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Mary Griffis' unsung hero reminded her that people need to support each other and to keep going. Mary Griffis hide caption

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Mary Griffis

Under a barrage of road rage, a woman found help from a stranger when her car stalled

Not long after she lost her brother to suicide, Mary Griffis accidentally stalled her car in heavy traffic. As drivers honked and shouted, a stranger slowed down to help.

Under a barrage of road rage, a woman found help from a stranger when her car stalled

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Migrants cross the Rio Grande from Mexico near El Paso, Texas. A new law makes illegal entry into Texas from a foreign country a state crime. It also authorizes a state judge to order someone to return to Mexico after their arrest. Julian Aguilar/The Texas Newsroom hide caption

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Julian Aguilar/The Texas Newsroom

Texas' illegal entry law will test states' powers on immigration and border enforcement

The Texas Newsroom

The latest measure in Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's border crackdown "Operation Lone Star" makes it a state crime to enter Texas illegally from a foreign country.

Norman Lear (center) created, developed and produced the hit show All in the Family, which ran from 1971 to 1979. The politically charged sitcom starred Jean Stapleton, Carroll O'Connor, Rob Reiner, Sally Struthers and Mike Evans. /CBS /Landov hide caption

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/CBS /Landov

Norman Lear, who made funny sitcoms about serious topics, dies at 101

Lear's revolutionary comedies, including All in the Family and The Jeffersons, didn't shy away from issues of race, struggle and inequality. He believed that all people are "versions of each other."

Claudine Gay (from left), president of Harvard University, Liz Magill, president of University of Pennsylvania, Pamela Nadell, professor of history and Jewish studies at American University, and Sally Kornbluth, president of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, testify before the House Education and Workforce Committee on Tuesday. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images hide caption

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Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Lawmakers grill the presidents of Harvard, MIT and Penn over antisemitism on campus

Three university presidents defended their responses to rising antisemitism in a House committee hearing Tuesday. Many have faced scrutiny as they struggle to balance free speech with student safety.

Lawmakers grill the presidents of Harvard, MIT and Penn over antisemitism on campus

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Bernie Crouse wades through water outside his home after the nearby South Fork Stillaguamish River crested early in the morning flooding several houses in this neighborhood, Dec. 5, 2023, in the Arlington area of Seattle, Washington. Ken Lambert/AP hide caption

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Ken Lambert/AP

An atmospheric river is soaking the Pacific Northwest with record-breaking rain

The conditions closed rail links, schools and roads in some areas. Amtrak said no passenger trains will run between Seattle and Portland, Oregon, until Thursday because of a landslide.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and influential Iowa evangelical Christian leader Bob Vander Plaats speak ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's speech upon completing his 99 county tour of Iowa in Newton, Iowa. Clay Masters/Iowa Public Radio hide caption

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Clay Masters/Iowa Public Radio

Trump and DeSantis display different campaign styles in competing visits to Iowa

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has visited all of Iowa's 99 counties, over a weekend that former President Donald Trump returned to the state as Trump maintains a significant lead in the polls.

Trump and DeSantis display different campaign styles in competing visits to Iowa

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Israeli men, armed with U.S.-made M16 automatic assault rifles, walk in a shopping center in Jerusalem on Oct. 25, amid the ongoing battles in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas. Yuri Cortez/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Yuri Cortez/AFP via Getty Images

Israel is trying to arm more citizens with guns since the Hamas attack

Israel was already known for having lots of firearms. But since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, the Israeli government has moved to loosen gun restrictions and fast-track permits for civilians.

The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments Tuesday in an important tax case. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption

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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The Supreme Court seems inclined to leave a major off-shore tax in place on investors

Their eventual decision in the case could severely limit congressional options in enacting tax policy, and it could cost the federal government trillions of dollars in corporate taxes.

Supreme Court seems inclined to leave major offshore tax in place on investors

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Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks with reporters during a news conference at the Department of Justice on Wednesday as Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, right, looks on. Mark Schiefelbein/AP hide caption

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Mark Schiefelbein/AP

U.S. unveils war crimes charges against 4 Russian-allied troops

Four people affiliated with the Russian military were charged with war crimes Wednesday — including torture, inhuman treatment and unlawful confinement of an American citizen.

