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Dozens presumed dead in fire at Swiss Alps bar during New Year's celebration

Police officers inspect the area where a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge leaving people dead and injured, during New Year

Dozens of people are presumed dead and about 100 injured, most of them seriously, following a fire at a Swiss Alps bar during a New Year's celebration, police said Thursday.

(Image credit: Alessandro della Valle /AP)

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Warren Buffett officially retires as Berkshire Hathway's CEO

Shareholders pose with a lifesize cardboard cutout of Warren Buffett in 2022, during Berkshire Hathaway

The legendary 95-year-old investor spent decades building his company into one of the world's largest and most powerful. Now Greg Abel is taking it over.

(Image credit: CHANDAN KHANNA)

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Crypto soared in 2025 — and then crashed. Now what?

A bitcoin logo is displayed at a conference in Hong Kong on Aug. 28, 2025. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies soared this year — until crashing in October.

For most of 2025, cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin surged as President Trump vowed to make the U.S. a crypto leader. But now, a severe sell-off has shaken the sector.

(Image credit: Vernon Yuen)

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Zohran Mamdani sworn in as New York City mayor, capping historic rise

Zohran Mamdani is sworn in as New York City

Mayor Zohran Mamdani took the oath of office in New York City after midnight Thursday. The city's first Muslim mayor, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, has promised to focus on affordability and fairness.

(Image credit: Pool)

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Rising from the ashes, a symbol of hope at the Rose Parade

Volunteers work on the top of the "Rising Together" float

Survivors of the Eaton and Palisades Fires find healing and community working on a Rose Parade float to honor the lives and communities lost in last year's wildfires.

(Image credit: Kirk Siegler/NPR)

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The history behind the NYC subway station chosen for Mamdani's swearing-in

New York City

The city shut down the station in 1945 on New Year's Eve. Eighty years later, it's a symbolic venue choice for the incoming mayor's private swearing-in ceremony.

(Image credit: Felix Lipov)

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U.S. military strikes 5 more alleged drug boats, killing 8

President Trump listens during a news conference with Israel

The U.S. military says it struck five alleged drug-smuggling boats over two days. The attacks killed eight people, while others jumped overboard and may have survived. U.S. Southern Command did not reveal where the attacks occurred.

(Image credit: Alex Brandon)

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Capitol riot 'does not happen' without Trump, Jack Smith told Congress

In this image from video released by the House Judiciary Committee, former special counsel Jack Smith speaks during a deposition Dec. 17, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

Former special counsel Jack Smith also described President Trump as the "most culpable and most responsible person" in the criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results, according to a transcript of Smith's closed-door interview with the House Judiciary Committee.

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Trump will drop push for National Guard deployments in Chicago, LA and Portland, Ore.

U.S. Marines and National Guard troops patrol the entrance of the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles as demonstrators gather on July 4, 2025.

Courts blocked troops from deploying in Chicago and Portland, Ore., and the Los Angeles deployment effectively ended after a judge blocked it earlier this month.

(Image credit: Etienne Laurent)

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What Stranger Things gets right about wormholes

This computer illustration shows an Einstein-Rosen bridge, also known as a wormhole. Wormholes feature heavily in the fifth season of Netflix series Stranger Things, whose series finale airs Dec. 31.<!-- raw HTML omitted -->

The final episode of fifth season of the Netflix series Stranger Things is out this week, and the concept of a wormhole figures largely into it. While the show is a work of fiction, theoretical wormholes have making appearances for decades not only in science fiction but in actual science.

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Photos: The world welcomes the new year

Fireworks light up the sky over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House during New Year

As fireworks light the sky and crowds count down together, communities around the globe welcome 2026.

(Image credit: Izhar Khan)

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Meet five new species discovered in 2025

This artist

A bumpy snailfish, Andean mouse opossum and ancient sea cow were just some of the many species described in 2025.

(Image credit: Alex Boersma)

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What to know about Nick Shirley, the YouTuber alleging daycare fraud in Minnesota

YouTuber Nick Shirley films protestors demonstrating against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests in New York City in October. He went viral in late December for a video purportedly uncovering $110 million in alleged fraud by federally funded daycare centers in Minnesota.

Shirley is a 23-year-old self-described "independent YouTube journalist" who made prank videos in high school before pivoting to politics. He participated in a White House roundtable in October.

(Image credit: Adam Gray)

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Greetings from Vienna, where an imperial palace hosts a holiday market for all

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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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Why flu cases are surging this season. And, protests erupt in Iran over the economy

Close-up view of a pharmacist

The flu is spreading rapidly across the U.S. this season, and it is expected to get worse. And, protests have erupted across Iran over the country's troubled economy.

(Image credit: Quentin Top/Hans Lucas)

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Out with the mayo: How Ukrainians reclaim holiday food

<eKutia is a sweet, warm porridge of pearled barley mixed with berries, nuts and stewed dried fruit. It's a staple at Ukrainian Christmas tables.'/>

For many people from former Soviet countries, New Year's is a big holiday feast time. A Ukrainian restaurant in Washington gives NPR a taste of what's on the menu.

