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While the most publicized races are often the close ones, the reality is that much of the makeup of the new Congress can already be foreseen. Robert Siegel talks with NPR Washington Editor Ron Elving about some of the Senate races where the outcome appears virtually guaranteed. (4:00)

Campaigns for judgeships are usually thought of as quiet affairs, and few attract the kind of dollars thrown at Senate seats and governorships. But things are different this year in Southern Mississippi, where a seat on the state Supreme Court has become a battleground in the larger war over liability suits. These days there are few issues that bring out the big donations faster. NPR's Peter Overby reports on the millions showing up in Mississippi. (5:00)

Robert Siegel talks with Jenny B. White, associate professor of anthropology at Boston University, about the history of the secular government in Turkey. White is also author of Islamist Mobilization in Turkey: A Study in Vernacular Politics (Studies in Modernity and National Identity), published by University of Washington Press, Oct. 2002.

The ACLU files a federal lawsuit against a drug task force in Texas, alleging it targets minorities and then offers them parole if they plead guilty. The ACLU says the move enables the task force to receive thousands in federal funding. NPR's Wade Goodwyn reports.

U.N. Security Council members await the latest revised draft resolution on Iraq from the United States. Meanwhile, President Bush is warning that Iraq could "provide an arsenal" to terrorist groups. NPR's Tom Gjelten reports.

Small businesses face sharply higher premiums for property, liability and health insurance. A trade group says the average cost of business insurance has jumped by 30-percent. NPR's Scott Horsley reports.

NPR's Howard Berkes reports on controversy of federal land swaps in the state of Utah. Critics of the deals that exchanged state land for federal land appear to have the federal government cheating itself.

Commentator Elissa Ely remembers a girl from high school who desperately wanted to be in with the 'in' crowd but would never be accepted because suffered from severe psoriasis on her knees. Now, Elissa realizes, that girl's hopeless yearning mirrored her own. (2:30)

Gov. Jesse Ventura names key adviser Dean Barkley as interim senator, leaving the Senate with 49 Republicans, 49 Democrats and two independents. Meanwhile, Republican Norm Coleman and Democrat Walter Mondale trade sharp barbs in a debate. Hear NPR's David Welna.

John Ydstie talks with Steve Capus, executive producer of NBC Nightly News and of NBC News's Election Night Coverage, about exit polling -- how it's being done differently this year, and how elections will be called by the networks. (3:30)