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As he prepares to leave office, Illinois Gov. George Ryan considers commuting the death sentences against death-row inmates in the state. Ryan declared a moratorium on the death penalty after courts found 13 inmates were wrongly convicted. NPR's Renee Montagne talks with lawyer and novelist Scott Turow, who served on a commission to study capital punishment in Illinois.

Susanna Capelouto of Georgia Public Radio reports that the surprise victory of Republican Sonny Perdue over incumbent Democrat Roy Barnes has upset the state's political establishment. It's the first time a Republican has been governor of Georgia for 130 years, and there's a rush to fill positions.

Bob Deans of the Cox newspaper chain confesses that the folks in the White House mailroom showed precious little respect for the holiday gifts he sent. Must be the president's new anti-fruitcake defense system.

Governors and state legislatures are stuck playing Scrooge from coast to coast. They're cutting back on services, dipping into reserves or raising taxes. NPR's Robert Siegel talks to South Dakota Gov.-elect Mike Rounds and Kentucky's outgoing Gov. Paul Patton.

Governors and state legislatures across the country are looking at tax hikes and deep cuts in services as they grapple with the worst crisis in state finances since World War II. NPR's Mara Liasson reports.

NPR's Steve Inskeep takes a look at racial tactics in the 2002 elections. In Georgia, a debate over the Confederate flag helped bring down the incumbent Democratic governor, while candidates in Texas were accused of using coded racial appeals to get out the vote. He talks to Ruben Navarette, editorial writer for The Dallas Morning News; Democrat Tyrone Brooks, chairman of the state association of black elected officials; University of Georgia political scientist Charles Bullock; and political scientist Paul Green of Roosevelt University in Chicago.

On Dec. 5, 2002, Strom Thurmond marks his 100th birthday -- another milestone for the colorful lawmaker who in 1996 set the record as the oldest living member of the U.S. Senate. NPR's David Welna reports.

Oregon's governor is set to say the state was wrong when it forcibly sterilized residents of state institutions decades ago. Virginia's governor made a similar apology earlier this year. But few of those who were sterilized are still alive. NPR's Joseph Shapiro reports.

Public schools nationwide face budget problems. Kentucky Gov. Paul Patton and other governors met with President Bush this weekend to address the crisis. Patton speaks with NPR's Steve Inskeep.

President Bush nominates former Penn. Governor Tom Ridge to be the first secretary of the new Department of Homeland Security. Ridge already serves as the president's homeland security adviser. Ridge will lead an agency that consolidates more than two dozen agencies and 170,000 employees. NPR's Bob Edwards speaks with Ridge.