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He is one of New York's most notable spoken-word artists. He blends lyrics of urban dwelling with music. Born in Harlem, Sundiata is a professor of English literature at The New School for Social Research. He's released CDs of spoken word including The Blue Oneness of Dreams and Urban Music. This week, Sundiata premieres his new one-man show blessing the boats. It's about the year his kidney failed, he went into dialysis and then had a kidney transplant. That year ended with him breaking his neck after he crashed his car in a snowstorm on the way to his "comeback" concert. He is fully recovered now.

Almost a year since former Beatles guitarist George Harrison died of cancer, his final studio album, Brainwashed, hits the record stores Tuesday. NPR's Bob Boilen talks to longtime collaborator Jeff Lynne and Harrison's only son, Dhani Harrison, about putting the finishing touches on George Harrison's swan song.

Charles de Ledesma reviews 1 Giant Leap a multimedia project that combines documentary film, recorded music, and spoken word, all compiled on a CD and a DVD. Two producers spent six months traveling to more than 20 countries, recording musicians, writers, and storytellers. Featured on the project are readings from Kurt Vonnegut and Dennis Hopper, and performances by Michael Stipe, Nenah Cherry and Baaba Maal, among others. All of the audio corresponds with short films, with themes like time, death, happiness, money, and God. The CD 1 Giant Leap is from Palm Pictures, catalog # PALM CD 2077-2.

President Ronald Reagan stumbled through his first debate with Walter Mondale in 1984. But that didn't stop Lee Atwater and other "spin doctors" on the Reagan team from trying to convince reporters that the Democrat had failed to knock their candidate down. On Morning Edition, NPR's Linda Wertheimer looks at the origins of political "spin" as part of the Present at the Creation series.

The Republicans have taken control of the Senate with this year's midterm elections. NPR's Greg Allen looks at the Senate race in Missouri, where Republican Jim Talent's won a close victory over Democrat Jean Carnahan.

Republicans recapture control of the Senate and add to their advantage in the House. Democrats gain ground in governor's mansions around the nation. NPR's Mara Liasson reports.

NPR's Brian Naylor looks at the Senate race in South Dakota, which has yet to be decided.

John Ydstie goes to a club called the Birchmere in Alexandria, Va., to hear the opening act, Mary Gauthier. Gauthier was an adopted child, a troubled teen, then a philosophy student, and later a restaurant owner. Now she writes and sings songs. Mary Gauthier talks about songwriting and how it relates to philosophy. (12:30) Mary Gauthier's new CD is called Filth and Fire It's on the Signature Sounds label.

Beyond the glamour of Hollywood and the romance of the Golden Gate Bridge, there is another California -- and it's home to the greatest garden in the world. The 400-mile-long Central Valley supplies fully one-quarter of the food America eats. Now the region faces huge changes. In the second of a four-part series on the future of the valley, NPR's John McChesney reports on the benefits and pitfalls of pesticide use, and the pressure on farmers to "go organic."

In his new book, The End of the American Era: U.S. Foreign Policy and the Geopolitics of the Twenty-First Century, Kupchan argues that the era of American dominance may be coming to an end. This demise will not be brought on by the Islamic world or China, but from an integrated Europe. He says that as Europe's political and strategic goals continue to diverge from those of the United States, Europe will rise as a new rival. Kupchan served on the National Security Council during the first Clinton administration. He is a professor of international relations at Georgetown University and senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.