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Linda Gradstein reports from Jerusalem on the clash of culture and history that lies behind an Israeli court decision to force Bedouin shepherds of their traditional lands to make way for the expansion of Israeli settlements. The Bedouin tragedy is that their ancient nomadic culture was not one based on land ownership and, as a result, they have no title to the lands on which they live.

Robert talks with Lisa Jardine, author of "Worldly Goods," about an historical anecdote from the Renaissance. Yesterday, Robert spoke with Jardine about the role of commercialism in the development of book publishing. Jardine believes market incentives determined the course of history to a great extent. She uses the story of a Hungarian gunsmith to illustrate her point.

Chris Nuttall (NUT-uhl) reports from Turkey on the eve of a debate in the Turkish Parliament that could bring down the first Islamist-led government in the country's history. The secular politicians, media and military have been striking back at moves taken in recent weeks by the Islamist Welfare Party. The Welfare party wants to re-introduce religion into the affiars of state.

The Federal Trade Commission has given a unanimous green light to the largest proposed merger in U.S. history, between Internet pioneer America Online and media giant Time Warner. The companies were required to take steps that would ensure consumer choice and competition in Internet services. NPR's Larry Abramson reports.

The city of Youngstown, Ohio has an unusually long history with organized crime. Julie Grant from member station WKSU reports that city leaders are going to great lengths latest attempt to fight the problem, literally. They've turned to Palermo, Italy to learn strategies for beating the mob.

Democrat Mary Landrieu defeats Republican Suzanne Terrell in the Louisiana Senate race. NPR's Steve Inskeep talks with politics writer Jason Berry about the race and about the state's colorful political history.

Lewis Gould is a professor of American History at the University of Texas at Austin. He’s edited the new book, “Watching Television Come of Age” (University of Texas Press) a collection of the New York Times reviews by his father, Jack Gould who covered TV for the Times from 1947 until 1972. Jack Gould died in 1993.

While the Empire State Building may no longer be the tallest in the world, it is still the iconic skyscraper. Going above and beyond the observation deck, NPR's Peter Breslow investigates the history of the Empire State Building for the Present at the Creation series.

To talk about the U.S. options in response to North Korea's nuclear program, Robert Siegel talks with Donald Oberdorfer, a professor at Johns Hopkins Nitze School of Advanced International Studies. Oberdorfer is author of Two Koreas: A Contemporary History. The book is published by Basic Books, 1999.

Host John Ydstie talks with Dr. Elmo Shropshire, the veterinarian who performs the most requested Christmas song ever in radio history: "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer."