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The Senate votes 89-2 to approve a sweeping intelligence reform bill, one day after approval in the House. The bill now goes to President Bush for his signature. The difficulty of the task was apparent from the beginning, when the Sept. 11 commission made broad recommendations involving major changes to the status quo. NPR's Andrea Seabrook reports.

A funeral mass is held for the first New York firefighter to die in combat in Iraq. Sgt. Christian Engeldrum was among the rescuers who responded to the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001 and served in New York's National Guard. Richard Hake of member station WNYC reports.

A new report from the National Research Council says it is safe to ingest perchlorate -- a chemical linked to decreased thyroid function and found in drinking water in more than 35 states -- at doses 20 times greater than the "reference dose" currently proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency. Hear NPR's Jon Hamilton.

President Bush selects federal appeals court Judge Michael Chertoff to be director of the Department of Homeland Security. Bush noted that the Senate has confirmed Chertnoff three times in the past for other posts. Hear NPR's Don Gonyea.

Secretary of State Colin Powell's tenure at the State Department will end as soon as his replacement, Condoleezza Rice, is confirmed -- possibly within a week. NPR's Juan Williams spoke with Powell about his legacy and U.S. foreign policy.

President Bush nominates federal appeals Judge Michael Chertoff to head the Department of Homeland Security. Chertoff headed the Justice Department's criminal division from 2001 to 2003. Bush's choice comes after former New York police commissioner Bernard Kerik withdrew his name from consideration. NPR's Pam Fessler reports.

In the first press conference of his second term, President Bush encourages Iraqis to vote in the Jan. 30 election despite potential attacks from insurgents. The president touched on a range of issues from violence in Iraq to how he plans to implement his call to spread freedom around the world.

With hints of Django Reinhardt, Dixieland Jazz and French pop songs from the 1930s, the band Paris Combo has a knack for making the old new again. NPR's Renee Montagne talks with them about their unique sound, their musical inspirations and the Paris music scene.

An Australian held at the detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, says he and other detainees are being physically and psychologically abused. David Hicks filed an affidavit in federal court alleging detainees were beaten while handcuffed and blindfolded. NPR's Jackie Northam reports.

Architect Philip Johnson's imaginative and sometimes controversial designs shaped the American skyline. He helped create the "glass box" skyscraper that became modern architecture of the 1950s, '60s and '70s. He was 98.