the significance of the latest audiotape message from Osama bin Laden. U.S. experts believe it was the voice of Bin Laden on the Arabic language tape which aired yesterday on the al Jazeera television network. Until now, some experts had believed the al Qaeda leader was killed by U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

There is some doubt over whether the voice on the tape is actually bin Laden. Lynn Neary talks with Steve Cain, president and CEO of Forensic Tape Analysis, Inc., about what sort of voice recognition techniques would be key to identifying whether the voice on a tape received by al Jazeera television is really Osama bin Laden. (4:15)

For families in the New York City homeless system, the first stop is the EAU, the Emergency Assistance Unit. It is supposed to be the place families go to get paperwork processed and be placed in a shelter. Fourteen-year-old Herbert Bennett Jr. came into the EAU with his father in June, and spent some of his time there writing in his notebook. Hear some excerpts. (2:30)

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan says Iraq has until the end of the day on Friday to respond the Security Council's resolution on disarmament. After that time, the country could face serious consequences, he says. NPR's Vicki O'Hara reports.

As Kermit the Frog gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, The Muppet Show he starred in celebrates the 25th anniversary of its debut. NPR's Bob Edwards looks back at the enduring legacy of Jim Henson's creation.

Women's equality has made slow progress in South Korea. Some South Koreans want to bring about change starting at the country's cultural roots by reinterpreting Confucius.

Phoenix is more than happy to pass along some holiday cheer to Tucson.

Robert Siegel remembers his cameo voice role on the TV show Northern Exposure in 1995. He played himself introducing actress Margaret "Peg" Phillips as a commentator on All Things Considered. Phillips, who won fame as the shopkeeper Ruth-Anne Miller in the television series, died Thursday of lung disease. She was 84.

Pub-goers in London cheer Queen Elizabeth II's announcement that Parliament will soon consider allowing pubs to stay open 24 hours. Currently, pubs must close at 11 p.m. NPR's Robert Siegel talks with London pub manager Charlotte Renick. (This story was corrected on air on Nov. 14, 2002: "It's Thursday, the day we read from your letters, and we start with a correction to yesterday's program. I said that Britain's pubs have closed early, ever since World War II. Our thanks to Charles Day in Bozeman, Montana, Marc James Small in Roanoke, Virginia and Peg Willingham in Arlington, Virginia. All pointed out that closing the pubs early was a World War I innovation, part of the Defence of the Realm Act. Mr. Day notes that the law was "affectionately known to the British' by its acronym 'DORA.' The logic of the pub closings was, he writes, 'to keep factory production levels high. Factory workers, particularly the ammunition factory workers, would be home from the pubs at a reasonable hour so that they would show up well rested on the factory floor the next morning.'"