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On a shelf in his office at CIA headquarters, Director Bill Burns keeps a tiny scaled model of a house. It's the house in Kabul, Afghanistan, where Al Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed by a U.S. drone strike in 2022.

When NPR went out to interview him last week, Burns pointed to the exact balcony on which Zawahiri was standing. There was pride in his voice. The CIA had never stopped looking for the guy even more than two decades after 9/11.

But it was also a reminder of challenges, of adversaries that will outlast any single CIA director.

Now, as Burns wraps up four years running the Central Intelligence Agency, the challenges have multiplied and intensified.

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Indiana University's hospital system is pairing patients with local faith groups to ease feelings of loneliness and isolation. The unique new program comes as more doctors are seeing a need to care for patients' spiritual as well as physical health.

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Here's a guide to understanding "particularly dangerous situation" red flag warnings, containment, and other terms related to the devastating fires that have left much of the LA area in ruins.

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The Princess of Wales revealed that her cancer is in remission after an emotional visit to the hospital where she received treatment last year.

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A cosmic object spotted by the James Webb Space Telescope has flummoxed astronomers. Now, a research team has studied hundreds of these "little red dots" and found clues about their identity.

(Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Dale Kocevski (Colby College))

The Federal Aviation Administration is once again looking into a close call at a major U.S. airport, after two passenger jets narrowly avoided a mid-air collision as they attempted to land in Phoenix.

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N.Y. Times journalist David Sanger says Trump's idea of America first is now less isolationism, more expansionism. He expects changes in the approach to Russia, China and the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.

January is a big time for drugmakers to hike prices. This year saw higher prices for 575 medications so far, including Ozempic, drugs for HIV, cancer and many others.

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In Pope Francis' autobiography Hope he reiterates themes of his papacy like hatred of war and unchecked capitalism, and a desire for the Catholic Church to be seen as a field hospital, not a fortress.

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Special counsel Jack Smith says evidence against President-elect Donald Trump was enough to convict him. And, an Israeli official says an Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement is nearing.

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Syria's new rulers faces one of their first serious challenges: bread lines. For Syrians, the long wait is a struggle — but for some, bread is a business opportunity.

(Image credit: Ayman Oghanna for NPR)

Two Marines suspect that years of firing powerful weapons caused them to develop the same rare, and potentially fatal, brain condition.

(Image credit: Kelly West for NPR)

A skateboarder presented an unusual paper at this year's big meeting of American economists.

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Negotiators in Qatar are close to a ceasefire deal that sees an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian detainees, a six-week pause in fighting and eventual troop withdrawal from Gaza.

(Image credit: Ariel Schalit)

Negotiators in Qatar are close to a ceasefire deal that envisions an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian detainees, a six-week pause in fighting and eventual withdrawal of troops from Gaza in the final phase.

(Image credit: Ariel Schalit)

For years, Tiptoe has been a beloved sight in Pacific Palisades, quietly tromping along sidewalks and growing a major social media following. But last week, he lost his home to wildfires.

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A large swath of southwest California is under a red flag warning, with winds expected to peak Tuesday and Wednesday. Authorities warn they could fuel the four existing fires as well as new ones.

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The Auto Fire adds to a string of deadly fires that authorities are still working to contain in Southern California.

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s views on vaccines and abortion rights are raising alarms across the political spectrum, as he's one of the more controversial picks for the president-elect's Cabinet.

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Worsening wildfires are hiking up home insurance rates in California, the biggest market in the U.S. And as climate disasters increase across the country, other states are feeling the pressure too.

(Image credit: Agustin Paullier)