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NPR, Kaiser Health News/Evaluate Pharma analysis for Kaiser Health News on Sept. 21, 2016

Shots - Health News

Drugs For Rare Diseases Have Become Uncommonly Rich Monopolies

Kaiser Health News

Drugmakers have brought almost 450 orphan drugs to market and collected rich incentives by doing so. But nearly a third of the medicines aren't new or were repurposed many times for financial gain.

Drugs For Rare Diseases Have Become Uncommonly Rich Monopolies

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China's President Xi Jinping delivers a speech on the opening day of the World Economic Forum on Tuesday in Davos, Switzerland. The global elite have begun a week of earnest debate and Alpine partying in the Swiss ski resort, in a week bookended by two presidential speeches of historic import — Xi's remarks and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's inaugural address. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images

The Two-Way - News Blog

China's Xi Jinping Defends Globalization In First-Ever Speech At World Economic Forum

"No one will emerge as a winner in a trade war," the Chinese president said in Davos, Switzerland. He responded to statements by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, without mentioning his name.

A man adjusts a victim's photograph displayed with floral tributes and Turkish flags outside the Reina nightclub following the attack in Istanbul earlier this month. Emrah Gurel/AP hide caption

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Emrah Gurel/AP

The Two-Way - News Blog

Suspect In Istanbul Nightclub Attack Has Confessed, Say Turkish Officials

The suspect was identified as a citizen of Uzbekistan born in 1983. Istanbul's governor says Abdulgadir Masharipov was trained in Afghanistan and appeared to have entered Turkey illegally.

Radio DJ Alan Freed in the 1950s. Freed's pioneering career as a champion of rock and roll was marred by the revelation that he'd accepted "payola" — money from labels to play certain records. Hulton Archive/Getty Images hide caption

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Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Music News

In An Ever-Changing Music Industry, Cash For Hits Remains A Constant

In the 1950s and '60s, payola scandals led to Congressional investigations. Though today's tactics are more nuanced than handing a DJ a briefcase full of money, pay for play is still alive and well.

In An Ever-Changing Music Industry, Cash For Hits Remains A Constant

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Democratic members of Congress address the worshipers at the Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center after Friday prayers on Dec. 4 in Falls Church, Va. Bill Clark/CQ Roll Calll hide caption

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Bill Clark/CQ Roll Calll

Religion

Muslim-Americans Remain Anxious About Trump Administration

In one community where many emigrated from harsh nations, the president-elect's rhetoric brings worries of renewed repression. Cabinet nominees' opposition to a registry hasn't erased those concerns.

Muslim-Americans Remain Anxious About Trump Administration

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A suspended parking sign that was posted in London in 2015. Joshua Browder, a 20-year-old from London, who's now attending Stanford, has come up with a bot that can write letters appealing parking tickets. He claims a 60 percent success rate in cities where it is being used, including London, New York and Seattle. Matt Dunham/AP hide caption

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Matt Dunham/AP

Technology

'Robot Lawyer' Makes The Case Against Parking Tickets

The online service DoNotPay has helped motorists in London, New York City and Seattle overturn more than 200,000 parking tickets, the creator says. Now, the service is expanding across the U.S.

'Robot Lawyer' Makes The Case Against Parking Tickets

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A newer home is undergoing renovations at the end of a block of row houses in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Newcomers began arriving in the neighborhood more than a decade ago. Raquel Zaldivar/NPR hide caption

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Raquel Zaldivar/NPR

Around the Nation

Old Confronts New In A Gentrifying D.C. Neighborhood

In Washington, D.C., a city facing some of the most intense pressure on housing in the country, longtime residents try to negotiate a place for themselves in their changing communities.

Bobby Rush (left) and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at Chicago's City Hall in 1965. Courtesy of the artist / Bernard Kleina hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist / Bernard Kleina

World Cafe

Bobby Rush Remembers Martin Luther King Jr.

XPN

The blues legend shares his memories about the early days of the civil rights movement and the powerful message Dr. King delivered when they met.

Bobby Rush On Martin Luther King Jr.

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President Obama shakes hands with Oman's Deputy Prime Minister Sayyid Fahad Bin Mahmood Al Said at Camp David, Md., on May 14, 2015. Oman said Monday that it had accepted 10 prisoners being released from Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. That reduces the number of detainees remaining at Guantanamo to 45. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP hide caption

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Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

The Two-Way - News Blog

10 Guantanamo Prisoners Freed In Oman; 45 Detainees Remain

Under President Obama, the detainee population has gone from 242 to 45. But he hasn't closed Guantanamo as pledged, and Donald Trump has called for more suspects to be sent to the prison in Cuba.

President Obama and his national security adviser, Susan Rice, walk with the chairwoman of Vietnam's National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, third from right, during a visit to the capital Hanoi in May 2016. Carolyn Kaster/AP hide caption

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Carolyn Kaster/AP

Parallels - World News

Obama Adviser Susan Rice Cites Syrian War As Biggest Disappointment

Rice has dealt with many crises as President Obama's national security adviser and his United Nations ambassador. As she prepares to depart, she tells NPR that Syria stands out as the most difficult.

Obama Adviser Susan Rice Cites Syrian War As Biggest Disappointment

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First lady Michelle Obama speaks as she welcomes community leaders from across the country to celebrate the successes and share best practices to continue the work of the Mayor's Challenge to End Veterans' Homelessness East Room of the White House complex in Washington on Nov. 14, 2016. Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP hide caption

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Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

Code Switch

'Meaning of Michelle' Essays Celebrate First Lady's Realness

In a new collection, 16 essayists describe how Michelle Obama helped change the perception of black women and the White House.