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President Obama may nominate former Nebraska Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel to be the next defense secretary. The Vietnam veteran could bring a bipartisan presence to Obama's Cabinet, but only if he survives opposition from some in his own party.

Although President Obama supports setting a path to citizenship for many illegal immigrants, his administration deported a record 1.5 million of them in his first term. With immigration advocates calling for the new Congress to address the issue, the administration says it will now focus on "serious offenders."

Maya Thompson's son Ronan died of cancer three days before his fourth birthday. During his illness, she began a raw and sometimes angry blog that drew millions of readers. Thompson has since started a foundation and is funding clinical trials to find a cure for childhood cancer.

As the parties wrangle over taxes and the "fiscal cliff," there's been a lot of talk about the golden days of the 1990s — and each party's role in creating it. Yet economists say a lot was happening outside Washington as well.

The U.S. military plans to send an Army brigade to Africa next year. Some 4,000 soldiers would deploy — in small units and at different times — to help train and advise African troops. It's part of an Obama administration plan to address the growing challenge posed by terrorism in Africa.

For the final installment of Morning Edition's tax series, David Greene talks to Kevin McCormally, of Kiplinger.com, about various odd and often overlooked deductions. Taxpayers should know about these before the end of the year.

Holiday shoppers took to the Web in a big way this year. The latest figures show a 16 percent jump over last year. There were 10 days on which online sales topped $1 billion.

A federal mediator says port operators and workers will start talking to each other again. The clock is ticking because a contract extension expires Saturday for longshoremen from Maine to Texas. Talks broke down last week, and retailers are pushing hard for mediation.

Few people today remember E.T.A. Hoffmann, but most everyone is familiar with his most famous creation: The Nutcracker. NPR's Robert Siegel traces the history of everyone's favorite Christmas ballet all the way back to its much darker original version.

Rita Betush and Judy Bottomley grew up with a sense that something was missing. As a child, Betush's mother told her she had a sister who'd been put up for adoption. This year, after decades apart, Betush and her long-lost sister, Bottomley, connected by phone, and in February, they'll finally meet.