A sampling of the stories NPR staff believe made some of the deepest ripples this year — reminders of what rigorous, compassionate journalism can do, and why the work remains as urgent as ever.

President Trump recently embraced kei cars, tiny vehicles that are popular in Asia but hard to get in the U.S. Kei car enthusiasts are delighted — but doubt whether much will change.

There's ample evidence this year of Trump actively favoring some U.S. companies and investors, while threatening others. In August, he publicly called for the resignation of Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan — ...

The share of people with severe mental illness in state psychiatric hospitals accused of serious crimes has risen steeply. The shift has all but halted the possibility of care before a catastrophic ...

A daily preventive pill can be invaluable for people at risk for HIV. But some doctors don't know much about prescribing them. And billing headaches are common. Here's how to overcome those hurdles.

More immigrants are not showing up for their mandatory immigration court hearings compared to prior years, an NPR analysis shows, allowing the government to order their immediate deportation.

The twisty thriller The Housemaid stars Sydney Sweeney as a newly hired live-in housekeeper to Amanda Seyfried's wealthy housewife. Both women have dark secrets, and their dynamic goes downhill real ...

With an unprecedented decades-long run of success, Warren Buffett is retiring on December 31, 2025. Buffett’s turning point began with the acquisition of a failing textile mill called Berkshire ...

Personally, I’m going to move past asking myself what songs I listened to the most in 2025, and start asking the important ...

Vice President JD Vance acknowledged the controversies that dominated the Turning Point conference, but he did not define any boundaries for the conservative movement besides patriotism.

CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss pulled a 60 Minutes segment on allegations of abuses at an El Salvador detention center where the Trump administration sent hundreds of Venezuelan migrants.

Dogs are man's best friend. And it's no secret that we at Short Wave love cats (Regina has four)! Both of these iconic pets have been domesticated - evolved and adapted to live alongside humans - for ...