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Years ago, retailers had an unofficial agreement: Black Friday would be the start of the shopping season. Then some stores started opening their doors and offering sales on Thanksgiving Day. That created some conflicts between consumerism and turkey consumption and now the pendulum is swinging back again.

Democratic presidential candidates are attending a major party celebration in Iowa, which was the setting that helped launch Barack Obama on his way to the White House 12 years ago.

In a surprise move, CIA Director William Burns traveled to Kabul, Afghanistan, and met the Taliban leader. This is the highest level meeting between the U.S. and the Taliban since the group took over.

President Obama's campaign has tried to turn attention to Mitt Romney's tenure as governor of Massachusetts. It's a period Romney rarely discusses on his own. As Obama supporters brought their fight to Romney's backyard, Boston, Romney focused his attention on Obama's experience.

The men's basketball team at Jeremy Lin's alma mater, Harvard University, is making its mark on the national scene — and benefiting from powerful Ivy League recruiting tools: a stellar academic reputation and a big increase in financial aid.

A Canadian rock band named The Tea Party has owned the domain name TeaParty.com since the early 1990s. Now, with seemingly no shortage of would-be buyers, the band has decided to sell to the highest bidder. Between its traffic numbers and its search value, it could be worth more than a million dollars.

Russians go to the polls on Sunday to elect their next president. It will most likely be their previous president, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. The election has exposed social rifts and provoked popular opposition not seen in decades. Host Rachel Martin talks with NPR's Corey Flintoff.

The rolling NASA laboratory called Curiosity has begun its two-year mission on the Red Planet. The nuclear-powered robot pulled off a tricky touchdown in a Martian crater. There is a lot riding on this mission — not the least is the $2.5 billion price tag.

It's been a year since massive flooding along the Missouri River damaged Iowa cities. Those that live along the river are still cleaning up and say they want an economic impact study to put into perspective just how much they've lost. Meanwhile, environmentalists say the river has been over-industrialized and put it on a list of top five endangered rivers in the U.S. They're calling on Congress to fully fund a recovery program.

For every farmer who is hurting this year during the drought, others are benefiting. Many fields in the South, Northwest and Upper Midwest are producing bountiful corn crops. And because the drought has pushed prices to record highs, farmers who have corn to sell expect a terrific payday.