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Russia's gas monopoly Gazprom has begun shutting off natural gas supplies to Ukraine after a deadline passed for talks over a price dispute. There are fears that the cutoff could affect gas deliveries to parts of Europe at the height of the winter season. In 2006, Moscow cut off supplies to Ukraine and caused a brief disruption in gas supplies to Europe. NPR's Gregory Feifer talks with Steve Inskeep about Gazprom's decision.

The conflict in Gaza presents a challenge for the incoming Obama administration, which already was facing a packed Middle East agenda. Leslie Gelb tells Steve Inskeep that the question now is whether the situation in Gaza will make it harder for President-elect Barack Obama to keep his campaign promises of active peacemaking between the Israelis and Palestinians. Gelb is a former state and defense department official and president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations.

GMAC is the most recent beneficiary of a government bailout. As the financing arm of General Motors, it supplies funding for auto dealers to buy inventory and credit for consumers to buy cars. It is also a major player in the home mortgage market.

One of the best years for kids' music in recent memory includes releases from artists with feet firmly in both kid-friendly and adult-oriented worlds. Old favorites went in new directions, while emerging artists gave a glimpse of the future of a genre as diverse and unpredictable as kids themselves.

This has been a strong year for African music, with two big trends emerging: the continuing integration of African music into the U.S. and European mainstream, as well as the ongoing unearthing of treasures from Afropop's "golden era," particularly the '70s.

In Russia, a State TV contest to name the greatest Russians in history ended Sunday with more than 50 million votes cast. First place went to a medieval prince who fended off German invaders. Second place went to a prime minister who fended off revolutionaries. And, despite gulags, famines and purges that killed millions, Soviet dictator Josef Stalin came in third.

In a significant policy change, the U.S. has concluded there can be no power-sharing government as long as Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe is in power. A State Department official spent days meeting with regional leaders in an attempt to get them to get tougher on the 84-year-old leader.

McCartney and Youth returned to work as The Fireman for their third and latest release together, Electric Arguments. McCartney entered the studio, without any material, and recorded 13 songs in 13 days. The legendary artist reveals how his alter ego allows him the freedom to experiment.

One of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of professional football has died. Sammy Baugh, who played for the Washington Redskins, was 94. Nicknamed Slingin' Sammy, he transformed the quarterback position with his accuracy and long passing.

President-elect Barack Obama is expected to nominate Hilda Solis as labor secretary. The Democratic congresswoman was just elected to her fifth term representing heavily Hispanic portions of eastern Los Angeles County and east L.A. She is the daughter of Mexican and Nicaraguan immigrants.