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2012 was a very jittery year — what with the presidential election, extreme weather events and the looming "fiscal cliff." Fresh Air critic Maureen Corrigan found that her favorite fiction and nonfiction this year directly confronted the atmospheric uncertainty of the age.

A military coup brought down Mali's prime minister in March, allowing radical Islamists from Mali and surrounding areas to take hold of an area the size of Texas. As al-Qaida-linked militants take over the northern part of the country, many wonder what the U.S. and other can do to intervene.

Under fire from Republicans, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice took herself out of the running to become the next secretary of State. Rice told President Obama that if she were to be nominated, the confirmation process would be "lengthy, disruptive and costly."

In an interview with David Greene, outgoing Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Mary Schapiro reflects on her tenure at the agency, and the disappointment that she wasn't able to overhaul money market funds. She leaves the job on Friday.

The inflation rate, which spiked in August and September when gas prices rose sharply, now appears to have slowed again. That should let the Federal Reserve keep up its efforts to give the economy a boost.

"Our hearts are broken," President Obama told the nation today as the awful news emerged. Police say they found 18 children and six adults dead at the scene. Two other children died later. The gunman's body was also found at the school.

In this week's Barbershop, the guys weigh in on U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice withdrawing her name from consideration for secretary of state. They also discuss Michigan's right-to-work law and whether unions are still relevant today.

A path to freedom for enslaved blacks, an engine of economic independence, a treat for Mardi Gras revelers. Once you know the fascinating history of this Creole rice fritter, beignets will seem boring by comparison.

The nomination of Sen. Chuck Hagel as defense secretary has been the most contested of President Obama's picks so far.

Stations in at least two states had their emergency broadcast systems broken into. "Bodies of the dead" were said to be rising from their graves. Funny? Dangerous? Both?