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The tiny enclave of Gee’s Bend, Ala., has gained celebrity over the past few years because of a touring exhibit of locally made quilts. But the newfound fame hasn’t changed life much in the rural community of slave descendants and one-time sharecroppers. NPR's Debbie Elliott reports.

Throngs continue to protest the outcome in Ukraine's presidential election, which officials say was won by Russia-backed candidate Prime Minister Victor Yanukovych. International observers said government fraud and falsification tainted the vote. NPR's Lawrence Sheets reports.

A habitat in southern Florida is home to a small grove of rare slash pines -- a keystone species of the pine rocklands, one of the most endangered forest types in the world. NPR's Ari Shapiro reports on the efforts of a crusading biologist to make a "genetic map" of the tree before another hurricane kills off the species forever.

A new study in the journal Nature finds that global warming probably contributed to Europe's killer heat wave of 2003. Some experts say the evidence from such studies could potentially be used in court against utilities and other companies that emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. NPR's Richard Harris reports.

The Da Vinci Code and America by Jon Stewart and his Daily Show cohorts are topping best-seller lists right now. But for holiday gift ideas, NPR's Susan Stamberg asked independent booksellers around the country to suggest some hidden gems from their shelves.

Suketu Mehta's new book is Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found. It's an exploration of Mehta's hometown, where he returned after a 21-year absence. Born in Bombay, one of the world's most populous areas, Mehta still believes it's the city of the future.

Ukraine's parliament passes a compromise deal between the government and opposition leaders, overhauling election laws in time for a second runoff election Dec. 26. NPR's Lawrence Sheets reports.

President Bush will fill any Supreme Court vacancies in his second term, and it appears that he will at least be naming a successor to ailing Chief Justice William Rehnquist. Hear NPR's Nina Totenberg.

Only 16 U.S. presidents have been elected to a second term, and not all of those have gone well: Witness Ronald Reagan's Iran-Contra debacle and Bill Clinton's Monica Lewinsky scandal. On policy matters, controversial issues that presidents put off during their first term can cause trouble during their second term. Hear NPR's Robert Siegel and historian Robert Dallek.

At Tuesday's vice presidential debate, both Vice President Cheney and Sen. John Edwards stretched, muddled, and sometimes mangled the truth. Hear NPR's Steve Inskeep.