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GM, Ford and Chrysler are turning their focus to selling luxury cars — something they haven't succeeded at in decades. They're hoping that success in the competitive but lucrative luxury sector will signal that the U.S. auto industry's comeback is complete.

Shopkeepers say Saturday was the first day people resumed Christmas shopping in Newtown, Conn., since the school shootings. Some locals say the community feels closer since the tragedy, and the post office is being inundated with thousands of holiday greetings, gifts and messages of support from around the world.

The inability to send coherent text messages, or 'dystextia,' is helping doctors diagnose neurological problems. In one recent case, a series of garbled text messages was an early signal that a woman was having a stroke.

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.

To celebrate Christmas, Fresh Air listens back to a concert given by the late singer and actress on Feb. 11, 1997. Clooney spoke then with Terry Gross about her childhood, being on the road as a young performer with her sister, and working with Bing Crosby and Billy Strayhorn.

At a store near Boston, Cameron Sylvester, 3, had his chance to meet Santa. But the boy, who's legally deaf, stayed back. Santa saw his hearing aids and in sign language asked the magic question: "Are you a good boy?" Cameron's mother told WCBV news she wanted to cry. "A lot of people don't know sign language," she said, but then, "there's Santa."

Christians the world over are celebrating Christmas. India, the birthplace of Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism, marks the birth of Jesus with a national holiday. In this land of great religions, Christians and non-Christians join in the festivities of this season with song and special meals.

Few people today remember E.T.A. Hoffmann, but most everyone is familiar with his most famous creation: The Nutcracker. NPR's Robert Siegel traces the history of everyone's favorite Christmas ballet all the way back to its much darker original version.

The Keystone pipeline is supposed to carry tar sands oil from Canada to Texas — a route that runs right through David Daniel's land. To try to save his woods from bulldozers, Daniel built tree houses 80 feet in the air and protesters climbed up into them.

At the Cain and Abel School for Prophets, students learn to interpret dreams and divination. Rabbi Shmuel Fortman Hapartzi, the Tel Aviv school's founder, says everyone in his class, himself included, is in the beginning stages of reaching enlightenment. But critics say Fortman is trying to profit from the prophet business.