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As part of Virginia's waiver to opt out of mandates set out in the No Child Left Behind law, the state has created a controversial new set of education goals that are higher for white and Asian kids than for blacks, Latinos and students with disabilities.

Virginia Democratic state Sen. Donald McEachin first read about the state's new performance goals for schoolchildren in a newspaper editorial.

All is well, it seems, with 4-year-old Abigael Evans of Fort Collins, Colo.

Watching Flaco Jimenez play his button accordion is like looking back in time. His grandfather started playing an accordion in cantinas and family parties along the Texas/Mexican border around the late 1800s. Then Flaco's dad, Santiago Jimenez Sr., carried on the family tradition when he released his first record in 1936.

By 2020, the United States will overtake Saudi Arabia to become the world's leading oil producer, the International Energy Agency says in a new report.

At the moment, the United States imports 20 percent of its energy. So this prediction is bold and points to "a dramatic reversal" for the U.S.

Update on Nov. 13 at 5:43 p.m. ET. The man who accused Kevin Clash of having sex with him while he was underage has recanted his testimony. We've added a separate blog with the details.

Our Original Post Continues:

After a three-year stint as a touring pianist with Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, California native Aaron Embry struck out on his own. Embry wrote his solo debut, Tiny Prayers, while on the band's Railroad Revival Tour, crafting bare-bones acoustic melodies that recall the work of Embry's past collaborators, including Elliott Smith and Willie Nelson.

The fallout from the Lance Armstrong doping scandal continues: Today, Livestrong announced the cyclist had cut all formal ties with the cancer charity.

AP reports:

"Armstrong resigned from the board of directors for Livestrong on Nov. 4. He had previously resigned as chairman from the charity he founded Oct. 17 but had kept a seat on the board. ...

U.S. Olympian Leo Manzano won the Silver Medal in the men's 1500 meter run, becoming the first American to do so since 1968. In Tell Me More's occasional series, "In Your Ear," Manzano talks about the kind of music that gets him pumped and ready to run.