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President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shake hands at the start of a joint news conference following a meeting at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club, in Palm Beach, Fla., Sunday. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption

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President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shake hands at the start of a joint news conference following a meeting at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club, in Palm Beach, Fla., Sunday. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption

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Alex Brandon/AP

The U.S. offers Ukraine a 15-year security guarantee for now, Zelenskyy says

President Donald Trump welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to his Florida resort Sunday after speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone.

Kevin Deinert grows soybeans and corn and also raises cattle on his family's farm near Mitchell, South Dakota Kirk Siegler/NPR hide caption

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Kevin Deinert grows soybeans and corn and also raises cattle on his family's farm near Mitchell, South Dakota Kirk Siegler/NPR hide caption

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Kirk Siegler/NPR

Many farmers are going into 2026 on the brink

President Trump says 2026 will be better for American farmers, thanks in part to $12 billion in new federal "bridge payments." But optimism remains hard to come by in farm country.

Trump says brighter days are ahead for American farmers

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Krista Tippett speaks at SESSION 12 at TED2023: Possibility. April 17-21, 2023, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED Gilberto Tadday/TED hide caption

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Gilberto Tadday/TED

Forget New Year's resolutions. For 2026, sit with a question instead

As host of the On Being radio show, Krista Tippett asked guests countless metaphysical questions. But this new year, she recommends tossing the resolutions and turning the big questions on yourself.

Tippett- FINDING YOUR BLISS

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Palestinian youth walk along a tent camp for displaced people as the sun sets in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Friday, Dec. 26, 2025. Abdel Kareem Hana/AP hide caption

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Palestinian youth walk along a tent camp for displaced people as the sun sets in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Friday, Dec. 26, 2025. Abdel Kareem Hana/AP hide caption

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Abdel Kareem Hana/AP

Trump and Netanyahu to meet in Florida at a crucial moment for the Gaza ceasefire

President Trump could use the face-to-face at his Mar-a-Lago estate to look for ways to speed up the peace process, as Israel's leader has been accused of not pushing his side to move fast enough.

Revelers celebrate after the ball drops in New York's Times Square, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in New York. Stefan Jeremiah/AP hide caption

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Revelers celebrate after the ball drops in New York's Times Square, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in New York. Stefan Jeremiah/AP hide caption

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Stefan Jeremiah/AP

Why do so many people ring in the new year on Jan. 1?

Much of the world follows the Gregorian calendar, named after Pope Gregory XIII, who put the finishing touches on a Roman system that integrated ideas from other cultures.

Attorney General Pam Bondi, third from right, Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith, left, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, ATF Special Agent in Charge of Washington Anthony Spotswood, FBI Director Kash Patel, and FBI deputy director Dan Bongino speak during a news conference at the Department of Justice, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, in Washington. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption

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Alex Brandon/AP

Attorney General Pam Bondi, third from right, Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith, left, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, ATF Special Agent in Charge of Washington Anthony Spotswood, FBI Director Kash Patel, and FBI deputy director Dan Bongino speak during a news conference at the Department of Justice, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, in Washington. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption

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Alex Brandon/AP

Pipe bomb suspect told FBI he targeted U.S. political parties, memo says

The man accused of placing two pipe bombs in Washington on the eve of Jan. 6, 2021 told investigators someone needed to "speak up" for people who believed the 2020 election was stolen, prosecutors said Sunday.

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, also chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), front row second from left, poses with other military officers after promoting to generals, back row, from left, Yang Zhibin of the Eastern Theater Command and Han Shengyan commander of Central Theater Command in Beijing on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. Li Gang/AP/Xinhua hide caption

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Li Gang/AP/Xinhua

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, also chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), front row second from left, poses with other military officers after promoting to generals, back row, from left, Yang Zhibin of the Eastern Theater Command and Han Shengyan commander of Central Theater Command in Beijing on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. Li Gang/AP/Xinhua hide caption

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Li Gang/AP/Xinhua

Chinese military stages drills around Taiwan to warn 'external forces'

The drills came after Beijing expressed anger at U.S. arms sales, and a statement by Japan's prime minister saying its military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan.

Clockwise from top left: Eddington, Bugonia, Sinners, It Was Just an Accident, Good Fortune, One Battle After Another Richard Foreman/A24; Atsushi Nishijima/Focus Features; Warner Bros. Pictures; NEON; Eddy Chen/Lionsgate; Warner Bros. Pictures hide caption

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Richard Foreman/A24; Atsushi Nishijima/Focus Features; Warner Bros. Pictures; NEON; Eddy Chen/Lionsgate; Warner Bros. Pictures

'Raising questions' isn't enough. The best films of the year took a stance

Now is not the time for subtlety, nostalgia or neutrality on screen.

