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Vance refuses to set red lines over bigotry at Turning Point USA's convention

Erika Kirk greets Vice President JD Vance during Turning Point USA

Vice President JD Vance acknowledged the controversies that dominated the Turning Point conference, but he did not define any boundaries for the conservative movement besides patriotism.

(Image credit: Jon Cherry)

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CBS News chief Bari Weiss pulls '60 Minutes' story, sparking outcry

The Free Press

CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss pulled a 60 Minutes segment on allegations of abuses at an El Salvador detention center where the Trump administration sent hundreds of Venezuelan migrants.

(Image credit: Leigh Vogel)

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Rick Steves steps in to save Seattle-area hygiene center serving homeless residents

Rick Steves taking a selfie with community members outside the Lynnwood Hygiene Center near Seattle. He says his purchase of the property secures the future of the center, which provides hot meals and hot showers.

Steves purchased the property to prevent it from closing. Many homeless people had come to depend on the Lynnwood Hygiene Center, which had operated rent-free on the property since 2020.

(Image credit: Rick Steves)

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Lawmakers threaten Attorney General Bondi with contempt over incomplete Epstein files

Attorney General Pam Bondi, accompanied by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche (L) and FBI Director Kash Patel (R), speaks during a news conference at the Justice Department on Nov. 19. Some lawmakers said the department

The Justice Department is defending its initial release of documents related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, saying lawyers are still going through them to ensure victims are protected.

(Image credit: Andrew Harnik)

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How a power outage in Colorado caused U.S. official time be 4.8 microseconds off

Cesium beam clocks (left) and hydrogen masers are among the types of atomic clocks used by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to determine official U.S. time.

Officials said the error is likely be too minute for the general public to clock it, but it could affect applications such as critical infrastructure, telecommunications and GPS signals.

(Image credit: J. Sherman, R. Jacobson)

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Scientists say they have discovered 20 new species deep in the Pacific Ocean

A potentially new species discovered.

Researchers retrieved reef monitoring devices that had been placed in deep coral reefs in Guam. The devices were placed up to 330 feet below the surface.

(Image credit: California Academy of Sciences)

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Shopping for pricy ACA health plans? Some cheaper options come with trade-offs

Pages from the U.S. Affordable Care Act health insurance website healthcare.gov are seen on a computer screen in New York, Aug. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison, File)

Without a fix from Congress, costs for many people who buy health care on the Affordable Care Act marketplace have gone up. Here's what's to know about cheaper choices — and pitfalls to be aware of.

(Image credit: Patrick Sison)

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Cartagena's iconic horse carriages give way to electric buggies

In Cartagena

Cartagena, Colombia, is set to ban its iconic horse-drawn carriages, replacing them with electric buggies — a move dividing the historic city over tradition, tourism, and animal welfare.

(Image credit: Jeffrey Greenberg)

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New Orleans musicians share their favorite Christmas songs, from bounce to blues

Irma Thomas; Big Freedia; Tarriona "Tank" Ball

Rosemary Westwood from member station WWNO asked a few of New Orlean's favorite musicians about the songs they like to listen to around Christmas.

(Image credit: Sean Gardner/Getty Images; Nelson Cosey; Josh Brasted/Getty Images for Essence)

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On winter's coldest days, this classic Kashmiri coat offers warmth — and wisdom

A man carries a child in his Kashmiri <!-- raw HTML omitted -->pheran,<!-- raw HTML omitted --> a traditional winter coat that gives warmth during the coldest days of winter. A pot of embers carried beneath the fabric adds to the comfort.

In Kashmir, December 21 is said to mark the start of the 40 harshest days of winter. A woolen robe called a pheran is key to keeping warm — and a reminder of how to face and overcome hardships.

(Image credit: Tauseef Mustafa/AFP)

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A radio station in Amsterdam is a lifeline for Sudan. After USAID cuts, it's faltering

Reporter Elamin Babow reads the latest headlines in Radio Dabanga

Budget cuts threaten the future of Amsterdam-based Radio Dabanga, which has served as an information lifeline for Sudanese people about their war-torn country.

(Image credit: Indy Scholtens for NPR)

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9 killed, 10 wounded in South African pub shooting

South African police gather at the scene of a mass shooting where gunmen killed nine and injured at least 10 in a pub in Bekkersdal, South Africa, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025.

Authorities report that nine people have died and at least 10 others are injured after a shooting at a South African pub. The incident occurred early Sunday in Bekkersdal, west of Johannesburg.

(Image credit: Alfonso Nqunjana)

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'Congress is in a coma.' Former lawmakers sound alarm on health of the House

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Congress is wrapping up the year without a lot of legislative accomplishments under its belt and a growing list of lawmakers who are retiring. Former members say the challenges on Capitol Hill have been brewing for a long time.

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Russia says talks on US peace plan for Ukraine 'are proceeding constructively'

FILE - Russian Presidential foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov, left, U.S. President Donald Trump

A Kremlin envoy says peace talks in Florida on a U.S.-proposed plan to end the war in Ukraine are proceeding constructively, after U.S. meetings with Ukrainian and European officials in Berlin.

(Image credit: Alexander Kazakov/AP)

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Apple, Google tell workers on visas to avoid leaving the U.S. amid Trump immigration crackdown

With reported months-long consulate and embassy delays, Google and Apple say employees on H-1B visas should stay put in the U.S. right now to avoid the risk of getting stranded abroad. The latter tech company

With months-long consulate and embassy delays being reported, the two tech companies say staying put in the U.S. right now could prevent workers from getting stranded in their home countries.

