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A surprising election season is nearing its end. The political winds clearly favor the Democrats, with the GOP playing defense across the country.

The story of Valentino Achak Deng, one of the tens of thousands of children refugees from the Sudanese civil war, is the basis for Dave Eggers' new novel, What Is the What. Eggers and Deng talk about their collaboration and the traumas the "Lost Boys" endured.

A growing number of conservative commentators, policymakers and even the president have used the term "Islamofascist" to refer to Islamist extremists. But critics argue that the term offends millions of Muslims by suggesting Islam itself is the enemy.

Joe Trippi talks about how new technologies are being used in political campaigns, from YouTube to Google to MySpace.com. He tells Renee Montagne that the landscape has changed markedly in the last five years. Trippi was Howard Dean's presidential campaign manager.

The battle for control of the Senate has come down to four states: Missouri, Tennessee, Virginia and New Jersey. With 11 days before the election, it's still not clear who will control Congress.

The first president is often seen as old, stiff and boring. These words are daggers to the hearts of those who run Washington's historic mansion. So a new center seeks to recreate the vibrancy and adventure of Washington's revolutionary life.

What's a "blurker"? Or a "pavement princess"? Or a "plokta"? What does "peeps" mean? Writer Paul Dickson knows. A confessed addict to collecting and identifying slang words, Dickson has written a new and updated dictionary of American slang.

The non-profit College Board reports that the average annual cost of a four-year private college is now above $30,000. Sending a student off to a year at a public school now costs, on average, nearly $12,800.

The double-digit tuition hikes of recent years have slowed, though tuition is still rising faster than the inflation rate in some places, according to the College Board. The group has released its new report on tuition increases at U.S. public and private universities.

Investigators are looking into the weekend death of Brian Schubert, a pioneer of the extreme sport of B.A.S.E. jumping. The 66-year-old died when his parachute didn't fully open during his 876-foot jump from West Virginia's New River Gorge Bridge. Melissa Block talks with NPR's Noah Adams, who witnessed the jump.