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House GOP leaders push for a close to this week's post-election lame-duck session, despite unfinished business on terrorism insurance and unemployment benefits. NPR's David Welna reports.

The Senate has the final word next week on the largest government reorganization in a half-century. The Homeland Security bill calls for a Cabinet-level department that, with a staff of 170,000, combines 22 existing agencies. NPR's Lynn Neary talks with foreign policy expert Ivo Daalder about how the restructuring will affect Americans.

China's Communist Party formally reveals its new leaders Friday. A new generation is taking over, but none are expected to stray far from the path of outgoing President Jiang Zemin, who has pushed economic but not political reform. NPR's Rob Gifford reports.

Robert Siegel and Lynn Neary read some of this week's letters from listeners. Topics include the closing time of pubs in London, Victoria's Secret's lawsuit against Victor's Little Secret, and whether the well-being of the state of California or the state of Maine predicts the health of the nation. Send e-mail to atc@npr.org.

The Homeland Security bill extends a key deadline for screening all checked luggage for explosives. Airports and airlines breathe a sigh of relief, but supporters of the deadline say new security requirements at airports should not be eased. NPR's Larry Abramson reports.

Central states cry foul over federal attempts to save prairie dogs and their habitats. Nebraska and others say the prairie dog is a pest, not an endangered species. Prairie dogs have lost 99 percent of their original range in North America. NPR's Greg Allen reports.

Leadership elections in the House of Representatives produce a historic milestone as Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) becomes the first woman elected to lead either party in either chamber of Congress. NPR's Linda Wertheimer reports on the new House minority leader.

When actress Winona Ryder was convicted of shoplifting last week, it struck a chord with Youth Radio's Nora Harrington. Harrington is a high school student who wonders what her classmates find so thrilling about stealing.

Critics of the new campaign finance reform law say Sen. John McCain's victory will be short-lived. They claim the Supreme Court will find much of the law unconstitutional, and loopholes abound. But the Arizona Republican vows to continue the fight in the new year. NPR's Peter Overby reports.

Lawyers for some of the nation's largest retailers say Visa and MasterCard illegally thwarted for years the growth of debit-card networks, The Wall Street Journal reports. The allegations stem from recently unsealed court documents from a class-action suit that includes Wal-Mart and Sears. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.