(Image credit: Samantha Balaban/NPR)

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His brother's mental illness isolated his family. Now he's helping other caregivers

After caring for his brother, who has schizophrenia, for many years Mitul Desai started a company to support caregivers like him.

When it comes to serious mental illness, family caregivers are crucial partners. But often, they must fend for themselves. A new solution offers them support.

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

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Farmers are about to pay a lot more for health insurance

Prairie Star Farm in Allamakee County, Iowa is home to 180 dairy cows. Owners Meghan and John Palmer say growing health care costs add to the financial pressures facing many farm families, including theirs.<!-- raw HTML omitted --><!-- raw HTML omitted --><!-- raw HTML omitted -->

Tariffs, inflation, and other federal policies have battered U.S. farmers' bottom lines. Now many farmers say the expiration of federal health care subsidies will make their coverage unaffordable.

(Image credit: Meghan Palmer)

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Why do we make New Year's resolutions? A brief history of a long tradition

Revelers release New Year

One of the earliest mentions of New Year's resolutions appeared in a Boston newspaper in 1813. But the practice itself can be traced back to the Babylonians.

(Image credit: Atsushi Tsukada)

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A little boy gave her hope for her foster daughter's future

Natalie Cook, pictured here with her husband, Zachary, was struck by one boy

At a neighborhood park, a young boy noticed Natalie's young foster daughter using a walker. His reaction left Natalie with an unexpected feeling of hope for the future.

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In one year, Trump pivots fentanyl response from public health to drug war

President Donald Trump poses with a recently signed executive order classifying fentanyl as a "weapon of mass destruction," during a ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House on December 15, 2025 in Washington, D.C.

Experts say Biden's focus on addiction health care saved tens of thousands of lives and slowed fentanyl smuggling. Trump scrapped Biden's approach in favor of military strikes.

(Image credit: Anna Moneymaker)

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Morning news brief

Trump says the U.S. military conducted a strike on a Venezuelan dock he claims was used by drug smugglers, protests over economy flood Iran, flu cases in the U.S are on the rise, CDC data shows.

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National Guard arrives in New Orleans for 1st New Year's since Bourbon Street attack

Walking under flags that memorialize victims of Jan. 1, 2025 attack, members of the Louisiana National Guard, military police, and Louisiana law enforcement agencies patrol the French Quarter along Bourbon Street and intersecting streets as part of a National Guard deployment for New Year

Nearly a year after a New Year's Day truck attack on Bourbon Street left 14 dead, New Orleans officials are still seeking permanent security solutions.

(Image credit: Matthew Hinton/AP)

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CIA behind strike at Venezuelan dock that Trump claims was used by drug smugglers, AP sources say

President Donald Trump listens during a news conference with Israel

The CIA was behind a drone strike last week at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels. That's according to two people familiar with details of the operation.

(Image credit: Alex Brandon)

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Kennedy Center renaming prompts a new round of cancellations

Demonstrators, including Nadine Siler, of Waldorf, Md., dressed in a pink frog costume, hold up signs at a designated protest point in front of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, a day after a Trump-appointed board voted to add President Donald Trump

The Kennedy Center is ending the year with a new round of artists saying they are canceling scheduled performances after President Donald Trump's name was added to the facility.

(Image credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)

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Trump administration says it's freezing child care funds to Minnesota

State Sen. Michelle Benson reacts at a news conference on April 10, 2019, at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul to a report by the state

President Trump's administration announced that it's freezing child care funds to Minnesota after a series of fraud schemes in recent years.

(Image credit: Steve Karnowski)

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Flu cases are surging and rates will likely get worse, new CDC data shows

There have been at least 7,500,00 illnesses and 3,100 deaths from flu this season, according to CDC data. And flu cases are expected to rise significantly in the coming weeks.

Flu season is off to a rough start this year, according to new CDC data. The virus is spreading faster than in previous years and the surge is likely to get worse. Here's what you need to know.

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Judge orders Trump administration to continue to seek funding for the CFPB

A view of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) headquarters building in Washington, DC, on February 10, 2025.

The order is the latest in a complex legal battle over the fate of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a watchdog agency.

(Image credit: SAUL LOEB)

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In a year of steep challenges, there were still shining moments in global health

A health worker administers the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to a student in Islamabad, Pakistan on Sept. 24. The vaccine protects against cervical cancer. This year, a new one-dose strategy gained greater acceptance in Pakistan and other countries. Previously, the standard was three doses but years of testing have established that one dose is highly effective for younger girls and older girls can get the benefit from two doses.

The Trump administration's deep cuts in U.S. foreign health aid had a devastating impact. Yet there were achievements of note in spite of it all.

(Image credit: Farooq Naeem)

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An escalation in Yemen threatens to reignite civil war and widen tensions in the Gulf

The president of the Yemen

Saudi Arabia bombed Yemen's port city of Mukalla, targeting a shipment of weapons from the United Arab Emirates for separatist forces. The UAE later said it would withdraw its forces from Yemen.

(Image credit: Ted Shaffrey)

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