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Long-term gains in longevity continue. Today's 65-year-olds can expect to live a tad over 20 more years. That's a huge jump from 1980, when 65-year-olds could expect 14 more years of life. A big part of the reason is that deaths from heart disease and stroke have plummeted by nearly 50 percent.

Of the 535 members of Congress, not many are in the loop about negotiations to avoid automatic spending cuts and tax increases in the new year. Lawmakers are waiting to see what President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner come up with — and some are nervous about having to quickly vote on a bill despite misgivings.

Republicans in the Senate on Tuesday blocked ratification of a U.N. treaty that would have helped countries protect the rights of disabled people. It was inspired by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Opponents argued, among other things, it would threaten the ability of parents in this country to home school their children.

Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera was killed in a plane crash over the weekend. She's remembered as a legendary vocalist, selling over 15 million albums, and earning three Latin Grammy nominations. Host Michel Martin pays tribute to Rivera with Jasmine Garsd, co-host of NPR's online music program, Alt.Latino.

Zakale Creations is a jewelry-designing operation that employs 30 young people — former thieves and prostitutes. The Nairobi-based operation is the brainchild of John Mucheru, himself a former mugger.

Hay prices are up sharply because of the drought across much of the nation. So hay bales sitting in fields have become hot properties. So much so, in fact, that a sheriff in Oklahoma put a GPS tracker in one bale. It helped him track down the suspects.

Last month's ballot initiative that legalized marijuana contained a deal-sweetener for hesitant voters — a new DUI standard that may make life riskier for regular pot users. Regular users of medical marijuana say they'll be stuck on the wrong side of the law.

In Newtown, Conn., Christmas is very different this year, a little more than a week after the shooting at an elementary school. Eight families that attend St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church lost children to the tragedy. Parishioners came to Christmas masses there seeking solace, and priests gave a message of hope and comfort.

Demonstrations in India continued for a second straight day after a young woman who was gang-raped on a public bus died of her injuries over the weekend. Police are awaiting forensic reports that would establish the presence of the men inside the bus that the young woman boarded with her companion, who was also brutally beaten in the attack.

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."