The United Nations says more than 2,500 people died in the Mediterranean Sea this year as they tried to reach Europe.

Those who survive the journey on smuggler's boats mostly arrive on Italy's shores – where their future will be determined, in large part, by the EU's new migration process, should it be ratified next year.

This fall, NPR's Ruth Sherlock joined a rescue ship run by the charity Doctors Without Borders where migrants picked up at sea told her about the risks they took escaping their country and their hopes for a new life in Europe.

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Fentanyl has killed an unprecedented number of people in the United States again in 2023. But so far Washington's political leaders haven't been able to workout creative solutions to the crisis together.

Like the pandemic before it, the fentanyl crisis has divided Americans along political and cultural fault lines.

NPR's Asma Khalid speaks with three reporters — NPR's addiction correspondent Brian Mann, WBUR's Martha Bebinger, and KFF Health News' Aneri Pattani — about the depth of the crisis and possible solutions.

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2023 might go down as the year that artificial intelligence became mainstream. It was a topic of discussion everywhere - from news reports, to class rooms to the halls of Congress.

ChatGPT made its public debut a little over a year ago. If you'd never thought much about AI before, you're probably thinking - and maybe worrying - about it now.

Jobs are an area that will almost certainly be impacted as AI develops. But whether artificial intelligence will free us from drudge work, or leave us unemployed depends on who you talk to.

Host Ari Shapiro speaks with NPR's Andrea Hsu on how people are adapting to AI in the workplace and ways to approach the technology with a plan instead of panic.

This episode also feature's reporting on AI and Hollywood background actors from NPR's Bobby Allyn.

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It's the stuff of legend. In the months after World War I erupted, young men in Europe were killing each other by the tens of thousands. Yet on a frozen Christmas Eve in 1914, the guns briefly fell silent.

That simple act of humanity in the midst of war has inspired operas, movies, and even television commercials.

NPR's Ari Shapiro highlights the many ways in which this incredible event inspired generations of artists, and brings you the voices of the soldiers themselves, who were on the frontlines that day.

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Maybe you and your family are gathering round the new 65 inch TV that Santa brought and snuggling in with some hot cocoa for your yearly holiday movie marathon.

Your tradition may include It's a Wonderful Life, or cheering on the Grinch's loyal dog Max, or fighting with your spouse over whether or not Die Hard is a Christmas movie.

If you celebrate Christmas, you probably have a movie that you consider the best. There's personal preference, but what other elements give a Christmas movie staying power for generation after generation?

Host Scott Detrow talks with NPR's pop culture correspondent Linda Holmes about what makes a classic a classic.

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Today we're sharing an episode of NPR's podcast Trump's Trials, hosted Scott Detrow. In this episode, Scott is joined by NPR Justice Correspondent Carrie Johnson.

This week's focus: The Supreme Court and presidential immunity. The court decided they would not take up Special Counsel Jack Smith's request to fast-track arguments on whether former President Donald Trump is immune from prosecution for alleged crimes committed while in office. Instead, the case will continue to make its way through the appeals process, further delaying the trial start date. Plus, Colorado's Supreme Court decision to remove Trump from the Republican primary ballot.

Topics include:
- The Supreme Court and presidential immunity
- Colorado Supreme Court ruling on Trump
- Predictions on how the U.S. Supreme Court may eventually respond
- A look ahead to 2024

Follow the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify for new episodes each Saturday.

Sign up for sponsor-free episodes and support NPR's political journalism at plus.npr.org/trumpstrials.

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It was the year of Beyoncé! It was the year of Taylor!

Both musicians had highly successful tours, highly successful concert films and both women pumped billions into the economy. And each has been supportive of the other this year, and in the past. So why is there a narrative that they're rivals?

NPR's Juana Summers revisits the year that was for Beyoncé and Swift, and talks to Miami University of Ohio Music Professor Tammy L. Kernodle about the tendency of society, and the media, to pit successful women in the music industry against one another.

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Nearly two years into Roe v. Wade being overturned, pregnant people continue to have a hard time accessing abortion and miscarriage care. This year saw the addition of new restrictive abortion laws in some states and protection of existing abortion laws in others.

What does this mean for abortion care in 2024, and how might all of this affect the 2024 elections?

NPR's Juana Summers digs into these questions with health policy reporter Selena Simmons-Duffin and national political correspondent Sarah McCammon.

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Americans are increasingly using drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro to lose weight. And they got a big endorsement last week when Oprah Winfrey announced that she, too was using weight loss drugs.

And it's not just Oprah, the decades-old weight management company Weight Watchers is also embracing the drugs, integrating them into the business model.

NPR's Juana Summers speaks with Weight Watchers CEO Sima Sistani about the company's decision, and talks to NPR consumer health correspondent Yuki Noguchi about what is known and unknown about these drugs.

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Former President Donald Trump has always embraced dehumanizing rhetoric, but now as he tries to capture the presidency again, he's making even more extreme statements.

It's a strategy that gets him lots of attention and that fuels his base.

NPR's Juana Summers talks to White House correspondent Franco Ordonez and domestic extremism correspondent Odette Yousef about Trump's use of increasingly autocratic statements and social media posts.

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