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The Supreme Court's expected ruling on a case involving the University of Texas could end race-based affirmative action. But while some say the program works and is still needed, others argue there are better ways of measuring diversity.

Stroke is usually a problem that comes with age, but a surprising number of children have strokes, too. Many kids have conditions that put them at higher risk. But surgeons have developed a technique that cuts the risk in some of these kids by giving part of the brain a new blood supply.

Over the next 12 days, Morning Edition will take a closer look at the biggest federal tax deductions: how they came about, who benefits and how they might be affected by "fiscal cliff" negotiations. We begin with the casualty loss deduction.

A new Tell Me More series, 'Why Not?' takes a closer look at what's on the table during the fiscal cliff negotiations. Host Michel Martin talks to NPR's Scott Horsley and Dorothy Brown of Emory University School of Law. They weigh the pros and cons of cutting tax deductions, including mortgage interest and charitable giving adjustments.

A manhunt has been launched to find the mother of Nigeria's Finance Minister who was kidnapped on Sunday. Crimes like kidnapping, online scams, and corruption are lucrative enterprises in Nigeria. Host Michel Martin spoke with Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala days before the kidnapping, about the challenges involved in reforming Nigeria.

The bill would bar contracts requiring employees to pay union dues as a condition of employment. The proposed right-to-work law has infuriated union leaders in a state considered the heart of the union movement. Michigan's Legislature is expected to pass the bill Tuesday.

Farm-state lawmakers are urging leaders to include a farm bill as part of any budget deal to avert year-end tax increases and spending cuts. But others argue that Congress shouldn't toss the farm bill into a giant package because it would very likely stifle debate and amendments.

The Bureau of Land Management is auctioning off 18,000 acres of oil leases in California Wednesday. The state has one of the largest deposits of shale oil in the country. And it's attracting new attention because of the drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing – or fracking.

Despite his re-election and bolstered Democratic numbers in Congress, President Obama has far from a free hand to make a comprehensive deal with House Speaker John Boehner that would include cuts to entitlement programs. Strong resistance to that notion is coming from the political left — and with a warning.

In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, New Yorkers, local politicians and scientists face a tough decision: How to spend limited funds to defend themselves in a world where climate change is making flooding from coastal storms ever more likely.