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Gasoline prices have fallen more than 20 percent. And natural gas is selling for less than half what it cost a year ago. But that doesn't mean everyone is benefitting equally from the abrupt reversal.

The Department of Homeland Security is increasing its presence along the U.S.-Mexican border. But qualifications for border patrol agents are tough, and recruiters struggle to meet their quotas. Those who do complete training at the U.S. Border Patrol Academy in New Mexico often leave for greener pastures. Carrie Kahn reports.

Polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs has waived extradition hearings and will soon be sent to Utah to face charges of rape as an accomplice. His capture had been a priority of state and federal officials trying to stem forced polygamous marriages involving underage girls.

Political trouble persists for Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS). The White House is holding Lott at distance. A Jan. 6 vote will decide if Lott stays as Senate Republican leader. Many in the party are worried that a continuing focus on Lott's racially insensitive remarks will alienate minorities. NPR's Michele Norris talks to Al Bartell, a member of the Grassroots Leadership Initiative for the Georgia State Republican Party; GOP fundraiser Harold E. Doley Jr.; and Michael Brady, president of the Palm Beach county chapter of the Florida Black Republican Council.

Delphi, the nation's largest auto-parts supplier, asks a federal bankruptcy judge to void its labor contract with the United Auto Workers Union. The UAW has warned that its members may strike if the judge approves Delphi's request. Delphi is General Motors' biggest supplier and a strike could cripple the struggling auto giant.

President Bush signs the Pension Protection Act of 2006, which he calls the biggest reform of the nation's pension system in more than three decades. The legislation is designed to strengthen the government's deficit-ridden pension insurance program. But some companies say the stricter funding requirements could push more firms to dump pension programs in favor of 401(k) programs.

For more on the new Hispanic census numbers, Robert Siegel talks with Jeffrey Passel, senior research associate at the Pew Hispanic Center. The latest numbers put the Hispanic population in the U.S. at about 41.3 million people. One-in-five kids under the age of five is now Hispanic.

Ray Meyer, the basketball coach whose 42-year tenure at DePaul stretched from George Mikan to Mark Aguirre, died Friday at age 92. The timing of his passing is poignant, coming as the NCAA basketball tournament goes into full swing.

Aftershocks and torrential rains make the search for survivors even more difficult in the aftermath of a major earthquake in a densely populated area of Indonesia. More than 4,300 people are known to be dead.

Everyone suddenly wants to learn Mandarin Chinese. The problem is that there are few credentialed teachers. Now the Chinese government is making plans to develop teaching partnerships with U.S. public school districts.