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NPR's Brian Naylor reports from Tallahassee, where a committee of the Florida state legislature voted to authorize a special session that would consider the appointment of presidential electors. The race between Al Gore and George W. Bush remains deadlocked over the results in Florida, with the stalemate threatening to go beyond the December 12th deadline to certify electors. Republicans, who control the Florida legislature, want lawmakers to be in position to name the electors if a presidential winner is still unnamed. But the electors would certainly be Republican electors, and furious Democrats insist that any involvement by the legislature at this stage would be premature.

Having worked the West Coast earlier in the week, Texas Governor George W. Bush was bearing down on the Midwestern states again today, campaigning in Missouri, Illinois and Wisconsin. Bush warned that Gore's plans for seniors were just a "hop, skip and a jump" from nationalizing the U.S. health care system. Gore, meanwhile, campaigned in Illinois as well and had plenty of warnings of his own. In Chicago he told a crowd that "prosperity is on the ballot," and warned against Bush's environmental record. NPR's Steve Inskeep reports.

Texas Governor George W. Bush said today that he has learned from the mistakes in his life. The Republican Presidential candidate spoke one day after confirming that he had been arrested for drunk driving in 1976. Bush has built much of his campaign around the idea that he's more honest and trustworthy than Al Gore or Bill Clinton. Now, Bush faces questions about whether he made any misleading statements, as he tried to keep his past private. NPR's Steve Inskeep is covering the Bush campaign.

NPR's Julie McCarthy reports from London that several world leaders, including French president Jacques Chirac and British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, rushed to congratulate Texas governor George W. Bush when it appeared he had won the U.S. presidential election. On learning the outcome was still uncertain, they retracted their messages with some embarrassment. Russian analysts, among others, saw the confusion in the United States as a sign of the imperfections in the U.S. electoral system.

The federal government normally sets aside money for the transition expenses of a new president. So President Clinton's successor is slated to receive five-point-three-million-dollars from the General Services Administration, along with the keys to now-empty offices for his transition team. But with the outcome of this month's presidential election still being challenged, the GSA has said it will not release that money. That's prompted the campaign of Texas Governor George W. Bush to start raising private money so it can proceed with its transition plans. NPR's Peter Overby reports.

Florida's state courts took center stage today in the continuing tally of the presidential vote. A judge in Tallahassee said the state could cut off its tallying of votes at 5 p.m. Tuesday, but he also said amended returns filed later should be considered at the discretion of Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris. The campaign of Texas Governor George W. Bush applauded the upholding of the deadline, while the campaign of Vice President Al Gore said the judge was really telling Harris to respect amended returns that may be filed later. NPR's Tom Gjelten reports.

A sound montage of some of the voices in this past week's news, including the liftoff of the Russian Soyuz carrying one American astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts to the international space station; Israeli government spokesman Avi Pazner and Hamas spokesman Ismaeel Abushunah; the opening of the very first Tonight show, hosted by Steve Allen, who died this week; Texas Governor George W. Bush on the revelation that he pleaded guilty to a DUI 24 years ago; Gore spokesman Chris Lehane.

In his new book, The Right Man, author and sometime Morning Edition Commentator David Frum writes about what few have seen: The inner workings of the Bush administration. NPR's Renee Montagne talks with Frum about his time at the White House and his opinion of President Bush. The Right Man: The Surprise Presidency of George W. Bush, is published by Random House; ISBN: 0375509038.

Political commentator David Frum. From January 2001 to February 2002 he was a special assistant to President Bush for economic speech-writing. He held the position during the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and he's the man who put the axis in the oft-repeated Bush term "axis of evil." Frum is the author of the new book, The Right Man: The Surprise Presidency of George W. Bush, an inside account of the White House.

W. E. B. DuBois' exploration of America's struggle with race still resonates today. NPR's Michele Norris presents a re-examination of The Souls of Black Folk, on the book's 100th anniversary. Listen to personal recollections of people who have read The Souls of Black Folk.