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Throughout November, hundreds of people are lining up to peer through the telescope at Lowell Observatory in northern Arizona. What they'll see: Mars in close opposition with the Earth. This is the nearest the red planet has been to Earth since 2003. If you miss it this month, you'll have to wait until 2018 for such an incredible view. Sadie Babits has this postcard from the observatory.

Commentator Judy Muller says Americans and their elected officials have ignored the problems of the poor in recent years. But now they're confronted with the overwhelming number of poor residents left homeless by Hurricane Katrina.

World leaders gather in New York with the goal of adopting reforms at the United Nations. The General Assembly has approved a document that touches on issues like human rights, world poverty and terrorism. But the document was watered down greatly in negotiations just prior to the summit.

Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) says the United States needs to get out of Iraq as soon as possible. He has a withdrawal plan, which he outlines in this essay.

A Justice Department statement says recent National Security Agency activities -- such as tapping domestic calls without a warrant -- are vital to the defense of the nation.

Blasts on the island of Bali cause deaths and injuries. The island is a popular tourist attraction and victims are of many different nationalities, police say. The same area was targeted by terrorists in 2002, resulting in more than 200 deaths.

With natural gas prices soaring, the Bush administration is encouraging all Americans to conserve. The Department of Energy is working with private sector groups to promote energy efficiency. At the same time, it's also cutting funds for research on energy efficiency.

Steve Inskeep talks to News Analyst Cokie Roberts about President Bush's response to the earthquake in Southeast Asia and the nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court.

Google enters the already crowded field of instant messaging, with a new service, Google Talk. Integrated into Google's e-mail program, the tool allows users to type messages and speak to each other over their Internet connection. But it currently does not work with AOL, Yahoo or MSN instant message services.

A federal appeals court rules that the Environmental Protection Agency acted illegally when it issued new air-pollution rules for power plants and factories. The three-judge panel says the rules allowing plants to modernize without installing pollution-control equipment violated the Clean Air Act.