The price of oil could create a commodities spike and stir up trouble in the economy. Of course, it could also be a sign of improvement. 

After Congress passed the tax cut package last week, the price of oil went up — a sign that traders may be counting on higher demand for gasoline, home heating oil and other commodities as the economy recovers. But is spending more money on gas really the way to boost a fragile economy?

Delayed at first by fog, South Korean artillery drills began live fire exercises this morning on the island of Yeonpyeong, near a disputed maritime border between North and South Korea. The small fishing island was shelled las month by the North, raising tensions near the border between the two countries and setting off a series of threatening statements from both countries. Will the latest row push the Korean peninsula closer to war?

The extension for unemployment benefits that came along with the compromise tax deal is good news for many of the unemployed, but it won’t help the 1.4 million Americans who have been out of a job for over 99 weeks. Alexandra Jarrin is one of the “99ers,” who have exhausted their unemployment insurance benefits. She says the Government is "thumbing their noses" at the long-term unemployed and favors other priorities. 

The Senate voted to repeal "don't ask, don't tell," over the weekend. The law, enacted 17 years ago by President Bill Clinton, allowed gays to serve in the military, as long as they did not reveal their sexual orientation. Todd Zwillich, The Takeaway's Washington correspondent, looks at what's next for the repeal. Meanwhile, a number of economic indicators come out this week, and Charlie Herman, economics editor for The Takeaway and WNYC, looks at the upcoming third quarter GDP numbers due out Wednesday, along with existing home sales numbers, and new home sales numbers on Thursday.

Crunch time is approaching in the NFL, as teams are fighting for divisional titles and playoff births. Every game counts, and over the weekend, there were some surprises — The Eagles taking back 21-point lead by The Giants to win last night, for instance. Nando Di Fino, sports writer for The Wall Street Journal, has all the big news out of the NFL from yesterday's action. 

All this week we're talking with musical artists and experts about their favorite seasonal songs for our annual "Remixing the Holidays" series. First up: Crystal Bowersox. The American Idol runner-up had a whirlwind of a year, from earning national acclaim for her appearance and success on the Fox reality show to her recent release of her new album, "Farmer's Daughter." The 25-year-old singer says she'll be spending her first Christmas with her new family, which includes her husband and son. She talks with us about the music that reminds her of Christmas. 

There has long been wrangling in Congress over the question of federal authority versus States' Rights. But as national health care, economic stimulus funding, and other federal programs come up against detractors in local municipalities, is there a new discussion forming on the issue?  

Virginia's Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is one of several politicians spearheading a proposal for re-balancing state and federal power, through what's being called the "repeal amendment." The amendment to the Constitution would, with a vote of 33 states' legislatures, give states the ability to repeal any federal law passed in Congress. Virginia has a long history of states' rights activism — in response to the federally-mandated desegregation of schools in the 1950s, state leaders responded with "massive resistance," choosing to privatize some school districts to prevent integration. As the South commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Confederacy, is this new emphasis on states' rights a step towards secessionism?

As South Korea staged live artillery drills on an island near its disputed boarder with the North, New Mexico's Governor Bill Richardson was pressing the reclusive neighboring country not to retaliate. Richardson was in the country on a diplomatic mission to convince North Korean officials to allow nuclear arms inspectors allowed back into the country. Richardson was scheduled to make a statement from China today, but bad weather has delayed his flight out of North Korea. Chris Hogg, reporting for our partners the BBC from China, joins us for more on the story. 

Tensions continue to rise between U.S. and Pakistani intelligence agencies. The CIA’s top spy was pulled out of the country last week after receiving several death threats. The CIA believes that its Pakistani counterpart, the ISI, may have deliberately blown the cover of the operative: his name was made public in a legal complaint by a family of drone attack victims. 

"Don't ask, don't tell" has been repealed by the Senate, and now waits for an official certification and plan from Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Joint Chiefs Chair Adm. Mike Mullen, and the commander-in-chief, President Obama. But how will this new policy be implemented in the military? We check in with retired Col. David F. Bedey, who opposed the repeal, about how the change in policy will play out with U.S. troops.

It’s the week before Christmas, and as usual, we’re celebrating with our annual “Remixing the Holidays” series. All week long, we’ll be talking with musicians, music lovers, writers, and you, our listeners, about the best songs of the season. We kick things off with Jon Solomon. For over twenty years, Jon — who is Jewish, by the way — has been hosting Princeton University's 24-hour Christmas special on WPRB.

A new story in The Washington Post details a vast expansion of the United States' monitoring of its citizens for the purpose of fighting domestic terrorism threats. Reportedly the largest and most technologically sophisticated system of data-gathering in U.S. History, the new apparatus uses techniques developed in wars overseas to scrutinize the activities of Americans. Dana Priest, who helped report the story, which covered several months and used over 1000 documents, joins us now to talk about the new apparatus, which is part of an exploding national security market around the country. 

Maybe it's Handel's "Messiah," or something by Bing Crosby? Or maybe it's something less conventional, like The Ramones' "Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)." Whatever it is, everybody's got their own pick for the best holiday song. We asked you to weigh in: What's the music you play around this time of year? Old standards, or your own distinct traditions? You had plenty of responses. 

Beginning next month, the U.S. government will end the special immigration status granted to certain Haitians left homeless by January's devastating earthquake. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — part of the Department of Homeland Security — says that they will only deport Haitians who had been convicted of crimes and finished serving their sentences; however, within New York's Haitian population, reaction has gone from concern to anger, as slow reconstruction coupled with a deadly cholera epidemic means an uncertain future for those forced to return home.