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As 2013 wraps up, NPR is looking at the numbers that tell this year's story. When it comes to the economy, $85 billion is a good candidate. That's the amount the Federal Reserve has been pumping into the financial system each month trying to stimulate growth and bring down unemployment. On Tuesday, Fed policymakers begin a two-day meeting at which they'll decide whether to dial back that stimulus.

The Texas capital is growing rapidly, and its roads and freeways are packed. A toll road was built east of the city to help alleviate the problem, but few drivers use it. Experts agree that the city has to do something — and soon — to address its congestion woes if Austin is to retain its quirky character.

When billionaire John Paulson first bought Steinway & Sons, it struck fear in the hearts of musicians. Would Steinway's famously handcrafted pianos be changed, for the sake of efficiency?

The Chinese Exclusion Act, designed to prevent Chinese laborers from entering the country, prompted tens of thousands of people to use forged papers to enter the U.S. The law was repealed 70 years ago, but many Chinese-Americans are still piecing together their ancestors' true identities.

Among the thousands of hospitals in the U.S., Medicare has identified 95 where elderly patients were most likely to suffer significant setbacks and another 97 hospitals where patients tended to have the smoothest recoveries.

The jackpot could reach a seemingly impossible $1 billion if no one wins in Tuesday's drawing. Experts say the odds of winning are astronomical, but lottery officials say ticket sales are ahead of projections.

Vitamin deficiencies can cause deadly diseases like scurvy, and other major health problems like spina bifida. But for most people, adding a multivitamin to their daily routine doesn't affect their health at all, studies say. Still, 40 percent of Americans continue to take multivitamins.

For the first time in decades, America's obesity rate remained flat this past year, according to the United Health Foundation. Tell Me More host Michel Martin speaks with Dr. Reed Tuckson about the report. Marquette University Professor Andrew Williams, who is developing a robot to help children exercise and make better nutritional choices, also joins the conversation.

In 2011 the radio preacher famously said — twice — that the world was about to end. Thousands of people professed their belief in his warnings. After they didn't prove true, he conceded that his predictions were "incorrect and sinful."

President Obama is hosting a high-profile group of technology executives at the White House on Tuesday. Almost every one was a big financial backer of the president's political career. Chad Dickerson, chief executive of Etsy, is among the group but only gave $500 to the Obama campaign.