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Afghan leaders have wrapped up their latest grand assembly, known as a loya jirga, where delegates from all over Afghanistan discussed topics key to the country's future. Among the issues they discussed was the level of U.S. involvement after the 2014 drawdown. Host Audie Cornish talks with Alissa Rubin of The New York Times for more.

The supercommittee, charged with cutting federal deficits by at least $1.2 trillion over the next decade, is down to the final days before its Nov. 23 deadline, and the group appears to be at an impasse. NPR's Tamara Keith and Mara Liasson talk with host Audie Cornish to explain both the economic and political consequences of supercommittee success or failure.

In today's tough economy many people are doing whatever they can to make it through one more mortgage payment or survive other financial hardships that have reached their doorstep. Desperate times often call for desperate measures, and for some retirees that means selling their pensions for a lump sum payment.

Roger Craig has wanted to be on Jeopardy! since he was 12 years old. When he finally got his shot, he knew he had to make it count. So he built a computer model to mine Jeopardy! for patterns. He says the most exciting part wasn't the money — it was that his system worked.

Every year, millions of Sikhs flock to the holy city of Amritsar in northern India, adding heavily to the city's carbon footprint. Now, officials and activists are encouraging environmentally friendly practices such as using solar energy and reducing waste.

For reasons that are unclear, in recent months the hard-to-get drugs include ADHD medications such as Adderall. Last week, methylphenidate, the active ingredient in Ritalin and generic equivalents, was officially declared in shortage. The scarcity is a problem faced by an untold number of children and adults with the disorder.

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum says he learned to run a lean campaign from a former Pennsylvania state senator's wife. Now he's employing those skills in Iowa, hoping to stun the political establishment with a surprise win in January.

Fuel-economy standards are set to double by 2025. Electric cars could help reach that goal, but consumers just aren't buying them on a large scale. Beloved by niche markets, the cars face similar challenges as when they first appeared over 100 years ago: a higher price than gas cars and concerns over battery life.

Last week, a Bollywood superstar couple welcomed a newborn girl to their famous family. Commentator Sandip Roy looks at the fascination with the birth of India's best-known baby.

With a new Muppets movie on its way to theaters, NPR's Susan Stamberg goes on set with felt-wrangler Bill Barretta and director James Bobin to find out what's new — and what techniques never change.