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Wednesday

2 Reports On The U.S. Military, 2 Different Messages

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and China's Defense Minister Gen. Wei Fenghe stand as the national anthems are played before their meeting at the Pentagon on Friday. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP hide caption

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Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

National Security

2 Reports On The U.S. Military, 2 Different Messages

The U.S. has spent nearly $6 trillion on wars since 2001, with no end in sight, according to one report. Another says the U.S. needs to ramp up military efforts to counter Russia and China.

Monday

White House Takes Aim At Financial Protections For Military

The White House is proposing changes to the Military Lending Act that critics say would leave service members vulnerable when they buy cars. David McNew/Getty Images hide caption

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David McNew/Getty Images

National

White House Takes Aim At Financial Protections For Military

Documents obtained by NPR show proposed changes that critics say would leave service members vulnerable to getting ripped off when they buy cars.

White House Takes Aim At Financial Protections For Military

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Tuesday

Scientists Hunt For A Test To Diagnose Chronic Brain Injury In Living People

UCLA researchers are using a radioactive tracer, which binds to abnormal proteins in the brain, to see if it is possible to diagnose chronic traumatic encephalopathy in living patients. Warmer colors in these PET scans indicate higher concentrations of the tracer. UCLA hide caption

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UCLA

Shots - Health News

Scientists Hunt For A Test To Diagnose Chronic Brain Injury In Living People

Doctors are closer to a test in live brains that could help diagnose chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a disease that's been linked to concussions and other repeated brain assaults.

Wednesday

From Deep In The Iraqi Desert, A New U.S. Fire Base Targets ISIS In Syria

The Um Jurius fire base is near Syria's border and Sinjar mountain, where minority Yazidis fled to escape an ISIS genocide in 2014. Jane Arraf/NPR hide caption

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Jane Arraf/NPR

World

From Deep In The Iraqi Desert, A New U.S. Fire Base Targets ISIS In Syria

NPR recently visited the base, where 150 U.S. soldiers and Marines provide support for Iraqi and U.S.-backed Syrian forces.

From Deep In The Iraqi Desert, A New U.S. Fire Base Targets ISIS In Syria

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Thursday

Would The U.S. Withdraw Troops From South Korea?

U.S. and South Korean soldiers sit inside an amphibious vehicle during an annual joint military landing exercise in Pohang, on South Korea's southeast coast, in March 2016. Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images

Parallels

Would The U.S. Withdraw Troops From South Korea?

President Trump has said U.S. forces are not on the table for potential negotiations with North Korea, but he has also complained about the cost of keeping them there.

Would The U.S. Withdraw Troops From South Korea?

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Monday

Thursday

Pentagon Report: Multiple Failures Led To Deaths Of 4 Troops In Niger

The remains of Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright are transferred at Dover Air Force Base, Del., in October. Wright and three other American soldiers were killed in an ambush in Niger. Pfc. Lane Hiser/U.S. Army via AP hide caption

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Pfc. Lane Hiser/U.S. Army via AP

Parallels

Pentagon Report: Multiple Failures Led To Deaths Of 4 Troops In Niger

The investigation finds the troops weren't fully prepared, the mission changed and higher-level commanders weren't properly informed. The soldiers died in an ambush by militants linked to ISIS.

Pentagon Report: Multiple Failures Led To Deaths Of 4 Troops In Niger

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Saturday

The Military Doesn't Advertise It, But U.S. Troops Are All Over Africa

A U.S. Army team transfers the remains of Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright, 29, of Lyons, Ga., at Dover Air Force Base, Del., on Oct. 5. Wright was one of four U.S. troops killed in an ambush in Niger. Staff Sgt. Aaron J. Jenne/U.S. Air Force via AP hide caption

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Staff Sgt. Aaron J. Jenne/U.S. Air Force via AP

Parallels

The Military Doesn't Advertise It, But U.S. Troops Are All Over Africa

The U.S. military has some 20 missions across the continent. Most are for training African armies not combat. But there are risks as U.S. troops venture into the field.

