NPR People: Melissa Block

Earlier this year, on Jan. 8, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) was shot in the head as she met with constituents in Tucson, Ariz. She was one of 13 people injured that day. Six people were killed.

It had been four years since Giffords arrived in Washington as a wide-eyed freshman and told NPR: "Life's good and [I'm] very, very excited — so optimistic about taking our country in a new direction."

Since she was shot, Giffords has been on a long path back from a traumatic brain injury. Giffords, 41, spent five months in the hospital. Now, she does hours of rigorous physical and speech therapy every day — and has full-time nursing care.

One of the earliest primary states is South Carolina, which holds its primary on Jan. 21. South Carolina is a Republican stronghold — with a strongly conservative voting base.

In Spartanburg, S.C., a handful of Republican voters share what's on their minds — and many are leaning toward Herman Cain.

Perry Aims To Win Voters

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is trying to win hearts and minds in the Palmetto State right where it counts — with food.

At a luncheon in Spartanburg Thursday, his wife Anita, a former nurse, says she loves South Carolina: "Ham and grits, I'm that kinda girl. I think I could live here, too."

And she took some jabs at President Obama's record.

The job market is barely treading water. The Labor Department Thursday reported that 404,000 people filed for unemployment benefits last week — pretty much unchanged from the week before. Overall, there are 14 million people looking for work in the U.S.

One of those places where jobs are especially hard to find is Spartanburg, S.C.

On Thursday, the Occupy Wall Street protests spread to the heavily conservative corner of the heavily conservative state. It was a small turnout — about 20 people got some honks of support and some catcalls from people who shouted, "Get a job!"

Don Bramblett, an electrician, who is one of the 20, holds a fat black Sharpie to make a sign.

"I was born inside the movie of my life."

Those words open the new memoir Life Itself, from the film critic Roger Ebert, who has made movies his life for more than four decades now. He and his sparring partner, the late Gene Siskel, had the most famous thumbs on television. Now, at age 69, Ebert depends on the same thumbs-up that he and Siskel made famous to help him communicate in daily life. Five years ago, after multiple cancer surgeries, he lost the ability to speak.

Ebert leads me slowly through his Chicago townhouse. On the glass door of his office, gold letters spell out "The Ebert Company Limited: Fine Film Criticism Since 1967."

On the wall hangs his Pulitzer Prize, from 1975. He was the first film critic to win one.

A federal appeals court in Atlanta has ruled against the individual mandate contained in the new health care law, saying it is unconstitutional to require citizens to buy health insurance.

Rupert Murdoch is expected to take questions from analysts, investors and reporters during a conference call Wednesday. The call follows Tuesday's meeting of the News Corp. board — the first such meeting since the phone hacking scandal that has roiled the company.