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President Trump announces strike on ISIS targets in Nigeria
President Trump made the announcement late Thursday on social media, saying the strike was in response to the Islamic State targeting Christians in Nigeria.
The pope urges the faithful on Christmas to shed indifference in the face of suffering
During his first Christmas Day message, Pope Leo XIV highlighted the suffering in Gaza, Yemen and among migrants, and called for peace in troubled regions like Lebanon, Ukraine and Syria.
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.
DOJ says it may need a ‘few more weeks’ to finish releasing Epstein files
The Justice Department said Wednesday that it may need a "few more weeks" to release its records on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after discovering more than a million potentially relevant documents.
A Powerball player in Arkansas has won a $1.817 billion lottery jackpot
Wednesday's Christmas Eve drawing ended the lottery game's three-month stretch without a top-prize winner. Final ticket sales pushed the jackpot higher, making it the second-largest in U.S. history.
Trump-backed candidate Nasry Asfura declared winner of Honduras’ presidential vote
Asfura won Honduras' presidential election, electoral authorities said Wednesday afternoon, ending a weeks-long count that has whittled away at the credibility of the nation's electoral system.
30 years ago, ‘Waiting to Exhale’ was the blockbuster Hollywood didn’t anticipate
The 1995 adaptation of Terry McMillan's novel celebrated the beauty of Black sisterhood.
When porch pirates steal medicine instead of holiday gifts
Mail theft can happen around the holidays, but sometimes, instead of getting a new iPad, the thief swipes a mail order medicine. Here's what to do about it.
In the snow, these salamanders get supercool
Blue spotted salamanders have been seen walking across snow and new research suggests how they get by in the cold.
Timothée Chalamet, a Neil Diamond tribute band and more in theaters for Christmas
Also in theaters this week, Jack Black and Paul Rudd star in a meta reimagining of Anaconda, Amanda Seyfried in a Shaker origin story, and Ralph Fiennes plays a World War I-era choirmaster.
U.S. and Ukraine reach consensus on key issues aimed at ending the war
The United States and Ukraine have reached a consensus on several critical issues, but sensitive issues around territorial control in Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland remain unresolved.
Despite Vatican-Israel tensions, Catholics and Jews work to build trust in Haifa
Religious leaders started getting together after Oct. 7, 2023, in the hope of preventing a repeat of Arab-Jewish violence that erupted after a previous conflict in Gaza two years earlier.
The strangers who guided her home — and returned with Christmas dinner
Mary Klein had just moved to a new city when she got lost. A couple stopped to help and guided her home. They returned the next day with Christmas dinner.
At this museum, the tide brings in odd treasures that become a lasting lesson
At the Plum Island Museum of Lost Toys and Curiosities, one-time treasures bring back memories and are a reminder of the eternal life of plastic waste.
ICE officer accused of excessive force, then sent back to work despite active probe
DHS's handling of the incident raises questions about the department's oversight mechanisms to investigate employee misconduct.
Why do we hear the same Christmas songs year after year?
Hundreds of new Christmas songs are released every year, but each time December rolls around, the same small handful of classics races to the top of the charts. Will anything new ever break through?
How cozy Yuletide traditions got their start with raging parties and animal sacrifice
Today, people consider "Yule" synonymous with "Christmas." But centuries ago, Yule meant something different — a pagan mid-winter festival, dating back to pre-Christian Germanic people.
Crime in the U.S. fell in 2025. Will the trend continue?
Crime rates dropped across much of the U.S. in 2025. That was true for both property and violent crime. And it declined nearly everywhere: In big cities and small towns, and in red and blue states.
35 years after ADA, people with disabilities still find hotels unaccommodating
AN NPR survey finds that people with disability still find hotels unaccommodating, even 35 years after passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Powerball’s $1.7B jackpot could make Christmas Eve unforgettable for a lucky winner
A Christmas Eve Powerball drawing could add new meaning to holiday cheer as millions of players hope to cash in on the $1.7 billion prize.
U.S. bars Europeans it says pressured tech firms to censor American viewpoints online
The State Department announced Tuesday it was barring five Europeans it accused of leading efforts to pressure U.S. tech firms to censor or suppress American viewpoints.
19 states sue HHS over a move that could curtail youth gender-affirming care
A coalition of 19 states and the District of Columbia on Tuesday sued the Department of Health and Human Services over a declaration that could complicate access to gender-affirming care for young people.
Explosion at a Pennsylvania nursing home kills at least 2, governor says
The explosion collapsed a part of the building and happened just as a utility crew had been on site looking for a gas leak at Bristol Health & Rehab Center in Bristol Township, just outside Philadelphia.
Supreme Court rules against Trump in National Guard case
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against President Trump on Tuesday, refusing to reinstate, for now, Trump's ability to send National Guard troops into the state of Illinois over the objections of the governor.
In Memoriam 2025: The Musicians We Lost
D'Angelo. Brian Wilson. Sly Stone. We lost these greats and so many more in 2025 — singers, producers, conductors and writers whose departures gave us a pang of loss, but whose art still lifts us up.
A diplomat’s tears, 200 snake bites, drone pix: Goats and Soda’s top stories in 2025
Our most popular global health and development stories in 2025 covered the human impact of the upheaval in U.S. foreign aid, surprising news about familiar diseases and the beauty of earth captured by drone cameras.
Student loan borrowers in default may soon see their wages garnished
About 5.5 million borrowers are currently in default. They haven't risked wage garnishment since the beginning of the pandemic, when policymakers paused the practice.
Student loan borrowers in default may soon see their wages garnished
About 5.5 million borrowers are currently in default. They haven't risked wage garnishment since the beginning of the pandemic, when policymakers paused the practice.
Sounds of the season: John Rutter’s ‘Magnificat’
The Magnificat is Mary’s song of praise in the Gospel of Luke. John Rutter's setting is influenced by Latin music.
Justice Department releases more Epstein files and some mention Trump
The Department of Justice has been publicly posting files related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation since Friday.
Justice Department releases more Epstein files and some mention Trump
The Department of Justice has been publicly posting files related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation since Friday.
A top-10 list can’t contain all the great TV of 2025
TV critic David Bianculli says 2025 offered so many great shows he couldn't narrow them down. But in a year of intense TV, Netflix's haunting series Adolescence, stands apart.
