Chilean miners, trapped deep underground, have become the symbol for a nation still haunted by years of political darkness; and this morning's top headlines.

The 33 Chilean miners still trapped underground will need to stay mentally strong - and stay physically thin. Chile's health minister says the escape tunnel being drilled for the miners will prevent the passage of anyone with a waist size bigger than 35 inches. In the meantime, soap, clothes, games and food packages are being sent down to the men.

Ford has been open about its plans to phase out the massively popular Crown Victoria line in 2011, but is inviting stiff competition from both Chrysler and General Motors, who are unveiling vehicles aimed squarely at police fleets. Will Ford be able to keep the 75 percent market-share of the police cruiser market, that the Crown Victoria managed?

One of the biggest threats to Afghanistan's security is corruption in the Afghan government. In July, a close advisor to Afghan President Hamid Karzai was arrested on corruption charges, and then released after President Karzai intervened. Are we doing enough to eradicate issues of corruption in that country, both in the government itself and in our dealings with people there?

Being trapped in a confined space for an extended period of time is usually reserved as a punishment. The miners in Chile will have to deal with sharing their small, confined space with all 32 of their compatriots until rescue comes. While their situation is unique, people being trapped in small spaces for months is not new. An example? Astronauts.

Why isn't there a better way to text while driving? That’s a question that Joel Johnson, editor at large of Gizmodo.com asked in a recent column.

So far, he’s received over 500 responses to his column, most of which suggest that people who text and drive should simply give it up, use the phone instead, or die behind the wheel because they deserve to. However, Johnson insists that, in a world where most people text and drive, his question is valid. If we can't stop it, why not make it safer?

What do you think? Should texting while driving be outlawed or be made safer?

The CIA has shifted its focus from Afghanistan to a country it believes currently holds a more serious threat from al-Qaida: Yemen. That and this morning's headlines.

The US may expand counterterrorism efforts in Yemen, to address a growing threat from al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. The CIA now believes that al-Qaida's affiliate in Yemen may be more dangerous to U.S. interests than the much higher-profile group in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In the aftermath of the Fort Hood shooting, the attempted Christmas Day bombing, and with names like Anwar Al-Awlaki becoming part of the everyday conversation on terrorism, more and more voices are beginning to feel that the branch of terrorists operating from Yemen, known as al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, represents the largest terrorist threat to American interests and security. 

All this week, we've been talking with our friends from Scientific American about endings — how cultures fade, and natural resources dwindle. Today, we’re focusing on something even bigger: the end of human life as we know it — in other words, the apocalypse. The question of course, is how will it happen? Nuclear war? a killer virus, or perhaps an environmental disaster?

On Wednesday, Michael Enright, 21, a college student who had just returned from doing volunteer work in Afghanistan, was charged with using a tool to slash the neck and face of a New York City taxi driver after the driver told Enright he was a Muslim.

Police have deemed the attack a hate crime — and the suspect is being held without bail on charges of attempted murder and assault. The New York Taxi Workers Alliance has recommended that its members refrain from talking about religion with their customers, and Muslim cab drivers aren't the only ones worried that the debate over the Islamic Cultural Center, Park 51, has brought on a new wave of "Islamophobia."

It's been five years since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf coast, ripping the footing out from under the residents of New Orleans. Many of those residents were musicians, who not only had to rebuild their homes but find their creative spirit after the devastation of the storm. Terence Blanchard, Grammy-winning jazz musician, says he's learned how to set his ego aside when composing music in the aftermath of the hurricane. 

Mohammad Zia Salehi, a close advisor to Afghan President Hamid Karzai, was arrested on corruption charges in July and then released after President Karzai intervened. The incident was a recent example of one of the country's biggest challenges in establishing stability: eradicating corruption. Some of those who are allegedly corrupt are also on the CIA payroll. Are we doing enough to get rid of corruption in that country, both in the government itself and in our dealings with people there?

In an article in Foreign Affairs, Deputy Secretary William J. Lynn III has acknowledged for the first time that there had a been major electronic attack on Defense Department computers in 2008. As the U.S. government organizations use new digital frontiers to both store and gather intelligence, a new frontier in stealing that intelligence opens up as well. How does the U.S. government protect it's information in the cyber age?