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Linda Wertheimer and Noah Adams bring us excerpts of today's oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in the contest of the presidential election results from Florida. For the second time in history, the court has released an audio tape of a session. Today's arguments by attorneys for George W. Bush and Al Gore lasted 90 minutes. We hear the voices of the justices asking questions, and the attorneys' responses. Robert A. Destro, Dean of the Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America and Jeffrey Rosen, Associate Professor of Law at The George Washington University in Washington DC provide analysis.

NPR's Ted Clark reports President Clinton met today with North Korea's number two official in yet another sign that tensions between Washington and Pyongyang are easing. The 45-minute session between Mr. Clinton and Cho Myong Rok, Vice Chairman of North Korea's National Defense Commission, is the highest level meeting between the two countries since the Korean war. A U.S. official described the talks as "very positive, direct and warm." Both countries are anxious to improve relations. Washington wants North Korea to roll back its missile program. North Korea is in dire need of economic assistance and wants to be taken off the United States' list of countries that sponsor terrorism.

The ongoing saga of the 2000 presidential election took yet another odd turn today. Hundreds of thousands of ballots cast November seventh in Palm Beach County were loaded on a rental truck for the four hundred mile trip to Tallahassee. What will happen to them there is uncertain, as the state courts are being asked to decide whether those ballots should be recounted. Also today, a committee of the Florida state legislature called for a special session so that legislators can pick a winner of the state's 25 electoral votes. In Washington, more briefs were filed with the U.S. Supreme Court, which will hold its own hearing on the ballot recount issue tomorrow. NPR's Peter Kenyon brings us up to date.

This Wednesday, the Iraqi National Assembly elected six weeks ago will have its first session. But talks are still under way to form a government before then, between the Shiite-led United Iraqi Alliance and the Kurdistan Democratic Party.

In the late 1960s, at the height of his popularity, Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson began work on an ambitious album called Smile. Almost four decades later, the album is ready for release. Bob Boilen sits in on the Smile recording sessions.

The 1999 recordings of a group of American and Cuban musicians took years to be released, despite involving Bonnie Raitt, Mick Fleetwood and others. Bridge to Havana has finally cleared all hurdles.

Johnson is the sixth Republican elevated to the speakership since 1994. The five who preceded him all saw their time in the office end in relative degrees of defeat or frustration.

Forecasters are calling for winter storm conditions through the weekend. We're updating this story with the latest forecast and information.

Many people mark the end-of-year holidays by heading home to reflect on the past year with close friends and family. But what do you do when the home you knew is no longer there to return to? All Things Considered looks at how victims of Hurricane Katrina are redefining the concept of home.

Lost and tucked away in a private collection for over 150 years, one of J.M.W. Turner's earliest oil paintings has been rediscovered.