(Image credit: Justin Sullivan)

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University of Alabama suspends student magazines amid DEI crackdown

Kendal Wright, editor in chief of the University of Alabama's Nineteen Fifty-Six magazine, reacts to the suspension of two student publications amid a federal crackdown on campus DEI policies.

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North Carolina's Lumbee Tribe receives full federal recognition after 137-year effort

John Lowery, chairman of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina and a state representative (center) is comforted, as he cries tears of joy. Lowery and other members of the tribe gathered in Washington, D.C., to mark the passage of a bill granting full federal recognition on Wednesday.

The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina has finally received full federal recognition, which it has sought since 1888. Tribal leaders were moved to tears after President Trump signed the measure.

(Image credit: Jacquelyn Martin)

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Pope Leo summons cardinals for a key assembly to help him govern Catholic Church

Pope Leo XIV greets faithful as he arrives in St. Peter

Pope Leo XIV has summoned the world's cardinals for two days of meetings to help him govern the church, in the clearest sign yet that the new year will signal the unofficial start of his pontificate.

(Image credit: Gregorio Borgia)

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Bowen Yang leaves 'SNL' midway through his 8th season

Bowen Yang is leaving <!-- raw HTML omitted -->Saturday Night Live<!-- raw HTML omitted --> midway through his 8th season with the long-running, late-night comedy sketch series.

The comedian is scheduled to co-host his final show on Saturday with Wicked star Ariana Grande.

(Image credit: Jamie McCarthy)

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Available to download Friday, some Epstein files no longer there Saturday afternoon

The Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building on Dec. 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.

An NPR analysis of the Epstein files shows some documents, originally available on Friday, are no longer on the Department of Justice's "Epstein Library" website as the DOJ releases more files.

(Image credit: Andrew Harnik)

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U.S. forces stop a 2nd merchant vessel off Venezuela coast, officials say

President Trump walks to speak with reporters while departing the White House  on Friday.

U.S. forces stopped a vessel off the coast of Venezuela for the second time in less than two weeks as President Trump continues to ramp up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

(Image credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

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Special elections ordered for Mississippi Supreme Court after voting rights violation

Mississippi Supreme Court justices listen to arguments in Jackson, Miss., on July 6, 2023. On Friday, a judge ordered special elections for the court after earlier finding that the electoral map used to select justices violates the Voting Rights Act.

A federal judge ordered special elections after earlier ordering the state to redraw the electoral map used to select justices, concluding the current configuration dilutes the power of Black voters.

(Image credit: Rogelio V. Solis)

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Opinion: Remembering the lives lost to a senseless act of terror

Mourners gather around floral tributes at Bondi Pavilion to honor the victims of the Bondi Beach shooting in Sydney on December 16, 2025. A father-and-son team toting long-barrelled guns shot and killed 15 people including a 10-year-old girl at Sydney

The attack at Australia's Bondi Beach earlier this week on people who were celebrating the first night of Hanukkah was horrific. Stories have emerged about those who died trying to stop the gunmen.

(Image credit: DAVID GRAY/AFP via Getty Images)

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U.S. launches strikes in Syria targeting Islamic State fighters after American deaths

President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth salute as carry teams move the transfer cases with the remains of Iowa National Guard soldiers Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, Iowa, and Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, Iowa, and civilian interpreter Ayad Mansoor Sakat, who were killed in an attack in Syria, during a casualty return, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025 at Dover Air Force Base, Del.

The Trump administration launched military strikes in Syria to "eliminate" Islamic State group fighters in retaliation for an attack that killed two U.S. troops and an American interpreter a week ago.

(Image credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

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White House announces new round of drug-price deals

President Trump unveiled deals with nine pharmaceutical companies on drug prices in a White House event Friday.

Fourteen companies in total have now reached what the administration calls most-favored-nation pricing deals.

(Image credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI)

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Trump's push to end transgender care for young people opposed by pediatricians

A display at the Gender Health Program of Children

Doctors and children's hospitals say nothing in the evidence has changed to justify the Trump administration's efforts to ban gender-affirming care for teens and tweens.

(Image credit: Selena Simmons-Duffin)

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It was called the Kennedy Center, but 3 different presidents shaped it

President John F. Kennedy, left, looks at a model of what was later named the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC., in 1963.

Washington, D.C.'s performing arts center was named for President Kennedy after his assassination. But his vision for the arts as a cornerstone of democracy was shared by Eisenhower and Johnson.

(Image credit: National Archives)

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Justice Department begins the release of the Epstein files

Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in 2005.

The Justice Department has begun publishing the Epstein files, releasing documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's criminal charges and his death by suicide in federal custody.

(Image credit: Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan)

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Judge blocks HUD homelessness overhaul, rebukes agency for causing 'chaos'

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development faces legal challenges over proposed major changes to homelessness funding.

A federal judge said HUD cannot dramatically change its funding policies on homelessness for now. States, cities and nonprofits say the proposed overhaul would push thousands back onto the streets.

(Image credit: Kent Nishimura)

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Scientists push back on Trump plan to break up a critical climate and weather center

President Trump references a map while talking to reporters about Hurricane Dorian on Sept. 4, 2019. The map appears to have been altered by a black marker to extend the hurricane

The White House plans to break up a key weather and climate research center in Colorado, a move experts say could jeopardize the accuracy of forecasting and prediction systems.

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla)

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