After 8 years, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt reach divorce settlement The couple married in 2014, but separated two years later. A lengthy legal battle ensued over custody of their children and the future of their once-shared Château Miraval. Elizabeth Blair
Northern lights may brighten some New Year's skies over the U.S. The northern lights could be visible Tuesday night and Wednesday night over the Northern Hemisphere due to a geomagnetic storm. Chandelis Duster
Power outage hits nearly all of Puerto Rico on New Year's Eve More than 1.3 million people were plunged into darkness early Tuesday. Failure of an underground power line is believed to be the cause and repairs could take up to two days. The Associated Press
What was 'Disease X' and what can we learn from it? Four weeks after a puzzling outbreak was reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organization has identified the cause. Gabrielle Emanuel
New technology gives hope to save endangered right whales Conservationists are getting better at monitoring the movement of the highly endangered right whale. They hope it will encourage ships to slow down in an effort to save the species. Emily Jones
9 unexpected things we learned about mental health and our brains in 2024 NPR's health reporters followed the emerging science on what keeps our brains and our minds healthy. Here are highlights of the studies that piqued our readers' interest the most. Kathleen Masterson
From Taylor Swift tickets to social media bans, here are new 2025 state laws It's almost the new year, which means states across the country will enact thousands of new laws from new tax structures to prenatal leave. Megan Myscofski
Reporters' notebook: revisiting Afghan refugees starting anew in the U.S. NPR reporters revisit Afghans who fled their home country after Taliban's takeover in the summer of 2021. Tom Bowman
Why do we drop a ball on New Year's Eve? The Times Square tradition, explained Watching a huge ball descend down a pole in Times Square has been a beloved New Year's Eve tradition for over a century. Here's how the spectacle started and what's changed over the years. Rachel Treisman
