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Halloween is back! At least for one pre-K class in Oakland, California. They had a "trunk or treat" in their first semi-normal event in more than 18 months.

George Orwell once wrote that "probably it is better to put off using words as long as possible and get one's meaning as clear as one can through pictures or sensations." Novelist Reynolds Price thought perhaps one baby was doing just that when he chose "soap" and "book" as his first words, instead of the more usual Ma Ma or Da Da.

NPR's Joe Palca reports on new studies that seem to disprove the theory that the virus that causes AIDS was first transmitted to humans in tainted polio vaccine during the late 1950's. The evidence against that theory appears in today's issue of the journal Nature.

NPR's Religion Correspondent Duncan Moon reports on a summit held today by Republican Congressional leaders on the challenges and opportunities of the Bush administration's plan to provide federal funds for faith-based initiatives.

New Jersey Democrat Robert Torricelli was first elected to the Senate in 1996, a year when he set records for fundraising in his state. Since then, he has become chairman of the Senate Democrats' campaign committee and has set still more records for bringing in political cash. But along the way the sometimes abrasive Torricelli has brought controversy. And for several years he has faced questions about gifts he may have received from business associates and friends. NPR's Steve Inskeep reports from Capitol Hill.

NPR's Eric Weiner reports on a sense of rising nationalism in Japan. It's been reflected by support for a new history textbook. Critics accuse the book of revisionism.

Robert Siegel talks with Richard L. Garwin, senior fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations in Yorktown Heights, New York, about the creation of the hydrogen bomb. It was previously believed that Stanislaw Ulam or Edward Teller were responsible for designing the bomb. The New York Times recently received a transcript of a recording made by Teller in 1979, giving Garwin the credit. Garwin now says he regrets the bomb's creation.

NPR's Pam Fessler reports on the first congressional hearing into electoral reform since the contested Presidential election five months ago. The House Administration Committee heard from five secretaries of state, officials responsible for voting procedures. They testified that equipment needs to be modernized, voters should be better educated in voting procedures, poll-workers should be trained better, and higher standards should be set for conducting elections and recounts.

Robert Siegel talks with Philip Chatennay, an editor with the Political Weekly Marianne, about an unauthorized "sequel" to Victor Hugo's novel, Les Miserables. The book is Cosette, or the Time of Illusions, written by journalist Francois Ceresa. It is considered scandalous within French literary circles. It's due for publication next week. (3:00) Cosette, or the Time of Illusions will be published in France by Plon.

Author Debra Ginsberg introduces us to Maria Lopez of National City, California. Lopez is profiled as part of our series on The Changing Face of America. She's a mother of three who is on the cusp of escaping from state assistance, the result of determination, changes in the law and a two-year college education. When national welfare reform took place in 1996, the push in state's like California was to get people into any job. But Maria wanted to rise above poverty, so despite the odds, she got her high school equivalency degree, and enrolled in courses at a nearby junior college. Everyday is a struggle to keep from sinking into deeper poverty. But she has a feverish determination, a rosy outlook, and an ability to work the system. (14:00). The Changing Face of America series has a companion area on our Web site.