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Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Around the Nation

Right-To-Work Measure Expected To Pass In Michigan

A right-to-work protester walks past Michigan state police at the capitol in Lansing on Tuesday. The Michigan Legislature is expected to pass legislation Tuesday that would bar contracts requiring employees to pay union dues as a condition of employment.

December 11, 2012 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.

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Author Interviews

Oprah's Second Pick: A First-Time Novelist

Oprah Winfrey's OWN cable channel and her magazine have revived her book club, now known as Book Club 2.0.

December 11, 2012 Oprah Winfrey's second pick for her rebooted book club is The Twelve Tribes of Hattie, by first-time novelist Ayana Mathis. It's a chronicle of the Great Migration of African-Americans leaving the rural South, following a family matriarch who leaves Georgia to start a new life in Philadelphia.

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Shots - Health News

Feds Say 'No' To Partial Medicaid Expansion

Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe speaks about expanding Medicaid during a speech to the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce in Little Rock, Ark., on Nov. 14. The federal government hasn't set a deadline for states to decide on their Medicaid expansion plans.

December 11, 2012 In the Supreme Court's Affordable Care Act ruling this summer, it decided that states' plans for expansion of the Medicaid program should be optional. That led governors to ask if they could expand the program in part but still receive federal funding. The administration has said no.

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Around the Nation

Detroit Tries To Stave Off State Takeover Of Finances

Detroit Mayor Dave Bing delivers his State of the City address on March 7. If Bing and the City Council can't agree on a plan to reduce the city's budget deficit, state officials are poised to take away their power over Detroit's finances.

December 11, 2012 WDETIf the mayor and City Council can't agree on a plan to reduce the budget deficit, state officials are poised to take away their power over Detroit's purse strings. The mayor and the council blame each other for the impasse. And with the deficit deepening, residents' frustration continues to mount.

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World

Russian Scandal Hints At Larger Political Battle

Russian President Vladimir Putin and former Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, who was recently fired, review military officers on Moscow's Red Square in May. Putin's decision to sack Serdyukov has touched off widespread speculation on the motive.

December 11, 2012 President Vladimir Putin's decision to sack his defense minister has created widespread speculation about his motives. The defense minister was embroiled in a scandal, but analysts say Putin's decision may point to a larger battle over the future of Russia's military.

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The Record

Who Should Be In The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame?

Donna Summer, a possible Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, poses for a portrait circa 1976.

December 11, 2012 The annual list of inductees to the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame spurs debate among fans and industry insiders alike.

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Deceptive Cadence

Remembering Charles Rosen, A Prodigious Pianist And Polymath

President Barack Obama and the late pianist and scholar Charles Rosen, after Rosen was presented with a 2011 National Humanities Medal on February 13.

December 11, 2012 The extraordinarily wide-ranging pianist, scholar and essayist died at age 85 Sunday after a multifaceted life in the arts and academia. His broad repertoire and keen insight as a writer helped shape decades of thought on classical and contemporary music. Hear him play and discuss the piano.

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Monday, December 10, 2012

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