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Folk musician Woody Guthrie wrote thousands of songs in his lifetime — but as far as anyone knows, he only wrote one novel. Recently discovered, House of Earth is the story of struggling young sharecroppers who dream of creating a safe haven amid the dust storms and economic depression of the 1930s.

A rare "court of inquiry" is underway for a sitting judge in Texas. Judge Ken Anderson faces allegations that as a prosecutor he hid evidence vital to a murder defendant's case. That defendant was convicted of killing his wife, and spent 25 years in prison before being exonerated.

The British oil company said its net profit was about a billion dollars lower than a year earlier. BP has been shrinking as assets have been sold off to pay for its liabilities tied to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

On Monday, President Obama was in Minnesota. It's a democratic state he won easily in November, yet it's a state with strong hunting tradition. The president was in Minneapolis to push his proposals to reduce gun violence.

Federal officials plan to sue the credit ratings agency, Standard & Poor's for fraud. S&P gave top ratings to many mortgage-backed securities in the years leading up to the financial crisis in 2008. The securities turned out to be far riskier than anyone imagined. S&P said the suit is without factual or legal merit.

The Indian government was slow to comprehend the mass revulsion after a fatal gang rape made headlines across the globe in December. A new ordinance effectively overhauls the current statutes on what constitutes sex crimes. It allows for capital punishment in cases of sexual assault that cause death.

Also: Scandal-mongering author Kitty Kelley turns her gaze on women in Congress; Goodreads makes some unexpected new rules; and Mark Athitakis explains why Barnes & Noble brought literary culture to the suburbs.

In fiction, a novel from Nobel Prize-winner Nadine Gordimer, a posthumous thriller from Michael Crichton and a sensual werewolf tale from Anne Rice arrive in paperback. In softcover nonfiction, Paul Krugman confronts our economic depression, and Charles Murray looks at the U.S. class divide.

A justice department memo obtained by NBC News says the president can order drone strikes on Americans overseas if they take on leadership posts in al-Qaida or affiliated organizations and are "imminent" threats to Americans. But there's no need for proof of "specific" plans aimed at the U.S.

Tuba players at the University of Memphis, dressed in cute red vests and bow ties, are offering serenades. For about $25, they will play two songs while delivering chocolates and a card.