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Mikel Jolet reviews the music of Sigur Ros. The group is from Iceland. They make instrumental music without lyrics... sort of. Jolet explores the language the band uses to sing its songs. He says the music is beautiful and dreamy. The CD by Sigur Ros is on MCA records.

The Senate approves legislation to create a new Homeland Security Department. It's the largest reorganization of the federal government since World War II. The new department's goals include gathering intelligence to fend off terrorism threats. But some critics are concerned the department's new powers could erode privacy rights. Hear NPR's Pam Fessler and Larry Abramson.

A New York City council committee strikes a blow for quieter cultural pursuits among the chattering classes.

A background check at New York's LaGuardia and Kennedy airports yields a great deal of senstitive misinformation.

As the economy remains sluggish, some cities express regret at having offered financial incentives to attract new industry. Some companies are shutting down factories that cities and states paid to attract just a few years ago. NPR's Adam Hochberg reports.

Since March, the bodies of eight illegal immigrants have been discovered in remote locations in the desert outside Phoenix. Law enforcement officials are puzzled about what motive there might be for the apparent murders and what, if any, connection there might be among the victims. Mark Moran reports from member station KJZZ in Phoenix.

Shrimp fishermen in eight southern states band together to protest what they say are unfair trading practices in 15 Asian and South American countries. They say those countries are placing pond-raised shrimp on the U.S. market, driving U.S. shrimpers out of business. Melanie Peeples reports.

Yesterday, in opposing the Homeland Security Act, Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) cited the story of a Roman senator who found himself at odds with the Roman emperor. We hear portions of Byrd's speech. And to learn whether the story of Roman Senator Helvidius Priscus is parallel to Byrd's opposition to a measure supported by President Bush, Lynn Neary talks with Steve Rutledge, associate professor of Classics at the University of Maryland in College Park, Md.

A U.S. district judge rules against a New York law that bans the wearing of masks during public demonstrations. The judge says the law amounts to "viewpoint discrimination" by singling out a Ku Klux Klan-like group that applied for a parade permit -- and is therefore unconstitutional. NPR's Margot Adler reports.

The Senate concludes its last session of the 107th Congress, passing a raft of legislation including a bill creating a new Homeland Security Department. But lawmakers leave town without passing bills on spending issues, bankruptcy reform or energy policy. NPR's David Welna reports.