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Republicans are insisting on more austere entitlement programs as leaders negotiate a deal to keep the nation from going over the "fiscal cliff" in the new year. But many Democrats are wary of including any far-reaching and long-lasting entitlement reforms in a hastily thrown-together deal.

Economic progress in China's countryside helps explain the varied reaction to the once-in-a-decade leadership transition. In big cities and online, some derided the process as an authoritarian charade. In rural China, though, there is a reservoir of goodwill and people are more accepting even if they don't know the leaders well.

Gov. Chris Christie is defending local tax increases and major federal investments, despite his tough talk on spending. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is courting the spotlight as he calls for billions of dollars from Washington to rebuild. The Republican and Democrat will have to find consensus on the plan for rebuilding — together and with a divided Congress.

The way Texans speak, from using words like "y'all" to that old Texas twang, is iconic in American culture. But linguists say the twang is fading — and that, in a few decades, "talking Texan" may sound quite different than it does today.

When it was released 32 years ago, Michael Cimino's revisionist Western was considered one of the most colossal flops in Hollywood history. Critic John Powers takes a second look at the film and concludes that it's clearly "the work of one man and ... he wanted you to remember it forever."

Rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo made big gains this week on the country's eastern border. As has happened many times before in the area, the fighting touched off a mass exodus of civilians seeking safety.

South Korean rapper PSY has been a big star in the world of Korean pop music for years. But the video for his latest single, Gangnam Style, launched him to global stardom. Today, he's number one on iTunes and shares a manager with Justin Bieber, but he still wants to record music in his native language.

Women with HIV have a high risk of getting cervical cancer, but the traditional screening method for the disease — a pap smear — isn't available in many poor countries. Now doctors have developed a cheap, simple alternative way to detect cervical cancer, and it's saving lives in Africa and Asia.

It's an exclusive club: pitchers who win with the knuckleball in Major League Baseball. The New York Mets' R.A. Dickey is one of the few active starting pitchers in professional baseball who use this slower, methodical pitch, and he is one of the subjects of a new documentary, Knuckleball!

It hasn't exactly been a barrel of fun flying American Airlines lately. The carrier, which is in bankruptcy, is in a bitter contract dispute with its pilots union. Its on-time performance has plummeted while cancellations are way up. Meanwhile, some of American's best customers are rethinking their loyalty.