Electric Cars, Soccer Racists, and Upping the Ante on Marriage Proposals

Now that The New York Times pay wall is live, you only get 20 free clicks a month. For those worried about hitting their limit, we're taking a look through the paper each morning to find the stories that can make your clicks count.

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Top Stories: The good news and bad news from recent economic data. Trends are going up, but pessimists see another slowdown coming. Eight soldiers have been charged for physical and mental abuse that led to the suicide of a fellow Army private in Afghanistan.

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Technology: One tiny silver lining from the Japanese tsunami: Nissan electric car batteries proved surprisingly durable even as the cars they sat in were destroyed by the flood.

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Politics: A closer look at Newt Gingrich's obsession with Sharia law.

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Science: An interview with one of the scientists whose bird flu research is being censored by government authorities over bioterrorism fears. The border fence meant to stop illegal immigrants from Mexico does a better job of hurting the migration of bears.

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U.S.: Two stories about marriage proposals: One about planning consultants who charge up to $12,000 (plus expenses) to orchestrate the question popping, plus tales from readers who had unusual proposal techniques. 

Sports: A look at the racism scandals in soccer, one of which has resulted in the captain of England's national team facing criminal charges.