Hamer Public Library

It took over five years for Nathaniel Rich to finish his first novel — maybe because he was writing The Mayor's Tongue secretly, first as a college student, and then while writing film criticism during the day.

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Abortion-rights backers want quick action from the president-elect, although they may not press for sweeping changes. Obama has said he is looking to find common ground on reproductive health issues.

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The Obama presidential campaign rewrote the playbook for raising campaign cash in 2008. The Supreme Court may change it again before 2010: An upcoming decision could potentially curb the growing influence of small donors in favor of corporate America.

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At the Ocean Charter School near Marina del Rey, Calif., 40 percent of the 2008 kindergarten class received vaccination exemptions. Author Michael Specter says the parents in this upscale enclave are prime examples of what he calls "denialism."

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Deployments are usually hard on families. Spouses must become single parents for months on end, managing households with little outside help. These challenges become even more daunting for families with special needs children.

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Michael Jackson's father is seeking an allowance from his son's estate to help cover expenses that exceed $15,000 a month, according to court documents filed Friday. The entertainer's 2002 will made no reference to his father, with whom he had an often strained relationship.

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After a mass shooting, people who knew the gunman find themselves wondering what warning signs they might have missed. So it is in the case of Maj. Nidal Hasan, the man authorities say opened fire on his fellow soldiers at Fort Hood.

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When the main challenger to Afghan President Hamid Karzai dropped out of a planned runoff, it did more than end two months of election disputes. According to Sen. John Kerry, it also gives Karzai a chance to prove his legitimacy — and to become a stronger ally to America.

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As an Army psychiatrist, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan heard the horror stories of war on a daily basis from the soldiers he was treating for post-traumatic stress disorder.

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The story of suspected Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan is a reminder of the stresses and potential pitfalls Muslims and Arab-Americans face in serving in the U.S. armed forces in a post-9/11 world.

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In Fort Hood, Texas, investigators are collecting information about Thursday's deadly attack at a soldier processing center. Thirteen people were killed, 12 of them soldiers, and 30 were wounded when a gunman, identified as Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, opened fire in the facility.

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Consumers borrowed less for a record eighth straight month in September amid rising unemployment and tight credit conditions. Economists worry the declines in borrowing will drag on the fledgling recovery. The Federal Reserve said borrowing fell at an annual rate of $14.8 billion in September.

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As Fort Hood, Texas, takes stock of Thursday's attack, those who lived through it are providing new details about what went on inside the Soldier Readiness Processing Center. Soldiers and others who were there when the gunman — named by the military as Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan — opened fire discuss how the events unfolded.

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The government says the nation's unemployment rate hit 10.2 percent last month, the highest since 1983. Economists had expected the figure to rise to 9.9 percent.

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Before the financial crisis hit, John Paulson was just your run-of-the-mill hedge fund operator, worth millions of dollars. But when the market crashed, Paulson made billions. How he did it lies at the heart of a new book called The Greatest Trade Ever. The book's author, Gregory R. Zuckerman, offers his insight.

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The H1N1 virus is a major concern for Saudi Arabian authorities, who are gearing up to host millions of Muslims on the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. Health officials are making recommendations and monitoring pilgrims, but otherwise can do little to mitigate the virus' spread.

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A special report from All Things Considered and NPR.org explores the challenges facing President Obama, America and Afghanistan in the troubled region and the options available to the U.S.

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The U.S. envoy to the U.N. rejects claims that the Obama administration's pace of determining a strategy in Afghanistan is a sign of weakness. What would be "weak and dangerous," Susan Rice says, is a rushed decision made without thoroughly considering the implications for U.S. national security.

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News that the jobless rate has crossed the psychologically important 10 percent mark comes in the same week that Democrats suffered a sobering Election Day. Some experts say it dims Democratic prospects not just for 2010 but for the health care vote this weekend.

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After a routine resupply mission, the American soldiers disappeared and more than 25 NATO and Afghan security forces members were wounded during the search mission for them, the alliance said Friday.

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