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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.

NPR's Guy Raz reports from Austria on the political fortunes of the far-right Freedom Party and its most famous member -- Joerg Haider (YERG HY-der). Haider and the party have been hit by recent allegations they used friends in the police to spy on political enemies. And, in a recent local election, the party suffered its worst setback in years. But while the party may be losing strength at the national level, Haider still dominates the scene in the province of Carinthia, where he is governor.

NPR's Nina Totenberg talks to Noah about today's US Supreme Court ruling on the presidential election. The justices set aside the Florida Supreme Court ruling which had allowing a later deadline for the counties to report their vote totals. The court in Washington asked the Florida court to explain whether its ruling was based on statutes or on the Florida constitution. The federal justices would give more deference to a state court interpreting state election law than to a state court relying on a more general right to vote.

NPR's Sarah Chayes reports from Cherbourg that French officials are facing a potential environmental disaster in the English Channel. The Italian tanker Ievoli Sun took on water in rough seas Monday and sank yesterday as it was being towed to Cherbourg. The tanker carried thousands of tons of chemicals, including one called styrene -- which environmental groups say is highly toxic. The incident has raised alarm in the French government, coming less than a year after the oil tanker Erika sank, polluting large stretches of France's Atlantic coast.

NPR's Brian Naylor reports that the House has finally finished its pre-election business. After passing an Everglades restoration bill, House members now join their Senate counterparts in leaving Washington to go home and campaign. They now have just a handful of days to reacquaint themselves with voters, who will decide on Tuesday whether to continue GOP control of both chambers. Congress returns to finish up its business in a rare post-election session on November 14.

Tierney Cahill, a sixth-grade teacher from Reno, took up a challenge from her students that has resulted in a run for Congress this November. Students in Cahill's civics class argued that it takes a million dollars to run for Congress. Ms. Cahill disagreed, saying that anyone could run for high political office, no matter how much money, power, or influence they had. From member station KUNR in Reno, Brian Bahouth reports.

NPR's Gerry Hadden reports that ballots are still being counted in Haiti's presidential election yesterday, but the outcome is almost certain — victory by Jean Bertrande Aristide), the former priest who became Haiti's first democratically elected president eleven years ago. He was toppled by a military coup in 1991 and then restored to power by US forces in 1994. Aristide was forced to step down in 1996 by term limits. And his win this year is controversial. Six other candidates chose not to campaign for fear of violence. Opponents said turnout was extremely low because of intimidation by Aristide's Lavalas Party.

The federal transportation bill just signed into law says that states must adopt a 0.08 blood-alcohol level as their legal standard for D.U.I. or they'll lose federal highway funds. But a number of state lawmakers across the country aren't happy with this mandate. They see this is an issue of states rights and in Wyoming the legislature may even be prepared to lose the federal dollars to make a point. From Wyoming Public Radio, Aaron Alpern reports.

Noah talks with Lee Mueller, Lexington Herald Eastern Kentucky Bureau Reporter, about life in the region after one of the worst environmental disasters to hit the Southeastern U.S. A holding pond, containing sludge created in the process of coal washing, broke, sending the toxic mess into streams and rivers. Mueller says clean-up is really just beginning and it won't be easy. The A.T. Massey company is responsible for the spill, and has hired workers to do the clean up.

NPR's Michele Kelemen reports on how Russian president Vladimir Putin's plan to reassert control over the country's far-flung regions is playing in the provinces. Putin has promised to establish what he calls a "vertical power structure," bringing local legislation into compliance with federal law. He's vowed to crack down on corruption. But in the Volga River city of Saratov, business people fear Putin's "streamlining" will only create another layer of bureaucracy -- and corrupt petty functionaries to be paid off.