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The American Red Cross is garnering the lion's share of hurricane relief donations from Americans. The relief agency is written into law as the first responder to natural catastrophes. But some charities say that leaves them with fewer resources for long-term rebuilding.

An investigative reporter for The New York Times, Christopher Drew has been on the ground in New Orleans and provides a firsthand account of the situation he witnessed in the Superdome and the streets of the flooded city.

We remember Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, the singer and guitarist who died Saturday in his hometown of Orange, Texas. He had gone there to escape Hurricane Katrina. He was 81. Brown, who had been battling lung cancer and heart disease, was in ill health for the past year, said Rick Cady, his booking agent. Cady said the musician was with his family at his brother's house when he died. Brown's home in Slidell, La., a bedroom community of New Orleans, was destroyed by Katrina, Cady said.

A novel about vampires prowling around dark forests and damp crypts in Central Europe may not seem like ideal summertime reading, but The Historian, a debut novel about Dracula by Elizabeth Kostova, is shaping up to be one of this season's big beach books. Book critic Maureen Corrigan has a review.

Ted Kooser won the 2005 Pulitzer prize for poetry and publishes American Life in Poetry, a free weekly column for newspapers and websites that provides a brief poem and description as a way to bring verse to the masses. His poems are about the simple details of everyday life.

The Tulsa Zoo has long had an evolutionary science exhibit. Now its board is considering adding a display providing the biblical account of how the Earth began. The clash between science and religion is now dividing many in Tulsa.

A 1900 hurricane that left at least 6,000 people dead has had a long-lasting impact on Galveston, Texas. Paul Burka, a Galveston native who is senior executive editor of Texas Monthly, tells Scott Simon about the storm.

Scott Simon reads letters from listeners. Topics include displaced New Orleans resident Randy Adams and his volunteer work in Memphis; an interview with musician Neil Young; and reaction to a satirical look at songsmith Bob Dylan.

The Saturday Night Live star, who died last year after a battle with cancer, shot a one-hour special from his living room. Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special will stream on Netflix starting May 30.

Londoners celebrate the news that their city will host the 2012 Olympic Games. Early Wednesday, Olympics organizers announced their choice of London over Paris, Madrid, New York and Moscow. Hear Michele Norris and Alan Hamilton of The Times of London.