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Peter Jackson takes his audience back to Middle-earth in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, set in a time before the Lord of the Rings films. NPR's Bob Mondello says that where the Rings films struggled with what to omit, The Hobbit labors to justify its three-hour running time.

Homeland is one of the best shows on TV, but television critic Eric Deggans says it's using the same cheap trick repeatedly. And, other shows do it too. They have main characters who are almost always right, but nobody ever believes them.

Across the U.S., olive oil production is expanding. But domestic product accounts for only a small sliver of olive oil sold in the U.S. American producers say their foreign competitors aren't playing fair. One issue: mislabeling.

Payments to farmers survived in the latest extension of the farm bill. But not all of the groups that argued for the end of the subsidies see this as a loss. They've just been given nine more months to make their case to Congress.

A rural Connecticut town is now home to 13 families from Staten Island who lost everything after Superstorm Sandy — and more families are on the way. Locals and members of a megachurch helped build 20 mobile homes in New Milford, Conn., for the displaced families.

Host Scott Simon talks with NPR's Mara Liasson about whether the Obama administration and Congressional Republicans can find some common ground and overcome the political gridlock that characterized much of the president's first term.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday delivered his State-of-the-State speech. It contained no new policy objectives. It was designed to boost morale in state where he said 346,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Sandy.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke defended the Fed's easy-money policies on Tuesday, saying the benefits outweigh the risks. He also urged Congress to avoid the sharp spending cuts that are set to take effect Friday.

As Obama's chief counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan has been associated with some controversial policies, including the use of armed drones. It's unlikely his appointment as CIA director is in trouble, but he's likely to face questions on drones as well as the agency's interrogation policies.

Eight senators — four Democrats and four Republicans — unveiled principles they say will guide a bipartisan immigration overhaul. It would let undocumented immigrants with no criminal records get probationary legal residency if they pay fines and taxes. Full citizenship might come after other reforms.