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The House of Representatives approved a three month suspension of the debt-ceiling law to put off the immediate threat of a default.

On a recent day in the Rockaways, a neighborhood in Queens, N.Y., hazmat-suited volunteers far outnumber anyone else on the streets. They are "mucking and gutting" — stripping homes to the studs to remove mold. Many residents are concerned about the health effects of mold exposure, according to community organizer Peter Corless. Mycologist Joan Bennett has been sampling fungi in homes damaged by Sandy to determine which species are present.

With the presidential race tightening, both candidates are eying the same prize: Ohio. President Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney both campaigned there Tuesday. It was Obama's second visit to Ohio in five days.

Another new consequence of Greece's economic crisis is that the skies of Athens and other cities are filled with smoke due to the increase in the use of wood burning stoves. The cost of heating oil has gone up 40 percent — a tax increase imposed by the troika. The Greek Environment ministry has issued a warning that the increase in pollutants in the air is posing public health risk.

Senators opened hearings Wednesday on gun violence with a surprise visit from former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords, herself a shooting victim. "Too many children are dying," she told senators. What they should do, however, remained contentious as lawmakers heard from panelists — the NRA, the police and a lawyer among them who disagreed on solutions.

"Lives don't divide up into chapters," says novelist Will Self, whose latest, Umbrella, is a challenging read that layers narratives, places and characters for an intensely nonlinear experience. The book centers on a psychiatrist and one of his patients, a woman who's been comatose for 50 years.

The Army Corps of Engineers is working hard to deepen the Mississippi River's shipping channel. With water levels forecast to remain high enough only through January to float loaded barges, some say the only way to keep the river open next month will be to release water from the Missouri River.

Writers for past presidents say President Obama must be visionary and inclusive but also realistic in his second inaugural address. And many of the usual speechwriting crutches are off-limits: no jokes, no statistics and no funny quotes.

The U.S. Africa Command, designed to strengthen defense relationships in Africa, is still trying to define its mission. African states have been wary, while the State Department and aid groups also express concerns. But growing conflicts in the region may soon put AFRICOM to the test.

What do salt, ancient Jewish pickle carts, the sometimes brutal Indonesian spice trade and Vincent Van Gogh have in common? They brought life to Dutch cuisine, specifically, the Dutch pickle.