The Chelyabinsk meteor was part of a group of Earth-crossing objects known as Apollo asteroids, scientists believe.

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As Friday's deadline approaches, we're pointing to stories that should help everyone get ready. Today's choices: "Sequester, never heard of it;" "when will the cuts be felt;" and "is Obama telling the truth?"

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The flamboyant former NBA star, now 51, has gone to the communist country for some basketball diplomacy and to take part in a film being made for HBO.

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When it comes to protecting the environment and issues like worker well-being and women's rights, 10 of the world's biggest food producers get failing grades from Oxfam, an activist group for the poor.

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When it comes to protecting the environment and issues like worker well-being and women's rights, 10 of the world's biggest food producers get failing grades from Oxfam, an activist group for the poor.

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Also: Some authors are buying spots on bestseller lists; the legacy of Philip Roth; and details of Thomas Pynchon's next novel.

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The death toll is reported to be near 20. What caused the fire and crash has yet to be determined. Balloon rides over the ancient city of Luxor and nearby historic sites are popular among tourists. Those killed are said to have been from Japan, Britain, Belgium and France.

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Another blizzard bore down on the nation's midsection early Tuesday after lashing the Texas Panhandle with hurricane-force winds, closing highways and cutting power to thousands in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. Midwesterners still digging out from last week's deep snowpack braced for more.

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A hot air balloon flying over Egypt's ancient city of Luxor caught fire and crashed into a sugar cane field on Tuesday, killing at least 18 foreign tourists, a security official said. It was one of the worst accidents involving tourists in Egypt and likely to push the key tourism industry deeper into recession

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ANCHORAGE — The White House on Sunday released lists for each state of potential effects of automatic spending cuts set for Friday.

The White House compiled the numbers from federal agencies and its own budget office. The numbers are based only on the $85 billion in cuts for this fiscal year, from March-September.

As to whether states could move money around to cover shortfalls, the White House said that depends on state budget structures and the specific programs. The White House did not have a list of which states or programs might have flexibility.

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JUNEAU — Alaska lawmakers are debating whether volunteers should be subject to criminal penalties if they fail to report suspected child abuse.

Gov. Sean Parnell’s crime bill, HB73 in the House and SB22 in the Senate, stipulates that volunteer or paid athletic coaches are required to report if they have a reasonable suspicion that a child has been subjected to abuse or neglect.

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A former Alaska state writer laureate made an appeal at the Alaska State Capitol Monday for a legislative appropriation to help pay for performances of the suicide prevention play she wrote.

Anne Hanley’s “The Winter Bear” has been performed in a number of communities since 2008, the playwright said, and this year and next year, Winter Bear Project organizers hope to stage several more performances in Alaska Native villages throughout Northern and Interior Alaska.

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A week after suffering a heart attack in Juneau and being flown to Anchorage for medical care, former state Sen. Albert Kookesh is listed by Providence Alaska Medical Center in fair condition as of this Monday.

Kookesh was initially listed in critical condition, according to a hospital spokeswoman last week.

“Fair” is the second least severe status out of four that Providence Alaska Medical Center may use to describe a patient, while “critical” is the most severe.

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The debate currently raging over guns goes beyond a disagreement over policy. Advocates on both sides literally disagree on the terms of the discussion — as in, the words they use to describe it. They know that the specific phrases they use tap into deeply held values in the people who hear them.

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Drone developers in upstate New York and other regions are striving to be named official testing sites for drones as the FAA creates regulations for their use. They hope to emerge as the Silicon Valleys of unmanned aerial systems, attracting billions of dollars and thousands of jobs.

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Pope Benedict XVI leaves office this week, the second pope to resign voluntarily. The first was Celestine V, a hermit who quit in 1294, after a brief and disastrous stint. Some scholars say Dante damned Celestine as a coward in his Inferno. Yet his example, legally and spiritually, played a major role in Benedict's departure.

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Twenty-eight states and the federal government have enacted laws that provide for automatic DNA collection from people at the time of their arrest. The question is whether it is unconstitutional to do that without a warrant, for the sole purpose of checking the DNA against a national crime scene database.

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A Maryland building firm automated its home design process, and now it's looking to use another company to assemble houses on-site from parts. The firm has half as many workers as before the recession.

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Watch MAKERS: Women Who Make America Trailer on PBS. See more from Makers: Women Who Make America.

Review the story of how women have helped shape America over the last 50 years through one of the most sweeping social revolutions in our country’s history, in pursuit of their rights to a full and fair share of political power, economic opportunity and personal autonomy. The documentary builds on the unprecedented multi-platform video experience from PBS and AOL: MAKERS.com.

• Tuesday 2/26 @ 7:00 p.m.