Amy Held

Just a few of the ways people are adjusting this holiday season, according to a new APNORC poll.

as more than half say it's harder to afford the gifts they want to give.

High schooler Emerson Gates says school festivities are pared down this year.

Americans' outlook is dim about the overall economy and jobs, but his NPR polling finds by far the biggest financial factor straining Americans right now is prices.

up 2.7 percent from a year ago.

They're belt-tightening so they can still play Santa, even as 7 in 10 Americans say they're barely able to pay their bills.

Amy Held, NPR News.

From the edge of space back down to the West Texas desert, Mihi Benthouse was still beaming as she emerged from the Blue Origin space capsule.

She joined five others on the 10-minute flight, seven years after suffering a spinal injury in a bike accident.

The aerospace engineer uses a wheelchair, but for a short time Saturday, she felt unconstrained, using a special strap to keep her legs bound in microgravity.

Blue Origin sponsored her flight.

The price tag is not made public, as space tourism today is largely for the wealthy and powerful.

Benthouse says she hopes her story inspires others.

And she says, let's not stop here.

Amy Held, NPR News.

Health care in the U.S.

is already the most expensive in the developed world, something people increasingly can't afford.

House Republicans plan to hold votes next week on their health care bill released Friday.

It does include some cost saving measures, but not an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire next year.

To pass, it would need Democratic support in the Senate.