A photo taken from southern Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, shows smoke billowing during an Israeli bombardment in Gaza amid continuing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas. Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images

Israel says it is engaged in the heaviest fighting yet in Gaza

Israel's intensified combat operations throughout Gaza come as Palestinian civilians are being pushed farther south to escape the fighting.

APD interim Chief of Police Robin Henderson said a string of violent incidents in Austin and the San Antonio-area are believed to all be connected to a single person, who is now in the Travis County Jail. Austin Police Department Facebook hide caption

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Austin Police Department Facebook

A Texas man is arrested in a daylong string of shootings stretching from San Antonio to Austin

Six people were killed in the attacks on Tuesday and three others injured, including two police officers. Police say the shooter killed two older adults in a San Antonio area home before a series of shootings around Austin later in the day.

Yuly Velásquez (center in tan vest) president of a local fishers association and a clean-water advocate, meets with its members on a tributary of the Magdalena River. She has been attacked three times in the past two years for her environmental work. Nathalia Angarita for NPR hide caption

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Nathalia Angarita for NPR

Colombia is the most dangerous country in the world for environmental defenders

Of the 177 environmental activists killed around the world last year, 60 were murdered in Colombia, says the advocacy group Global Witness. In most cases, no one is tried or convicted.

Colombia is the most dangerous country in the world for environmental defenders

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An artistic rendering of deep brain stimulation. Scientists are studying this approach to see if it can treat cognitive impairment that can arise after a traumatic brain injury and other conditions. Andrew Janson / Butson Lab, University of Utah / NIH Image Gallery hide caption

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Andrew Janson / Butson Lab, University of Utah / NIH Image Gallery

A little electric stimulation in just the right spot may bolster a damaged brain

A small study found that electrically stimulating an area deep in the brain allowed people with severe traumatic brain injuries to complete a cognitive test more quickly.

A little electric stimulation in just the right spot may bolster a damaged brain

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Brenda Lee attends the CMA Awards at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on Nov. 8. Her holiday hit "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" has reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, 65 years after its debut. Jason Kempin/Getty Images hide caption

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Jason Kempin/Getty Images

'Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree' goes to No. 1 — after 65 years

Move over, Mariah Carey: Brenda Lee's reliable holiday hit, first released during the Eisenhower administration, is the No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 — for the first time ever.

This November 1978 photo shows, from left, Kenny Baker as R2-D2, Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill during the filming of CBS-TV's "Star Wars Holiday Special" in Los Angeles. George Brich/AP file photo hide caption

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George Brich/AP file photo

A new documentary examines the 'Star Wars Holiday Special' and asks: Why?

A new documentary called A Disturbance in the Force looks back on how the special happened and why it's been locked away ever since.

Denny Laine performs in January 2019 at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, Ill. Laine, a British singer, songwriter and guitarist who performed in an early, pop-oriented version of the Moody Blues and was later Paul McCartney's longtime sideman in the ex-Beatle's solo band Wings, died Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023. Rob Grabowski/Invision/AP file photo hide caption

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Rob Grabowski/Invision/AP file photo

Denny Laine, co-founder of the Moody Blues and Paul McCartney's Wings, dies at 79

Laine joined Ray Thomas and Mike Pinder to form the Moody Blues and sang lead on the group's first hit, "Go Now." His death comes 50 years after the release of McCartney's Band on the Run album.

In this Jan. 6, 2021, file photo with the White House in the background, President Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Washington. Jacquelyn Martin/AP hide caption

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Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Prosecutors cite Trump's history of false election claims as evidence of motive in his fraud case

Prosecutors want to use evidence of former President Trump's baseless statements about election fraud and his embrace of rioters on Jan. 6, 2021, to bolster the election interference case against him.

A Brightline train is shown at a station in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Jan. 11, 2018. A high-speed rail line between Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area is getting a Biden administration pledge of $3 billion to help start laying track. Wilfredo Lee/AP hide caption

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Wilfredo Lee/AP

High speed rail linking L.A. to Las Vegas expected to receive $3B in federal funds

Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto says the project will create thousands of union jobs, and will reduce traffic between the two cities.

A salvo of rockets is fired by Palestinian militants from Gaza toward Israel on Oct. 10. Hamas' unprecedented attack on Israel started Oct. 7. A senior Hamas official told NPR that its planning was kept a close secret. Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images

These were NPR.org's biggest international stories in 2023

Hamas' attack in Israel and the war that followed and the stalemate in Ukraine were our biggest international stories in 2023, but we also found some wonder around the world.

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