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For the third straight day, California officials issued a power emergency that allows electricity to be cut to industrial customers. As Scott Horsley reports, electricity remains in short supply in California, even though the peak summer season is long past. So dire is the shortage that Governor Gray Davis switched off the lights on the state's official Christmas tree a few minutes after the official lighting ceremony.

NPR's legal correspondent Nina Totenberg reports yesterday's United States Supreme Court decision, combined with Florida trial court Judge N. Sander Sauls' ruling, could mean the end of Al Gore's shot at the presidency. Governor Bush is not pushing Gore to concede, but he is very confident of his own victory.

While all eyes have been on Al Gore's challenge to the results in Florida's presidential election, other related lawsuits have been making their way through the courts in that state. One arising from Seminole County has the potential to throw out thousands of absentee ballots counted in that county, ballots that were primarily cast for Texas Governor George W. Bush. Today, that case was in a courtroom in the state capital of Tallahassee. NPR's Andy Bowers is there, and talks to Noah Adams about the case.

Vice President Gore today asserted that he remains optimistic as his appeal of a Florida circuit court ruling goes forward. The Florida Supreme Court has agreed to hear the appeal of yesterday's lower court ruling that rejected Gore's call for hand counts of ballots in key counties. The court said it would take written briefs from the lawyers on both sides on Wednesday and hear oral arguments on Thursday. While Florida's top court hears that case, it has also been asked by the U.S. Supreme Court to explain its decision extending a deadline for counties to submit their vote tallies to the state for certification. That decision allowed hand counting to go forward in several Florida counties, counting that cut into the election lead held by Texas Governor George W. Bush. Robert talks to NPR's Melissa Block about the issues before the Florida Supreme Court.

Host Bob Edwards talks to Francisco Cox, Professor of Constitutional and International Law at the University of Santiago in Chile about the homicide and kidnapping charges brought by a judge in Chile against former President Augusto Pinochet.

A sound montage of some of the voices in this past week's news, including Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris; Senator Joseph Lieberman; Governor George W. Bush; Vice President Al Gore; former Secretary of State James Baker; Chief Justice William Rehnquist; Theodore Olson, attorney for Governor Bush, and Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

Liane talks live with NPR's Debbie Elliot from Tallahassee, where today a court hearing continues to determine whether thousands of disputed ballots from two Florida counties will be counted. Lawyers for Vice President Al Gore argued yesterday that the ballots should be counted; lawyers for Texas Governor George W. Bush disagree.

A circuit court judge in Leon County, Florida is hearing testimony today. Judge Sanders Sauls will hear arguments from lawyers for Vice President Gore and Governor Bush about whether to recount a million ballots from two Florida counties. NPR's Brian Naylor reports.

NPR's Eric Westervelt joined a group of law students at the University of Pennsylvania today, as they paid close attention to the arguments made before the U.S. Supreme Court by attorneys for Texas Governor Bush and Vice President Gore.

Linda talks with Senator James E. "Jim" King, Jr. the Majority Leader (Republican, 8th District) of the Florida State Senate about the select joint committee's call for a special session of the Florida State Legislature to select presidential electors, "as soon as practicable." If the Republican-dominated legislature names a slate of 25 electors pledged to Bush, it may give Florida Governor Jeb Bush the opportunity to sign off on the measure, which would make his brother the president.