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It's rare for incumbents like Rep. Thad McCotter, the Michigan Republican, to fail to collect enough valid signatures and get on a ballot. But this kind of embarrassment has occasionally happened to others. Fortunately for many politicians, most states don't have such ballot-access requirements or ask for a minimal number of signatures.

Mountain ballads have been a part of American mountain culture since the earliest English and Scottish settlers moved there more than 200 years ago. They were passed down through the oral tradition, as they were in reporter Laurin Penland's family --but that tradition is close to extinct in the U.S.

In February, President Obama signed an aviation bill requiring the FAA to make plans to integrate drones into American airspace. Brookings Institution senior fellow John Villasenor explains what these drones will be able to see — and how our privacy and national security may be affected.

Thanks to high commodity prices and surging productivity, U.S. farmers earned a net income of nearly $98 billion last year — a record, according to analysts. Economists say two major factors have been driving up demand: exports and ethanol.

Republican strategists say it's not clear yet whether the primary battle will help or hurt Mitt Romney if he becomes the nominee. He emerged from his win in Florida with both his strengths and his weaknesses on display. Plus, some Republicans worry that the race's negative tone will turn off voters.

When kids are infested with head lice, a certain amount of panic — even desperation — can spread through a household. Parasite expert Dale Clayton knows that nightmare all too well, but now he also has a solution — using hot air to dry lice out and kill them and their eggs.

Keith Poole of the University of Georgia, with collaborator Howard Rosenthal of New York University, has spent decades charting the partisan ideological shifts and polarization in Congress from the 18th Century until now to get the view of how the political landscape has changed from 30,000 feet up. What they have found is that the Republican Party is the most conservative it has been a century.

A slew of new national polls show President Obama leading presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney — except when he isn't. With 200-plus days until the election, here's a guide to navigating the confounding world of poll watching.

On the final day of the 2012 campaign, President Obama and Mitt Romney are making a last push in states that could be critical to victory. Obama was scheduled to campaign in three swing states, while Romney had events planned in four. The only overlap was in Ohio, considered the linchpin of the election.

Most of the ballots have already been cast in early voting in Nevada. Steve Inskeep checks in with Nevada political journalist Jon Ralston on voter turnout Tuesday and more.