Karolina Wydra attends the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversations Pluribus screening and conversation at SAG-AFTRA Foundation Robin Williams Center on Nov. 7 in New York City. Dominik Bindl/Getty Images hide caption

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Karolina Wydra attends the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversations Pluribus screening and conversation at SAG-AFTRA Foundation Robin Williams Center on Nov. 7 in New York City. Dominik Bindl/Getty Images hide caption

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Dominik Bindl/Getty Images

'Pluribus' star Karolina Wydra on why the show is resonating with viewers

WBUR

The science fiction show Pluribus is the most-watched series in the history of Apple TV.

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Aubrey Pick/Tanya Holland

Chef Tanya Holland. Aubrey Pick/Tanya Holland hide caption

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Aubrey Pick/Tanya Holland

A top chef weighs in on recipe ideas for the Kwanzaa table

The weeklong celebration of Kwanzaa is a perfect opportunity to revisit soothing, hearty winter foods, says celebrity chef Tanya Holland.

Top chef weighs in on recipe ideas for the Kwanzaa table

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Paul B. Miller of Junction City, Ohio grocery shops at The Market in Logan, Ohio Dec. 9. Food aid was just one of many safety-net services offered here that faced disruption in 2025. Rich-Joseph Facun for NPR hide caption

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Rich-Joseph Facun for NPR

For those who help the poor, 2025 goes down as a year of chaos

Local anti-poverty groups have had to scramble and scale back this year as the Trump administration targeted safety-net programs. They are bracing for what may come next.

For those who help the poor, 2025 goes down as a year of chaos

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The missing painting, Gabriele Münter, Music (Musik), 1916, its whereabouts unknown to the public since 1977. Oil on canvas. Private collection. © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn. The Guggenheim, New York hide caption

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The Guggenheim, New York

The missing painting, Gabriele Münter, Music (Musik), 1916, its whereabouts unknown to the public since 1977. Oil on canvas. Private collection. © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn. The Guggenheim, New York hide caption

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The Guggenheim, New York

This painting is missing. Do you have it?

An important work from a rediscovered artist has been absent from public view since the 1970s. A New York curator is hunting for it.

The Kennedy Center says it is planning legal action after jazz musician Chuck Redd canceled an annual holiday concert. Redd pulled out after President Trump's name appeared on the building. ‎/Robert Severi hide caption

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‎/Robert Severi

The Kennedy Center says it is planning legal action after jazz musician Chuck Redd canceled an annual holiday concert. Redd pulled out after President Trump's name appeared on the building. ‎/Robert Severi hide caption

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‎/Robert Severi

Kennedy Center vows to sue musician who canceled performance over Trump name change

The Kennedy Center is planning legal action after jazz musician Chuck Redd canceled an annual holiday concert. Redd pulled out after President Trump's name appeared on the building.

On her parents' farm in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, Alexa Ramírez answers a phone call from her husband, who is being held in an immigration detention center in Michigan. Duilio Rodriguez/For the Sun-Times hide caption

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Duilio Rodriguez/For the Sun-Times

On her parents' farm in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, Alexa Ramírez answers a phone call from her husband, who is being held in an immigration detention center in Michigan. Duilio Rodriguez/For the Sun-Times hide caption

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Duilio Rodriguez/For the Sun-Times

A wife deported and a husband detained. A Chicago couple worries about what's next

WBEZ

A couple arrested in October during the Trump administration's immigration campaign in Chicago were separated just eight days after they got married. Neither has a criminal record.

Idaho-based Micron Technology is one of the world's top makers of RAM chips and it's benefited from increase demand. Charlie Litchfield/ASSOCIATED PRESS/FR164915AP hide caption

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Charlie Litchfield/ASSOCIATED PRESS/FR164915AP

Idaho-based Micron Technology is one of the world's top makers of RAM chips and it's benefited from increase demand. Charlie Litchfield/ASSOCIATED PRESS/FR164915AP hide caption

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Charlie Litchfield/ASSOCIATED PRESS/FR164915AP

Memory loss: As AI gobbles up chips, prices for devices may rise

Demand for memory chips currently exceeds supply and there's very little chance of that changing any time soon. More chips for AI means less available for other products such as computers and phones and that could drive up those prices too.

Memory loss: As AI gobbles up chips, prices for devices may rise

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The Wicked Witch 'Adelphaba' (played by Gigi Zahir) on stage at the Pleasance Theatre in North London Ella Carmen Dale/Handout hide caption

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Ella Carmen Dale/Handout

The Wicked Witch 'Adelphaba' (played by Gigi Zahir) on stage at the Pleasance Theatre in North London Ella Carmen Dale/Handout hide caption

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Ella Carmen Dale/Handout

'It's behind you!' How Britain goes wild for pantomimes during the holidays

Pantomimes are plays based on a well-known story — often a fairy tale — which are given a bawdy twist. The audience is expected to join in throughout, shouting as loudly as they can.

