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GOP gearing up to face tough midterms. And, Pentagon reviews women in ground combat

President Trump dances as he departs after speaking during a House Republican retreat at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Jan. 6, 2026, in Washington, DC. House Republicans will discuss their 2026 legislative agenda at the meeting.

Trump offers advice to the GOP as midterm fears grow and he struggles to connect with voters on the economy. And, the Pentagon reviews the "effectiveness" of women in ground combat roles.

(Image credit: Alex Wong)

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A walking challenge to start 2026 on your feet — and off your screens

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The solution to too much sitting is simple but hard to stick with. This walking challenge sets you up for success, with six tips to keep you moving throughout your day.

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Greetings from a Paris park, where a lone sequoia tree is a marvel to behold

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Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international team shares moments from their lives and work around the world.

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Sick young ants send out a 'kill me' scent to prevent deadly epidemics

When an ant pupa has a deadly, incurable infection, it sends out a signal that tells worker ants to unpack it from its cocoon and disinfect it, a process that results in its death.

Young, infected Lasius neglectus ants will send out an altruistic "kill me" signal to worker ants, a new study finds, as part of a strategy to keep deadly pathogens from spreading through the colony.

(Image credit: Christopher D. Pull)

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Pro-Trump influencers take a victory lap amid fallout from viral video alleging fraud

Pro-Trump influencer and YouTuber Benny Johnson being interviewed in Phoenix earlier this year. Johnson is one of many political influencers with close ties to the Trump administration.

The swift policy and political repercussions the video helped propel illustrate the symbiotic relationship between online content creators and the Trump administration's policy goals.

(Image credit: Charly Triballeau)

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The world has too much oil right now. Will companies want Venezuela's?

A sculpture of a hand holding an oil drilling rig stands outside the state-run oil company Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA) in Caracas, Venezuela, on February 26, 2025. In the background are a street and a tall building.

Crude prices are low. Companies are being cautious. But huge reserves — particularly of the heavy, viscous oil Venezuela has in abundance — remain appealing.

(Image credit: Pedro Mattey)

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DHS wants Venezuelans to return home, but fears remain as long as Maduro regime is in power

Anti-Maduro demonstrators fly Venezuelan flags outside the federal courthouse in Lower Manhattan, New York, on Monday, January 5.

Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans have been in limbo since the Trump administration removed their temporary protected status late last year. That uncertainty has intensified as U.S. immigration officials again push for those migrants to return to Venezuela.

(Image credit: José A. Alvarado Jr. for NPR)

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After the LA fires, false narratives on social media impacted state policy

Chad Comey lived in a five-story condo building that burned down in the Palisades Fire last January.

Misinformation spread quickly after the wildfires in Los Angeles last year. Some of these false narratives on social media impacted California policy.

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The delightful history behind serendipity suggests it's not mere luck

Kate Beckinsale and John Cusack in the 2001 film <!-- raw HTML omitted -->Serendipity<!-- raw HTML omitted -->.

While serendipity has often been associated with luck or happy accidents, its origin suggests that it goes beyond just happenstance.

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CIA turncoat Aldrich Ames, who sold U.S. secrets to the Soviets, dies in prison at 84

Former CIA agent Aldrich Ames leaves federal court after pleading guilty to espionage and tax evasion conspiracy charges April 28, 1994, in Alexandria, Va.

CIA turncoat Aldrich Ames, who betrayed Western intelligence assets to the Soviet Union and Russia in one of the most damaging breaches in U.S. history, has died in a Maryland prison. He was 84.

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Trump Mobile's golden phone remains nowhere to be found

Eric Trump and Lara Trump arrive before President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump for a New Year

A golden phone that President Donald Trump's family business promised to release last year remains mysteriously under wraps as the technology industry serves up a glut of new gadgets at CES in Las Vegas this week.

(Image credit: Alex Brandon)

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Security forces clash with protesters in Iran's main market as death toll rises

People walk as shops are closed during protests in Tehran

The protest at the Grand Bazaar represented the latest signal that the demonstrations are likely to continue. Violence surrounding the protests has killed at least 36 people, activists abroad say.

(Image credit: Vahid Salemi)

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Trump says US to get 30 million to 50 million barrels of oil from Venezuela at market price

President Donald Trump dances as he walks off stage after speaking to House Republican lawmakers during their annual policy retreat, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Washington.

Trump pledged to use proceeds from the sale of this oil "to benefit the people" of both countries.

(Image credit: Evan Vucci)

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Homeland Security plans 2,000 immigration officers in Minnesota

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem appears before the House Committee on Homeland Security on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025.

Homeland Security said Tuesday that it launched what it described as the largest immigration enforcement operation ever carried out, tied to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents in Minnesota.

(Image credit: Mark Schiefelbein)

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Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr — known for bleak, existential movies — has died

Hungarian director Béla Tarr at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2011.

Tarr's films were long, dark, and often abstract explorations of everyday life and politics.

