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High mortgage rates cooled home sales over the last few years. But data released this week shows signs that things may be thawing a bit.

The Labor Department is issuing its monthly report card on jobs and unemployment. The job market has been unusually tight, which is pushing up both wages and prices.

Here's a little Christmas secret: Dusting desserts with powdered sugar makes them look more expensive. Chef Nigella Lawson talks with NPR's Steve Inskeep about her tricks for economical holiday hosting.

SpaceX's Dragon capsule has travelled safely to the International Space Station and back. The next step, says Space.com writer Clara Moskowitz, is to outfit the capsule for crew, which SpaceX hopes to complete by 2015. Until then US astronauts will hitch rides on Russia's Soyuz, at about $60 million a pop.

Country music superstar Morgan Wallen is the first artist to have five Top 10 singles from an album that hasn't even been released yet. His highly anticipated album "I'm the Problem" drops in May.

It's not often that you hear of a record company being destroyed by success, but that was the fate of one of America's most prominent soul labels, Vee-Jay Records. They recorded John Lee Hooker, the Four Seasons and Betty Everett, but the music has been unavailable for decades. A new box set ends the wait.

The Italian crostata balances a simple, seasonal filling with the sweet dough that encases it — unlike many pies, which make the filling the star. For fall, try a lattice-topped crostata filled with tender apple and pear chunks, or sweet squash mixed with delicate ricotta and spiked with cinnamon.

Combined spending in the 2012 federal election cycle could top a record six billion dollars, according to a recent estimate. Guests also discuss how newly drawn districts altered the dynamics of several congressional races across the country, particularly in California.

Missouri teen Maura Pozek has gotten a reputation for the unusual dresses she makes. Her first material was Doritos bags. Then it was soda can tabs. This year, she says, "I had to top myself somehow."

The Obama administration says its ambitious, competitive grant program seeks to transform the teaching profession.