Friday

Pentagon Acknowledges Mistakes As It Briefs Families Of Troops Killed In Niger

Four American soldiers were killed in Niger last Oct 4. From left, they are Staff Sgt. Bryan C. Black, 35, of Puyallup, Wash.; Staff Sgt. Jeremiah W. Johnson, 39, of Springboro, Ohio; Sgt. La David Johnson of Miami Gardens, Fla.; and Staff Sgt. Dustin M. Wright, 29, of Lyons, Ga. A Pentagon report cites multiple failures with the mission, and the military is now briefing families of those killed. AP hide caption

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AP

The Two-Way

Pentagon Acknowledges Mistakes As It Briefs Families Of Troops Killed In Niger

The military has completed an investigation into the ambush that killed four U.S. soldiers last October. The report has not been released, but the military is briefing families of those killed.

Pentagon Acknowledges Mistakes As It Briefs Families Of Troops Killed In Niger

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The U.S. Has No Clear Strategy For Africa. Here's Why It Really Needs One

Senegalese Army Gen. Amadou Kane (left) receives the 2016 Flintlock flag from U.S. Army Gen. Donald Bolduc during the inauguration of a military base in Thiès, Senegal, in February 2016, during a three-week joint military exercise between African, U.S. and European troops known as Flintlock. Seyllou/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Seyllou/AFP/Getty Images

Opinion

Parallels

The U.S. Has No Clear Strategy For Africa. Here's Why It Really Needs One

The U.S. relies on a threat-focused approach, when the international community should also support economic and governance development in the region, argues the ex-special forces commander for Africa.

The U.S. Has No Clear Strategy For Africa. Here's Why It Really Needs One

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Friday

The U.S. Positions Warships In Tense Asia-Pacific Waters

A Navy fighter jet comes in for a landing on the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson in the South China Sea. Anthony Kuhn/NPR hide caption

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Anthony Kuhn/NPR

Parallels

The U.S. Positions Warships In Tense Asia-Pacific Waters

The Navy assigned its 3rd and 7th fleets in the Western Pacific, as the United States shifts its focus to flashpoints in Asia.

The U.S. Positions Warships In Tense Asia-Pacific Waters

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Tuesday

On A Tense Press Tour Of Guantánamo's Prison Complex, Signs Of Expansion

Entrance to Camps 5 and 6, Naval Station Guantánamo Bay. (Photo reviewed and cleared by U.S. military.) David Welna/NPR hide caption

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David Welna/NPR

Parallels

On A Tense Press Tour Of Guantánamo's Prison Complex, Signs Of Expansion

The U.S. military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, is ready to accept more captives who may be sent there under President Trump's newly signed order to keep the prison open.

On A Tense Press Tour Of Guantánamo's Prison Complex, Signs Of Expansion

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Monday

'More Than War Fighters': Active-Duty Athletes Compete In Olympics Bobsled And Luge

Sgt. Nick Cunningham speeds down the track during men's bobsled training on Friday. He is one of seven U.S. service members competing in Pyeongchang. "They told me, 'Go win medals for this country,'" Cunningham says. "And that's my job at this moment." Quinn Rooney/Getty Images hide caption

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Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

The Torch

'More Than War Fighters': Active-Duty Athletes Compete In Olympics Bobsled And Luge

KAZU

Sgt. Nick Cunningham, a bobsledder, is one of seven U.S. service members competing in Pyeongchang. "They told me, 'Go win medals for this country,'" he says. "And that's my job at this moment."

Thursday

U.S. Military Mission In Syria Endures As ISIS Nears Defeat

Some of the devastation caused by the fight to remove ISIS from Raqqa, Syria. Greg Dixon/NPR hide caption

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Greg Dixon/NPR

Parallels

U.S. Military Mission In Syria Endures As ISIS Nears Defeat

Up to 2,000 U.S. troops are in Syria defending Kurdish allies. The threats come from regime forces, Iran, Turkey and even Russia.

U.S. Military Mission In Syria Endures As ISIS Nears Defeat

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Friday

The Delicate And Draining Task Of Tending To America's Fallen Troops

An Army team at Dover Air Force Base, Del., carries a transfer case containing the remains of Sgt. 1st Class Hughton O. Brown on Nov. 16. Steve Ruark/AP hide caption

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Steve Ruark/AP

Parallels

The Delicate And Draining Task Of Tending To America's Fallen Troops

Sgt. 1st Class A.G. Shaw has been a military mortician throughout America's long wars. Now he says it's time for him to move on. "It's not like the movies. We don't die pretty," he says.

The Delicate And Draining Task Of Tending To America's Fallen Troops

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