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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.

Bob Dylan said "our songs are alive in the land of the living"

Robert Siegel talks to NPR's David Welna about what to expect -- and what not to expect -- in the lame-duck session of Congress that begins today.

William Webster steps down as head of a new accounting oversight board created to regulate the troubled auditing industry. His appointment was mired in controversy after reports that SEC Chairman Harvey Pitt failed to inform commissioners that Webster once served on the board of a company accused of fraud. Pitt has also resigned. Hear NPR's Jim Zarroli.

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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)

Well to the east of Hollywood and the Golden Gate Bridge, there is another California -- the Central Valley, where farmers grow one-quarter of the food America eats. In the third of a four-part series on the future of the valley, NPR's John McChesney reports on how some organic farmers struggle while others thrive.

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)

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.

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.

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.

U.S. Rep. John Thune (R-SD) will not contest his narrow loss in a bid to unseat incumbent Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson. Thune says a recount would be "painful for the state." The margin of Johnson's victory was just over 500 votes. Curt Nickisch of South Dakota Public Radio reports.

The Republican-controlled House approves the creation of a Homeland Security Department in a 299-121 vote. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) predicts the bill will pass in the Senate by next week. NPR's David Welna reports.

Iraq accepts terms of a U.N. Security Council resolution aimed at disarming Saddam Hussein, but a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan denies the regime has weapons of mass destruction. Hear from NPR's Vicky O'Hara, NPR's Lynn Neary and political writer Rami Khouri.