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At the annual National Governors Association meeting, health care is a hot agenda item. State leaders are at odds with one another over the Affordable Care Act, and some who oppose the law won't yet say whether they'll use federal funds to expand Medicaid programs.

The ancient desert town of Timbuktu is under assault in the west African nation of Mali. Islamist forces have taken over much of northern Mali where Timbuktu is located. One group, allied with al-Qaida, has begun systematically destroying Shrines that celebrate ancient Muslim saints. Human Rights Watch Senior Researcher Corinne Dufka talks to Renee Montagne about the destruction.

Big name medal winners in high-profile Olympic sports can count on support from sponsors. But not so for lesser known athletes. That's forced some of them to take an unorthodox approach to fundraising.

Monday night on PBS, American Masters presents a two-hour biography of Johnny Carson. Carson retired 20 years ago this month, and vacated a throne that TV critic David Bianculli says no one has managed to claim since.

Robert Siegel talks to literary critic Alan Cheuse, a writing teacher at George Mason University, about the legacy of Carlos Fuentes. The Mexican writer died Tuesday at the age of 83.

Bluegrass legend and banjo pioneer Earl Scruggs has died at the age of 88.

The Catholic Church has been in the public spotlight a lot this year. The issues of contraception and gay marriage have been part of the presidential campaign and church leaders have weighed in. There have also been new revelations in a case involving leaked Vatican documents, and it may actually be a case where the butler did it. Host Rachel Martin speaks with John Allen, a senior correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter.

In Egypt, Ahmed Shafiq and the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, Mohammed Morsi, will face each other in a presidential runoff election next month. David Greene talks with NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson about what these results might mean for Egypt's future.

In the beginning, all of the talent was black, but the UniverSoul Circus evolved into an eclectic mix of acts from around the world. Now, the circus is pushing to diversify its audience, with a show called "Us."

Stock car racing is one of America's favorite spectator sports. For the drivers at Airborne Park Speedway in Plattsburgh, N.Y., racing's an all-consuming passion that defines them and their families. Drivers from the Adirondacks, Vermont and southern Quebec head to the track on Saturdays to race cars they've built themselves.