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Questions have loomed over National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's contact with a Russian diplomat in late December — and the explanation provided by the White House has changed over time. Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption

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Win McNamee/Getty Images

The Two-Way - News Blog

Trump's National Security Adviser Reportedly Discussed Sanctions With Russia

Questions rise again about National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's contacts with Russia's ambassador to the U.S. — and whether he did anything improper.

President Trump is embroiled in a defense of a Jan. 29 Yemen raid he ordered. He and his White House have described it as a success, but Sen. John McCain called it a "failure." Pool/Getty Images hide caption

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Pool/Getty Images

Politics

FACT CHECK: Was Trump's Yemen Raid A 'Winning Mission' Or 'Failure'?

President Trump tweeted criticism of Sen. John McCain, who called the Yemen raid a "failure." Trump said McCain "doesn't know how to win anymore" and called it a "winning mission." But is that true?

John Oliver speaks at Comedy Central's "Night of Too Many Stars: America Comes Together for Autism Programs" in New York in 2015. Charles Sykes/AP hide caption

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Charles Sykes/AP

Television

John Oliver On Facts, Donald Trump, And The Supreme Court For Dogs

In an NPR interview, the comedian talks about why facts matter more to him as a comedian than the president he's about to lampoon. Oliver's Last Week Tonight returns for a new season on HBO Sunday.

John Oliver On Facts, Donald Trump And The Supreme Court For Dogs

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On Wednesday, a police officer looks into the hole where an unexploded World War II-era bomb was found during work on a gas station's underground tanks. The city's authorities have planned a massive evacuation Sunday while they attempt to defuse and remove the bomb. Sakis Mitrolidis/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Sakis Mitrolidis/AFP/Getty Images

The Two-Way - News Blog

Long-Buried World War II Bomb Prompts Massive Evacuation In Greece

To make matters worse, the unexploded bomb rests next to a gas station in Thessaloniki. Up to 72,000 people will be evacuated from the country's second-largest city on Sunday during defusal efforts.

Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in Collinsville, IL. A thriving American Indian city that rose to prominence after 900 A.D. due to successful maize farming, it may have collapsed in part due to a changing climate. Michael Dolan/Flickr hide caption

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Michael Dolan/Flickr

The Salt

1,000 Years Ago, Corn Made This Society Big. Then, A Changing Climate Destroyed Them

The Mississippian American Indian culture rose to power after 900 A.D. by farming corn. Now, new evidence suggests a dramatic change in climate might have led to the culture's collapse in the 1300s.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved more than 3,000 new settler homes, including at least 20 in Beit El. Abbas Momani/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Abbas Momani/AFP/Getty Images

Parallels - World News

A Jewish Settlement In The West Bank Has Ties To Trump Administration

One of the fundraisers for a group that's raised millions for a seminary in the settlement is Trump's pick for ambassador to Israel. Trump and his son-in-law have made donations to the group.

A Jewish Settlement In The West Bank Has Ties To Trump Administration

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American writer, abolitionist and orator Frederick Douglass edits a journal at his desk, late 1870s. Douglass was acutely conscious of being a literary witness to the inhumane institution of slavery he had escaped as a young man. He made sure to document his life in not one but three autobiographies. Hulton Archive/Getty Images hide caption

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Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The Salt

Frederick Douglass On How Slave Owners Used Food As A Weapon Of Control

Hunger was Douglass' constant companion as a boy. As a young man, he escaped slavery and became a heroic abolitionist who revealed how food was a key tool in the immoral mechanics of slavery.

Maine Sen. Susan Collins speaks to the media after voting against Betsy DeVos as education secretary on Capitol Hill on Feb. 7. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption

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Mario Tama/Getty Images

Politics

The Power Center: How A Moderate Wields Big Influence In A Polarized Senate

Maine Republican Susan Collins recently opposed Betsy DeVos for education secretary. Collins will be at the center of some of President Trump's big fights, from health care to the Supreme Court.

The Power Center: How A Moderate Wields Big Influence In A Polarized Senate

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Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is looking into how the Orphan Drug Act may be affecting a wide range of drug prices. Andrew Harnik/AP hide caption

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Andrew Harnik/AP

Shots - Health News

Sen. Grassley Launches Inquiry Into Orphan Drug Law's Effect On Prices

Kaiser Health News

Citing a Kaiser Health News investigation, Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, will examine potential abuses of incentives to spur development of drugs for rare diseases.

Days before this week's Alaska Forum on the Environment, the EPA said it's sending half of the people who had planned to attend. The nomination of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, President Trump's pick to head the EPA, is still pending confirmation. Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images hide caption

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Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images

The Two-Way - News Blog

EPA Halves Staff Attending Alaska Environmental Conference

Trump's transition officials ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to cut its presence at the event. The team cited travel costs in explaining the abrupt move.

The Recording Academy changed its rules this year to make streaming-only albums eligible for Grammy Awards. Chance the Rapper, who released his mixtape, Coloring Book, on Apple Music in May, is up for seven awards. Kevin Winter/Getty Images hide caption

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Kevin Winter/Getty Images

The Record

The Disruptors: Best Rap Album Nominees Bask In Hip-Hop's Digital Dominance

The nominees in the Best Rap Album category show how hip-hop has, across multiple platforms from video to streaming audio to crowd-funding, come to own the Internet.

Pilot models of self-driving cars for Uber are displayed in Pittsburgh. Autonomous vehicles are expected to cut traffic jams, but not before enough human drivers are off the road. AFP/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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AFP/AFP/Getty Images

All Tech Considered

Self-Driving Cars Could Ease Our Commutes, But That'll Take A While

One of the promises of autonomous vehicles is that they'll reduce traffic jams. Self-driving cars will bring many changes, but traffic flows won't improve until enough human drivers are off the roads.

Self-Driving Cars Could Ease Our Commutes, But That'll Take A While

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Bill and Claudia on their wedding day, July 12, 1975. Courtesy of the Dewane family hide caption

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Courtesy of the Dewane family

StoryCorps

A Romance That Began With A Mistake

The Dewanes' paths crossed when Claudia, a bank teller, accidentally gave Bill, a customer, too much money. It led to a first date, and an admission that an accident changed Bill for the better.

A Romance That Began With A Mistake

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Justin Timberlake joins Walt Dohrn, Anna Kendrick and director Mike Mitchell in the recording studio during the making of Trolls. Jason Bush/DreamWorks hide caption

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Jason Bush/DreamWorks

Music Interviews

To Get His First Oscar Nod, Justin Timberlake Had To Act Like A Troll

Timberlake says he always thought a song needed "misery and self-loathing" to be recognized by the Oscars — until his own theme for the animated movie Trolls was nominated for Best Original Song.

To Get His First Oscar Nod, Justin Timberlake Had To Act Like A Troll

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