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The Israeli bombardment of Gaza continued Sunday — with one missile strike flattening a two-story building in Gaza City, killing at least 11 people, including women and children; another hit a media building and injured six journalists. Israel says its actions have been prompted by a barrage of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, targeting Israeli cities. Meanwhile, diplomatic negotiations are under way, but Israel is continuing preparations for a ground invasion.

Update at 7:42 p.m. ET: State Department Comments

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

We turn now to the Israeli side of the border, where sirens have been warning civilians to take cover from incoming rocket fire. It's also where the Israeli military has been gathering ground forces in preparation for a possible invasion. Despite the talk of cease-fire, analysts say it's anyone's guess how much longer this most recent round of hostilities will continue. Reporter Sheera Frenkel is on the border and she filed this report.

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RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Host Rachel Martin speaks with NPR's Shankar Vedantam about the psychology behind the fiscal cliff negotiations. Vedantam says humans evolved as short-term thinkers, which makes dealing with the long-term problem of the national debt particularly difficult.