British pantomime and the joy of breaking theater rules

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Brigitte Bardot pictured in 1960. Keystone Features/Getty Images hide caption

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Brigitte Bardot pictured in 1960. Keystone Features/Getty Images hide caption

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Keystone Features/Getty Images

Brigitte Bardot, sex goddess of cinema, has died

Legendary screen siren and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot has died at age 91. The alluring former model starred in numerous movies, often playing the highly sexualized love interest.

Brigitte Bardot, sex goddess of cinema, has died

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Hennadii Fil, 65, former deputy Commander of the 309th Missile Regiment near Soviet air defense missile at the Museum of the Strategic Missile Forces on Dec. 5, 2025. Anton Shtuka for NPR hide caption

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Anton Shtuka for NPR

For Ukrainians, a nuclear missile museum is a bitter reminder of what the country gave up

The Museum of Strategic Missile Forces tells the story of how Ukraine dismantled its nuclear weapons arsenal after independence in 1991. Today many Ukrainians believe that decision to give up nukes was a mistake.

An image of the shows that as stimulants increase arousal, they calm (darker colors) various parts of the brain. Benjamin Kay/Washington University in St. Louis hide caption

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Benjamin Kay/Washington University in St. Louis

An image of the shows that as stimulants increase arousal, they calm (darker colors) various parts of the brain. Benjamin Kay/Washington University in St. Louis hide caption

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Benjamin Kay/Washington University in St. Louis

ADHD drugs may work indirectly to boost attention

Drugs like Adderall and Ritalin appear to help children with ADHD by activating brain areas involved in alertness and motivation.

ADHD drugs

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Michael Stonebarger sorts young cannabis plants at a marijuana farm operated by Greenlight, in Grandview, Mo., on Oct. 31, 2022. Charlie Riedel/AP hide caption

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Charlie Riedel/AP

Michael Stonebarger sorts young cannabis plants at a marijuana farm operated by Greenlight, in Grandview, Mo., on Oct. 31, 2022. Charlie Riedel/AP hide caption

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Charlie Riedel/AP

Marijuana rescheduling would bring some immediate changes, but others will take time

President Trump set the process in motion to ease federal restrictions on marijuana. But his order doesn't automatically revoke laws targeting marijuana, which remains illegal to transport over state lines.

Cynthia Freeman and her husband Brad Lawrence in their apartment in Brooklyn, NY. Because they work freelance jobs as storytellers and podcasters, they rely on their Affordable Care Act insurance to treat Brad's newly-diagnosed kidney disease.
José A. Alvarado Jr. hide caption

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José A. Alvarado Jr.

As insurance prices rise, women puzzle through coverage options for their families

Figuring out the insurance options for families often falls to women. Some say they're delaying marriage, taking side jobs, and putting their kids on Medicaid as premium prices shoot up in 2026.

Guards march in the courtyard of Fredensborg Palace in Denmark. The northern European country of around 6 million people has been suggested as a model for U.S. childhood vaccination policy. Scott Barbour/Getty Images hide caption

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Guards march in the courtyard of Fredensborg Palace in Denmark. The northern European country of around 6 million people has been suggested as a model for U.S. childhood vaccination policy. Scott Barbour/Getty Images hide caption

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Scott Barbour/Getty Images

Should the U.S. model its vaccine policy on Denmark's? Experts say we're nothing alike

The Trump administration wants to revamp U.S. childhood vaccination recommendations to align with some other peer nations, including one tiny country in northern Europe.

WATCH

GIVĒON: Tiny Desk Concert

GIVĒON treats performance as therapy, pouring out his heart like a bottle of wine. The R&B singer treats us to ballads and anthems of heartache, backed by strings and horns.

Table tennis player Martin "Marty" Reisman of New York City at practice in New York, Feb. 7, 1951, before going abroad as a member of the American team which will take part in international competition in Vienna. Ed Ford/AP hide caption

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Ed Ford/AP

Table tennis player Martin "Marty" Reisman of New York City at practice in New York, Feb. 7, 1951, before going abroad as a member of the American team which will take part in international competition in Vienna. Ed Ford/AP hide caption

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Ed Ford/AP

The real ping pong champion — and hustler — who inspired 'Marty Supreme'

Marty Reisman was nicknamed "The Needle" for his slender physique. He dressed well and put on a show.

The real ping pong champion — and hustler — who inspired 'Marty Supreme'

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