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Bob Mondello reviews the film Thirteen Days, starring Bruce Greenwood as President Kennedy and Kevin Costner as a presidential advisor. The movie is based on the book The Kennedy Tapes--Instead the White House During the Cuban Missile Crisis. The story starts in October of 1962, when President John F. Kennedy announced the U.S. response to the presence of medium-range ballistic missiles in Cuba. For the following week, Soviet military vessels raced toward the Caribbean as the rest of the world held its breath. The film opened today in New York and Los Angeles.

8 1/2 Souvenirs returns to perform their song Kazango.

Each year, a different state is responsible for selecting and decorating the Christmas tree displayed on the West Lawn of the Nation's Capitol building. NPR's Tom Goldman reports on Oregon's search for the perfect tree for the year 2002.

As part of the NPR News series The Changing face of America, we explore parish life at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart, in Washington, DC. The Roman Catholic parish was founded in 1899 by Irish and German Immigrants. Today, it is the spiritual home to thousands of new immigrants (from 60 countries) the majority of whom speak Spanish. This used to be a wealthy neighborhood -- now many of the people who live nearby have low incomes. As the reality of the neighborhood changed, so did the requests for services. The Archdiocese of Washington -- through Sacred Heart Parish and the Spanish Catholic Center -- provides numerous social services to neighbors in need. They can find health care and dental care, a legal clinic specializing in Immigration Law, a day treatment center for addicts with other mental illnesses, adult education (Computers, GED and ESL), housing assistance, employment counseling, food for their pantries, a hot meal program for people living on the streets, and emergency shelter. Sacred Heart also provides a trusted place where immigrants can be welcomed and accepted.

Commentator Lee Stringer tells about being homeless at Christmas. Stringer was homeless for ten years, and says it made him grateful for small things. One Christmas in particular taught him to count his blessings. He wrote about it in his book Grand Central Winter: Stories from the Street. (3:30) Washington Square Press ISBN: 0671036548.

Commentator Nancy Hall talks about the culinary clash with her new Northerner husband, as they planned their first holiday dinner together. The bickering over competing foods peaked with the arrival of a southern country ham. Her Yankee butcher husband balked at slicing ham with a moldy hide, but their guests ate it with abandon.

Robert Siegel talks with BBC Southeast Asia correspondent Jonathan Head about the numerous bombings of churches in Indonesia on Christmas Eve. Eighteen different bombs, which killed more than a dozen people and injured over a hundred, exploded within minutes of one another. Most of the bombs were planted in cars parked in front of the churches, and others were delivered to clergymen as wrapped gifts. The police defused 13 devices. No one claimed responsibility for the bombings.

NPR's Mary Ann Akers reports that the Bridgestone/Firestone company is blaming a faulty tire design and manufacturing processes at an Illinois factory for defective tires linked to 148 traffic deaths. After a four-month investigation, the tire maker cited the design of the 15-inch ATX tires and the unique way the rubber was processed at its Decatur, Illinois, plant. But the report also puts some blame on the Ford Explorer. Many of the accidents involved Explorers fitted with the Firestone tires. The report says Ford's recommended pressure for the tires was too low.

NPR's Brian Naylor reports that, before adjournment, Congress voted to limit the development of low power radio. Low power stations broadcast within an area of four to seven miles, and are meant to benefit schools, churches and others in a local community. Broadcaster groups, including NPR, have said those new stations could interfere with currently licensed FM broadcasters. The omnibus spending bill approved by Congress and sent to President Clinton includes a ban on removing the cushions that protect individual FM signals, except in nine test markets.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports from Baghdad that cracks are appearing in the decade-old United Nations embargo against Iraq. Iraqi officials seem increasingly confident that the crippling sanctions will soon be a thing of the past.

Noah talks to Enrique Guevara who is in charge of monitoring Mexico's Popocatepetl volcano. The volcano spewed molten rock for two hours early on Tuesday in its second overnight eruption. Authorities want to evacuate nearly 50,000 residents surrounding the mountain. Guevara is with the National Disaster Prevention Center. No one has been hurt by the eruptions, which is not far from Mexico City.

For scientists who study active volcanoes, danger is a part of the normal workday. NPR's Richard Harris reports from Mt. Erebus in Antarctica.

A Tennessee court found Endo Pharmaceuticals liable for harm caused by its Opana ER opioid. The "harsh sanction" followed a court judgment that Endo made false statements and withheld key documents.

President Biden plans to cut U.S. emissions 50 to 52 percent by 2030. The question is: what kind of climate policies will work that fast?

Day, a Illinois State University graduate student, was reported missing on Aug. 24. LaSalle County authorities say the manner in which he went into the Illinois River is currently unknown.

Hindus in India and across the world are celebrating Diwali, the five-day festival of lights. Here's what celebrations look like across India.

Companies with at least 100 employees must ensure their workers get a COVID-19 vaccine or undergo weekly testing. Some 17 million health care workers face a vaccine mandate with no testing option.

Christmas trees may be in short supply this season due to supply chain issues and extreme weather events. But it's still worth holding out hope for a Christmas miracle.

"The U.K. is now the first country in the world to approve an antiviral that can be taken at home for COVID-19," Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said.

A town in northern England wants to open a coking coal mine to create jobs. But while hosting the U.N. climate summit, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is urging countries to slash greenhouse gases.