There is a cultural shift in China and the elderly are getting left behind. As the family unit becomes more fractured, the Chinese government wants to enable grandparents to sue their children if they don't visit them. The White House is asking the Pentagon to trim its budget by $78 billlion. Millions of people in Southern Sudan will vote this weekend on whether to split Africa's largest country in two.

Louise Story, Wall Street and finance reporter for The New York Times, discusses her  breaking story on a new investigation by the Securities and Exchange Comission against the California Public Employees' Retirement System, known as Calpers. During the financial crisis, the fund lost a significant portion of its portfolio, leaving the California on shaky financial ground.

This week’s big movie opening is a back-stage country music drama called "Country Strong." It stars Gwyneth Paltrow as hugely popular country singer named Kelly Cantor. Kelly is battling alcoholism, competition from a younger singer, low self esteem, and a fractured relationship with her husband and manager played by Tim McGraw. The big question, of course, is: Does Paltrow give a convincing performance as a country music star? And for that matter, is it ever a good idea for actors to sing in their movies?

The Labor Department is expected to release December unemployment numbers this morning. And there are rumors the president may also announce a new chief economic adviser to replace Lawrence Summers. Unemployment is likely to remain hovering around 10 percent, but the report is expected to show positive growth from a moth ago when unemployment rose to 9.8 percent from 9.6 percent. And last week, the new claims for jobless benefits increased, while the average number of Americans filing for unemployment insurance declined — a sign of a recovering economy.

Scientists have long wondered why humans are the only species that cries for emotional reasons. It turns out that our tears may convey much more than just sadness, grief or anger. In a new study, scientists have proved that more complicated chemical reactions may be at play, like subduing male arousal.

Caring for the elderly has long played an important role in Chinese culture. But rapid economic growth has forced adult Chinese children to abandon their hometowns to find jobs in other parts of the country — often leaving their elderly parents on their own. This cultural shift has led Chinese officials to consider a law that would require adult children to care for their parents.

North and South Sudan are preparing for a historic vote on a referendum that could split the country in two. This move is intented to bring peace to a nation ravaged by violence.

It's been a big week as Washington gets back to work. There are questions about whether the Republican-dominated House can actually repeal the health care plan. Meanwhile, Democrats are finally "finding their voice" on health care, says Takeaway Washington correspondent, Todd Zwillich, as they prepare to counter GOP claims about the bill.

A hospital in Tucson, Ariz. confirmed yesterday that a patient who was refused a liver transplant because of state budget cuts has died. A spokeswoman for the hospital said the death was “most likely” due to the de-funding of the transplant, The Arizona Daily Star reported. The patient was the second transplant-seeking Arizona resident to die since state legislators refused to pay the bill for about a hundred organ seekers in October. The cuts are said to save the financially strapped state about $4.5 million a year. 

Ben Yagoda, a professor of English and Journalism at the University of Delaware wrote an article in this week's Chronicle of Education called “The Elements of Clunk” in which he laments some currently popular usages that tend to make the language clumsy and awkward. Yesterday, we asked you to find the problems in a sentence provided by Professor Yagoda. He joins us to discuss the results and the clunky trends he has observed plaguing written English today.

Russell Simmons made his name as one of the most influential names in hip-hop by helping to found Def Jam Records in the 2980s. But he's also a the author of a successful self-help book that Oprah Winfrey helped become a bestseller. Simmons tells us why he's trying to help people get rich.

The jobs report for December is out with some good news: The unemployment rate is down to 9.4 percent, hitting the lowest it's been since May, 2009. However, the number of jobs created, 103,000 in December, came in lower than expected. Economics editor for The Takeaway and WNYC, Charlie Herman explains.

The State Department is working to warn foreign officials, human rights activists and businesspeople who are named in the diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks. Although there haven't been any reports of harm, the State Department is worried that the documents could put hundreds at risk. Correspondent for The New York Times, Mark Landler reports on this move by the U.S.