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Casey Means left her surgical residency in 2018. She's frequently suggested Americans should question advice from medical authorities.

Now, she’s HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s pick for surgeon general, one of the nation’s most trusted medical posts. https://wapo.st/3KMq0im
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With the government closed and official data collection on hold, economists are scrambling to find any clues on the economy.

They’re looking at paychecks, restaurant reservations, Broadway show bookings and even Statue of Liberty visitor numbers.
The government isn’t releasing economic data. Private firms are stepping in.
The government shutdown has prompted private firms to release their own economic data, filling a gap left by the absence of official figures.
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THE MOST MARAVILLOSO TIME OF THE YEAR For Maduro, it's become an annual tradition:

The economy’s in free-fall? Declare Christmas. Lost the vote but claiming reelection anyway? Declare Christmas. The U.S. is blowing up boats and threatening stronger action? Declare Christmas

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Bracing for war, Venezuela’s Maduro starts Christmas early — again
It’s an annual tradition: Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro, feeling pressure from opponents or enemies, plays Santa. Venezuelans aren’t buying it.
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As President Trump tries to send the National Guard to Portland, Oregon, conservative influencers are working to support his claim that the city is burning with viral clips from one block. https://wapo.st/4q5HM0n
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As more parents steer their children away from screens and social media, the landline phone — a mainstay of Gen X- and millennial-generation childhoods — is having a renaissance.
Parents are bringing back the landline
Looking to steer kids away from screens and social media, more families are going analog.
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President Trump has made clear that he is eager to use the might of the American military and the resources of the federal government to crack down on what he sees as domestic threats: violent crime, illegal immigration and the antifa movement.
Trump deploys tactics and language of war against perceived domestic threats
It represents a dramatic shift in the use of the military, which has been focused for most of American history on threats from abroad.
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More than 15 million people 55 or older don’t have a spouse or biological children; nearly 2 million have no family members at all.

Who will be there for these solo agers as their lives draw to a close? How many of them will die alone?
An age-old fear grows more common: ‘I’m going to die alone’
As families fracture, people are living longer and are more likely to find themselves without close relatives or friends at the end of their lives.
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“ICE kidnapped a community member here,” reads one. “Never forget/no nos olvidamos,” says another.

The signs have appeared across some of D.C.’s heavily immigrant neighborhoods where federal immigration arrests have escalated.
Signs popping up around D.C. note: ‘ICE kidnapping happened here’
The signs range in style and mark numerous locations where people have been taken by federal agents.
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President Trump has long railed against the “fake news” as an “enemy of the people.” But this week, the president showed how far he has come in finding a new use for the media: as props.
For Trump, media manipulation is his show of force
The president has long attacked the media as “fake news,” but the White House has created a new crop of journalists to advance its policy priorities.
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Breaking news: Academy Award-winning actress Diane Keaton has died at age 79.

Keaton may be best known for her 1977 starring role in the rom-com classic “Annie Hall,” directed by and costarring Woody Allen. She won her first Academy Award for the performance. https://wapo.st/4nIx6D7
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More than 1,000 staff members at the CDC were laid off Friday, affecting units that respond to infectious-disease outbreaks, analyze science and health data to develop policy, and monitor the safety of employees.
Mass CDC cuts hit staff dealing with measles, Ebola and disease forecasting
Another round of mass layoffs has struck CDC. The agency had already been cut during a reorganization this year, and more employees are now being shed amid the government shutdown.
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President Trump’s unprecedented efforts to pressure the Justice Department into prosecuting his perceived enemies have, so far, netted swift results — and more may be on the way.
Prosecutors push toward charging other Trump foes after Letitia James
With two of Trump’s foes now under indictment, Justice Department officials are pushing ahead with a list of additional cases.
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After decades of progress on closing the pay gap between men and women, it’s now widening. For the first time since the 1960s, the earnings gap between men and women has widened two years in a row, according to recent data from the Census Bureau.
Women are taking pay cuts as companies mandate return to office
Researchers are identifying several key factors behind why gender pay gap – which had narrowed steadily over the years – has suddenly widened.
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A federal appeals court said that it will not allow President Trump to deploy the National Guard in Illinois, largely preserving a ruling that had suspended his administration’s campaign to send troops into the Chicago area.
Appeals court bars Trump from deploying National Guard in Illinois
The appeals court weighed in after a federal judge, concluding that it was “likely to lead to civil unrest, ”barred the president from deploying troops in and around Chicago.
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Shopping vintage might be intimidating for some people.

But there are a lot of great reasons to buy pre-owned items. We asked these vintage purveyors for their best tips to help you confidently shop secondhand.
Smart vintage shopping starts with your nose, and other pro tips
11 expert tips that will help you figure out what’s a steal, and what’s just mildewy junk.
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Breaking news: President Trump said the government would issue paychecks to military service members during the government shutdown, ordering Defense Department officials to repurpose money to make payroll.
Trump orders Defense Dept. to issue military paychecks during shutdown
Military service members were set to miss paychecks on Wednesday. Other government workers will not be paid.
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In September 2005, Michelle Vanek went missing. Her case mystified investigators and inspired conspiracy theories for years.

In 2024, a team of volunteers found Vanek’s remains. But many unknowns still linger over her disappearance.
A hiker vanished into thin air. Twenty years later, her family is left with unknowns.
Michelle Vanek’s disappearance mystified investigators, inspired conspiracy theories and became a cautionary tale of the American wilderness.
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Food writer Kiera Wright-Ruiz’s mixed ethnicity and occasional disconnection from family led her on a path to understanding her identity.

In her cookbook, she documents through recipes and vulnerable essays how being half can lead to being whole.
Column | Ropa vieja is a meaty Cuban classic that’s still evolving
This Instant Pot version is hearty, saucy and ready in about half the time of the traditional stovetop dish.
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Congress’s impasse over funding the government has now left federal agencies partially shuttered for more than 10 days.

Veterans of shutdowns of the past 30 years say there’s little passion, among lawmakers and constituents, over this shutdown.
Column | The ‘least intensity’ shutdown ever and why it could go on longer
Veterans of shutdowns of the past 30 years say there’s little passion, among lawmakers and constituents, over this shutdown.
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