Upfront Teacher's edition.

• Author: Rebhun, Elliott
• Position: Brief article

Longtime Cuban leader Fidel Castro stunned the world in September when he told an American reporter that Communism "doesn't even work for us anymore." A few days later, Cuba announced plans to lay off half a million government workers so they can try to move into private businesses. We look at whether real economic change could finally be on the way for Cubans--and the role the U.S. might play in any transformation.

American soldiers are putting their lives on the line every day in Iraq and Afghanistan. The story of 23-year-old Brendan Marrocco, the first veteran of either war to lose all four limbs and survive, is both gut-wrenching and inspirational, as we witness his struggle to rebuild his life.

During the civil-rights era, dozens of racially motivated murders went unsolved--and, in many cases, uninvestigated. With potential witnesses and suspects dying off, these...