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Mikel Jolet reviews the music of Sigur Ros. The group is from Iceland. They make instrumental music without lyrics... sort of. Jolet explores the language the band uses to sing its songs. He says the music is beautiful and dreamy. The CD by Sigur Ros is on MCA records.

The Senate approves legislation to create a new Homeland Security Department. It's the largest reorganization of the federal government since World War II. The new department's goals include gathering intelligence to fend off terrorism threats. But some critics are concerned the department's new powers could erode privacy rights. Hear NPR's Pam Fessler and Larry Abramson.

President Bush also met privately today with other NATO leaders in advance of tomorrow's alliance summit. But he has not scheduled a meeting with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who made his opposition to war in Iraq a central plank of his recent campaign platform. NPR's Guy Raz reports relations between Bush and Schroeder have been strained by the Iraq issue.

A damaged tanker sinks off the coast of Spain, spilling tons of oil into the ocean. Salvage crews work to contain the spill; officials fear an environmental disaster worse than the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill off Alaska. NPR's Christopher Joyce reports.

Shrimp fishermen in eight southern states band together to protest what they say are unfair trading practices in 15 Asian and South American countries. They say those countries are placing pond-raised shrimp on the U.S. market, driving U.S. shrimpers out of business. Melanie Peeples reports.

Yesterday, in opposing the Homeland Security Act, Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) cited the story of a Roman senator who found himself at odds with the Roman emperor. We hear portions of Byrd's speech. And to learn whether the story of Roman Senator Helvidius Priscus is parallel to Byrd's opposition to a measure supported by President Bush, Lynn Neary talks with Steve Rutledge, associate professor of Classics at the University of Maryland in College Park, Md.

NPR's Nick Spicer reports from southern France on the arrival of Beaujolais Nouveau wine at midnight last night. The annual festivities marking the arrival of each year's vintage have been a great marketing success, boosting sales of a mediocre product that goes bad after a few months on the shelf. This year, to keep the price up, growers held back on production.

In Indonesia, police arrest an Islamic militant they say masterminded last month's bombing of a Bali nightclub that killed almost 200 people. NPR's Robert Siegel talks to Jonathan Head of the BBC.

Robert speaks with Oliver Wright, a reporter with The Times of London, about the scene at the public autopsy that took place in an art gallery in East London. More than 300 people showed up to see Professor Gunther von Hagens cut apart the body of a 72-year-old man. This was the first public autopsy performed in Britain in more than 170 years. The practice is illegal.

Commentator Carol Wasserman says she feels a little more safe knowing there's a guy standing on the overpass, counting cars and keeping an eye on things.

Sixteen members of Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries are U.S. citizens, including 5 children. The 400 Mawazo gang that took the group specializes in mass kidnappings and seeks a $17 million ransom.

Fourteen years after his initial diagnosis, the Pose actor revealed publicly that he is HIV-positive. Porter says being open about his health status felt like a rebirth. His new memoir is Unprotected.

Even as the federal government has cracked down on robocalls, more than 47 billion spam texts have been sent so far in 2021, one company found, costing Americans millions.

Robert Rand reports from Tashkent that tennis has become the national pasttime in the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan. The authoritarian president is an avid player himself, but he sees the game as more than just wholesome fun for the country's youth. It's a weapon in the war against fundamentalist Islam.

The Bush administration researches the creation of a global computer system to address one of the issues surrounding the Sept. 11 attacks. The Information Awareness Office will gather and interpret diverse data in search of potential threats. Hear more from NPR's Joe Palca and Robert O'Harrow of The Washington Post.

Louis Freedberg reports on South African comic Pieter Dirk Uys, who has used his humor to help thousands of young people protect themselves against AIDS.

The documentary film Standing in the Shadows of Motown finally throws a spotlight on the Funk Brothers -- a house band Berry Gordy created in 1959 to back the parade of star singing groups that populated "Hitsville USA" through the 60s and beyond. Tom Vitale reports.

Abortion protests would seem far removed from bankruptcy filings. But the two have been brought together in legislation proposed to tighten the rules for individuals declaring bankruptcy. Once again this year, that pairing of issues will mean that the bankruptcy reform will die at year's end. NPR's Julie Rovner reports on why.

The FBI warns that al Qaeda may be planning what the agency calls "spectacular attacks" leading to mass casualties. But the Bush administration says it has no specific information on where, when or how terrorists might strike. NPR's Larry Abramson reports.

A secret appellate court gives the Department of Justice broad powers to use wiretaps as part of the war on terrorism. But civil libertarians say the ruling will also make it much easier to spy on people without justification. NPR's Alex Chadwick speaks with former National Security Agency attorney Stuart Baker.