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Overnight air raids on Gaza pushed the Palestinian death toll to more than 80, with more than 700 wounded. The numbers on the Israeli side are dramatically lower — with three dead. And the Israeli prime minister says Israel is prepared to escalate the fight with ground troops. As the fighting drags into a new week, the United Nations and the Arab League are stepping up efforts to mediate.

Hamas militants have fired hundreds of missiles at Israel since the conflict intensified last week. Many of those missiles have fallen prey to Iron Dome, the U.S.-funded anti-missile system deployed in key areas across Israel. Israelis are running out of their homes, rather then into their bunkers, to film Iron Dome at work.

The average American had almost $5,000 of credit card debt in the third quarter of 2012, up almost 5 percent over the previous quarter. Industry analysts say the increase is partly seasonal, people spending more ahead of the holidays. But they also say it could reflect growing consumer confidence, which has been on the rise since July as job numbers have gradually improved nationwide.

Low interest rates have sparked a record wave of mortgage activity, and the need for more people to process the paperwork. Mortgage employment rose by 9 percent this year, to its highest level since the financial crisis in 2008.

The latest book by former New Yorker editor Robert Gottlieb, Great Expectations: The Sons and Daughters of Charles Dickens, reads more like scintillating gossip about the famous writer and his family than literary scholarship. NPR's Heller McAlpin is fine with that.

In Portland, Ore., cars overflowed the parking lot as customers helped Black Rock Coffee Bar bounce back from two robberies in just two weeks. Many gave cash donations.

Liu Xianping advised his granddaughter on her fashion business, and then he modeled the looks. The photos went viral, and sales skyrocketed.

Hewlett-Packard wiped that huge amount of money off its books last quarter, it says, because of problems with the finances of a British software company it bought last year.

It's been a great year for high-profile comics creators, producing landmark works destined for many "Best Comics of 2012" lists. But what about the lesser-known artists and their work? Glen Weldon points to outstanding works that haven't gotten the attention they deserve.

The Cherokee Nation has teamed up with Google to launch Gmail in the Cherokee language. They hope to give young Cherokees a chance to use the language every day. Guest host Celeste Headlee discusses the project with Google Senior Software Engineer Craig Cornelius and Cherokee language expert Joseph Erb.