Health Care Reform Passes Procedural Vote in the Senate

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Senate Democrats who cobbled together the 60 votes needed to pass their health care reform proposal at 1 a.m. this morning are preparing for a possible late-Christmas Eve final vote on the bill. We speak with Rick Klein, senior political reporter for ABC News, author of The Note political blog, and co-host of ABCNews.com political webcast “Top Line.”

Searching for Balance in Religion

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Frank Schaeffer has spent his life thinking about religion – he’s the son of leading evangelicals and he was a Christian fundamentalist himself for some time. He is no longer an evangelical, and in his new book, he finds fault not only with them, but also with a group of outspoken atheists; Schaeffer sees both groups as dogmatic.

Feliz Navidad in Barcelona

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The Mayor of Barcelona is getting some unusual Christmas cards this year. The cards feature photos of the city’s red light district and they are coming from residents who are fed up with conditions there. The BBC’s Sarah Rainsford reports.

The Trial Of Major Hasan

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How does the military try someone for murder? We’ll look at how the military will try Major Nidal Hasan, the alleged Fort Hood shooter charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder. He’ll face a jury, but it won’t be a jury of peers — they’ll be officers of higher rank than Hasan. And they’ll get to ask questions. Eugene Fidell, president of the National Institute of Military Justice and professor of military law at Yale University joins us to bring us up to date on the proceedings and explain the difference between military and civilian trials.

Cookbooks for The Cooks on Your List

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Here and Now’s resident chef Kathy Gunst lugs in her favorite cookbooks of the year. They include “Gourmet Today” from Ruth Reichl, “My New Orleans” by John Besh, “Momofuku” by David Chang , “How to Roast a Lamb” by Michael Psilakis and “Stir: Mixing it up in the Italian Tradition” by Barbara Lynch. Kathy also suggests “Ad Hoc at Home” by Thomas Keller, “Baking” by James Peterson, and “Rose’s Heavenly Cakes” by Rose Levy Beranbaum.

• Recipes: Fall Greens with Pumpkin Seed Brittle, White Bean Soup and More
• Listen to our interview with Judith Jones about cooking for one
• Listen to our interview with chef Bryant Terry about “Vegan Soul Food”

Music from the Show

• Jeremy Enigk, “Abegail Anne”
• Nick Drake, “Fruit Tree”
• Formiga, “No Twist”
• Joanna Newsome, “Swansea”
• Nick Drake, “Cello Song”
• Fiona Apple, “Fast as You Can”