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As a former counterterrorism official in the Clinton and Bush administrations, Richard A. Clarke often had to imagine worst-case scenarios. His first novel — a thriller — does just that: set five years in the future, it envisions the United States on the verge of another war in the Middle East.

As the temperature drops outside, the cost of staying warm inside is rising... and those drafty window frames don't help. Michele Norris speaks with Tim Carter for some practical tips on keeping heating costs down in the winter. Carter runs the Web site askthebuilder.com.

Evangelical Christian groups are lobbying members of Congress and the Air Force to make sure their views are represented in new religious tolerance guidelines. Specifically, they want to make sure government-paid military chaplains still have the right to evangelize troops. Opponents are also lobbying. They say paying chaplains to evangelize violates the establishment clause of the Constitution.

Yvette Warren did not choose to leave New Orleans, the city where she'd met her husband, raised five children, and worked as a teacher's aide. Hurricane Katrina forced her out. Now she's found a new home in Texas.

A Catholic bishop in South Africa has become a leading opponent of the church's ban on the use of condoms. Bishop Kevin Dowling presides over Rustenburg, an impoverished mining town that has been ravaged by HIV/ AIDS. With so much suffering caused by the virus, Dowling considers the Vatican's ban morally unacceptable.

Commentator Tamar Jacoby believes the individual immigration reform proposals from the Bush administration and members of Congress may not be perfect. But out of them, she thinks will come a workable plan to solve some of the country's immigration problems. This is the second of two commentaries on immigration reform proposals.

New York has always served as a muse for rock icon Lou Reed, and his photography is inspired by his sense of the city. The photo exhibit Lou Reed New York opened recently at the Hermes and Steven Kasher galleries. Reed tells Scott Simon about his work.

Over the weekend, four Christian aid workers were taken captive in Iraq. They are part of Christian Peacemakers Teams, a pacifist religious organization that has had members operating outside the Green Zone since 2002.

President Bush reacts cautiously to the success of the militant Hamas party in Palestinian elections. The United States lists Hamas as a terrorist organization, but the president suggests he could work with the new Hamas-led government if it would agree to recognize Israel's right to exist.

Residents of New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward were allowed to return to their homes Thursday for the first time since Hurricane Katrina hit. Residents were permitted to stay for the day and had to leave by sundown.