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Post-election pomp and circumstance seem to be in our national DNA, but there have been some low-key inaugurals, including during the Great Depression and World War II. With a looming fiscal cliff, is this the time for a simple swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 21, rather than another megamillion-dollar blowout?

Overnight, Israel stepped up its air assault against rocket launches from Gaza. Friday, Palestinians showed for the first time they could send a weapon into Jerusalem, and Israel is threatening a ground invasion. Host Scott Simon talks with NPR's Anthony Kuhn about the continuing airstrikes in Gaza.

With films including period pieces like Sense and Sensibility, big-budget action films like Hulk and epic romances like Brokeback Mountain, Lee can't be pigeonholed. So he was up for the challenge when presented with a story that takes place almost entirely on a boat — with a real tiger.

Barbara Boxer was elected to the Senate in the "Year of the Woman," 1992, after serving 10 years in the House. As Congress enters a landmark term with more women than ever, she says there's still a long way to go before there are as many of them as men on the floor. But wait a minute, Boxer says, let's put that in perspective.

Unaffiliated with larger organizations, volunteers are taking charge in areas badly hit by Superstorm Sandy. The operations are backed by the kindness of strangers, some of whom have traveled from other states to help. They say they have come to do "everything you would want your neighbors to do for you."

Republican governors met last week in Las Vegas to talk about the results of the U.S. election and the path ahead for their party. Many of the governors are standing by their positions on major issues, however, saying the main thing they need to change is their tone.

Officials say the disputed plot of land on Qursayah island on the Nile River is owned by the armed forces but was illegally seized by local residents. Sunday's violence was the first known street battle involving the army since President Mohammed Morsi took office in June.

What happens when you take a group of junior high kids from a school with a poverty level of more than 65 percent and teach them how to play chess? Katie Dellamaggiore's documentary, Brooklyn Castle, explores the amazing results.

President Obama is about to enter into difficult talks on the debt ceiling and the impending fiscal cliff. A group of historians who met with Obama during his first term suggested he should model his second term on Republican Theodore Roosevelt, who fought with a hostile Congress yet managed to pass progressive legislation.

Endurance athletes often turn to the same stimulant that gives your morning cup of joe its jolt: caffeine. They're increasingly using caffeinated gels and drinks when they compete. But how much is too much?