(Image credit: Andreas Rentz)

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Edith Renfrow Smith, pioneer and witness to history, dies at 111

Renfrow Smith in her cap and gown the day she graduated from Grinnell College in 1937.

Last year, for Black History Month, NPR's Scott Simon spoke with Edith Renfrow Smith of Chicago, who has died at 111 years old.

(Image credit: Edith Renfrow Smith family collection)

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Marjorie Taylor Greene's puzzling political transformation, explained

Once a fierce advocate for Trump and his MAGA base, Greene has broken with the president and resigned from Congress. New Yorker writer Charles Bethea discusses Greene's past — and what may lie ahead.

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Attempting to predict the economy in 2026

Seven-foot-tall "2026" numerals are displayed after an illumination ceremony in Times Square in New York City on Dec. 18, 2025.

Economists may have a pretty dismal record with predictions. But we're still interested in what they see in their non-existent crystal balls.

(Image credit: Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

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Lawmakers split over Maduro's seizure. And, CDC cuts childhood vaccine schedule

People display a giant Venezuelan flag as they take part in a demonstration in support of Venezuela

Ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife pleaded not guilty in New York yesterday. And, the CDC scales back routine childhood vaccine recommendations at President Trump's direction.

(Image credit: Mauro Pimentel)

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After devastating LA fires, California is drafting nation's toughest rules for homes

After the heavy toll of the Los Angeles fires, California regulators are moving ahead with rules to limit or clear vegetation within five feet of homes, a zone where flammable materials pose a risk to houses.

California is writing rules to limit plants around buildings to protect them from wildfires, after the Los Angeles fires a year ago. Some homeowners are pushing back over losing their greenery.

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Venezuela strategy remains 'vague' after Trump admin briefing, says Rep. Adam Smith

A government supporter holds an action figure of Super Bigote during a protest demanding the release of President Nicolas Maduro, who was captired by U.S. forces,  in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Jan. 4.

Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat serving on the House Armed Services Committee, says Trump administration officials offered "vague talk" in briefing about the long-term strategy for Venezuela.

(Image credit: Ariana Cubillos)

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Pentagon will begin review of 'effectiveness' of women in ground combat positions

United States Marine Corps recruits from Lima Company, the first gender integrated training class in San Diego, receive a safety briefing on April 21, 2021 at Camp Pendleton in San Diego County, California.

The review, outlined in a Pentagon memo obtained by NPR, comes after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told admirals and generals in September that women must meet the "highest male standard."

(Image credit: Patrick T. Fallon)

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More seniors are becoming homeless. Shelters are trying to adapt

The Medically Vulnerable People (MVP) shelter in Sandy, Utah, is a remodeled two-story brick hotel. It serves people ages 62 and older, as well as people with health conditions that make it hard to live in a typical homeless shelter.

Older adults are the fastest-growing homeless population across the U.S. Now some shelters are trying to make it easier to accommodate older people.

(Image credit: Aaron Bolton)

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Trump to meet with House Republicans amid questions about Venezuela

President Trump walks on the South Lawn after landing at the White House on Jan. 4, 2026. Trump returned to Washington from his winter break at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Fla., one day after U.S. forces captured former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in a raid on his compound in the capital city of Caracas.

President Trump is set to meet with House Republicans Tuesday at the Kennedy Center as lawmakers in both chambers are calling for more details on the recent operation in Venezuela.

(Image credit: Alex Wong)

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The criminal prosecution of Nicolás Maduro is underway. Here's what to expect

A woman holds a portrait of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, on Saturday after he was captured by U.S. forces.

Now begins what could be a lengthy legal process of pretrial motions, potential plea negotiations and possibly a jury trial of the authoritarian leader who ruled Venezuela for more than a decade.

(Image credit: Federico Parra)

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Trump says the U.S. plans to "take back" Venezuela's oil. But what could that mean

President Trump says the U.S. will "take back" Venezuela's oil. NPR's Leila Fadel talks to Jason Bordoff, founding director of Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy, about his remarks.

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Trump says the U.S. plans to "take back" Venezuela's oil. But what does that mean

President Trump says the U.S. will "take back" Venezuela's oil. NPR's Leila Fadel talks to Jason Bordoff, founding director of Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy, about his remarks.

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Progress for Ukraine talks in Paris uncertain with U.S. focus shifting to Venezuela

Ukraine

Ukraine's allies are meeting Tuesday in Paris for key talks that could help determine the country's security after a potential ceasefire with Russia. But prospects for progress are uncertain.

(Image credit: Danylo Antoniuk)

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Danish prime minister says a US takeover of Greenland would mark the end of NATO

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Her comments came in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's renewed call for the strategic, mineral-rich Arctic island to come under U.S. control in the aftermath of the weekend military operation in Venezuela.

(Image credit: Felipe Dana)

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This Jan. 6 plaque was made to honor law enforcement. It's nowhere to be found at the Capitol

A replica plaque commemorating the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot hangs outside the office of Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Its whereabouts aren't publicly known, though it's believed to be in storage.

(Image credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

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