As credit and debit cards become more dominant, and payment by smartphone becomes a reality, are we seeing the end of the greenback era in currency?

Yesterday, our partner The New York Times reported that the United States Treasury Department is printing far less cash than it had been in recent years. Production of dollar bills fell to a modern low last year, the number of $5 bills rolling off the presses dropped to its lowest level in 30 years, and the Treasury did not print any $10 bills at all. As the number of places that don't accept cash at all increases — Internet retail sites, in-flight purchases on airlines, and certain New York restaurants fall into that category — it would seem that cash is in decline. With no quantifiable data to support this, however, we can only speculate. Do you find yourself using cash less and less, and opting for credit instead?

Cuts to entitlements like Medicare and Medicaid are continue to be used as bargaining chips as the debate over the budget rages on in Washington. Already some states have begun cutting back their Medicaid programs. 

But a new study out today in the National Bureau of Economic Research shows that people on Medicaid see doctors more regularly, and are more financially stable and less depressed than the uninsured. These findings could be crucial selling points as lawmakers debate the effectiveness versus cost of the health program.

British Prime Minister David Cameron says there needs to be a public inquiry into allegations that the NewsCorp.-owned newspaper News of the World hacked mobile phones to listen to voicemails of murder and terrorism victims. The latest allegation against the Murdoch tabloid is that a private investigator employed by the paper hacked into the personal accounts of family members of soldiers killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Chinese state media is denying reports this morning that Jiang Zemin is dead. The 84-year-old became China's leader in 1989, and shepherded the country through its unprecedented economic boom before handing power to President Hu Jintao between 2002 and 2004. The BBC is reporting that internet searches for Jiang's name have been blocked. Martin Patience, correspondent for the BBC, reports on the latest from Beijing.

When a soldier dies in a combat zone, the family can expect certain official gestures. Men in uniform will fire a salute. A flag will be folded into a neat triangle. And a letter will arrive, signed by the president, expressing thanks for their loved one's service to the country, and condolences for their loss. That is, unless a soldier died by their own hand.

Yesterday, President Obama held the first ever Twitter Town Hall in the history of the presidency, though many of his answers far exceeded Twitter's 140 character limit.

Yesterday, President Obama held the first ever White House Twitter Town Hall meeting. The president fielded questions from Twitter users (asked in the site's standard 140 characters or less). But the president's answers were anything but concise. In fact, he responded to participants' questions with the same long-winded, professorial rhetoric he's been criticized for throughout his presidency. Obama's ability to address his base and stimulate audiences was perhaps his greatest strength as a candidate in 2008. This begs the question: Why has President Obama failed to properly get his messages across to the American people since then?

The eighth season of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" premieres this Sunday on HBO. The show hinges on star Larry David’s inability — or refusal — to follow social cues. Most of the characters respond to David's antics with passive aggression. But there is one character who consistently faces Larry head on: Susie Greene. Known for her filthy mouth and tendency to scream at other characters, Susie is one of the long-running comedy series' most beloved characters.

An execution scheduled in Texas today is making international headlines. Should Humberto Leal Garcia, Jr. die at the hands of the state, the U.S.'s diplomatic relations with Mexico could be adversely impacted, and possibly may violate the U.S.'s compliance with the U.N.’s Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. Garcia was convicted in 1994 of raping and killing a 16-year-old girl in Texas. He is a Mexican national and was not informed that he could access Mexican consular officials after his arrest. Garcia has been denied clemency from the state of Texas, but President Obama has asked that the Supreme Court weigh in on his case by today.

Plans for the troop drawdown in Afghanistan are underway. The Defense Department announced that the first regiments to head home will be finishing their tours of duty this month, and won’t be replaced. But after nearly a decade of combat there, how much do we really know about Afghanistan and what this will mean for the country? 

All week, we’ve been speaking with influential Americans about what patriotism and America means to them as part of our series "My America." Today’s guest is Dr. Abraham Verghese, professor of the theory and practice of medicine at Stanford University Medical School, and best-selling author of "My Own Country: A Doctor's Story" and "Cutting for Stone."

Seventeen years after President Bill Clinton signed the North American Free Trade Agreement, the U.S. and Mexico have finally reached an agreement allowing truckers from both countries unrestricted access to America and Mexico's highways. As soon as the first Mexican truck is allowed to enter the U.S., Mexico will drop tariffs on more than $2 billion of U.S. goods. Harley Helms, a long-haul trucker with Crete Carrier, joins the program with his reaction to the agreement.