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If Kansas farmers keep pumping water out of the High Plains aquifer as they have in the past, the amount of water they can extract will start to fall in just 10 years or so, scientists predict. That will cause big changes in the agricultural economy. But reducing water use now could help delay and ease that disruption.

Known for its sparkling turquoise waters and white sand, Spain's Mediterranean beaches are developing a new reputation — for a growing number of jellyfish. Scientists blame overfishing and, possibly, climate change for the spike in stinging invertebrates.

There's been a major acquisition in the drug industry. Amgen Inc, the world's largest biotechnology company is buying Onyx Pharmaceuticals. The deal is valued at $10.4 billion. Amgen has high hopes for Onyx's cancer drugs.

Last summer, 10,000 people turned out at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis for the first Internet Cat Video Festival. It was such a success, they've brought it back. Scott Stulen, who runs the festival, thinks cats and online videos just work together.

Secretary of State Kerry has pronounced an all-but-final U.S. verdict against the Syrian government for suspected use of chemical weapons in an "indiscriminate slaughter" of civilians. U.S. warships are within missile range, and U.S. envoys are talking to allies to see what kind of action they might support. David Greene talks to Frederic Hof, who was a special State Department adviser on Syria for the Obama administration. He is now a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.

The governing body of U.S. competitive swimming announced an independent review of its program to protect athletes from sexual abuse. There are new questions, some from Congress, about whether swimming has effectively confronted an abuse problem revealed in recent years.

In softcover nonfiction, Elizabeth Cline explores the high costs of cheap clothing, D.T. Max sheds light on the life and death of author David Foster Wallace, and Marco Roth reflects on his intellectual upbringing on New York's Upper West Side.

George Johnson's The Cancer Chronicles was inspired by his wife's battle with uterine cancer. It traces the history of the disease back to the very first tumor ever discovered — in a dinosaur bone. Reviewer John Wilwol says Johnson "writes clearly and colorfully without dumbing down his material."

"Anyone who approaches this logically" would conclude that President Bashar Assad's forces used chemical weapons "on a massive scale" last week, White House spokesman Jay Carney said Tuesday. President Obama is weighing "the appropriate response," Carney added.

Shoppers always complain the Christmas season begins earlier every year. And this year, those lunching at Pret A Manger cafes in New York City were treated to Christmas carols starting last week. Only the location in Rockefeller Center managed to override the apparently mistaken holiday tunes coming from corporate headquarters.