NPR Top Stories

Two weeks from now, President Bush will be former President Bush, and what was once his agenda will become his record. The president suggests that history will judge him better than the current analysis. So what he be remembered for?

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The dispute between Russia and Ukraine over the price of natural gas is starting to cause energy shortages in many European countries. The European Union has called on Moscow and Kiev to solve their disagreement, which comes just as a winter freeze envelops much of the continent.

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The former White House chief of staff has a relatively thin background for the post — but that might benefit him in some ways, as will his Washington experience.

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Despite the recession, consumers are expected to spend a lot of money on consumer technology. The top trends for 2009 include touch-screen displays, electronic book readers, high-definition flash camcorders, netbooks and climate control systems.

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President-elect Barack Obama named Nancy Killefer as his chief performance officer. Her job will be to bring modern ideas of business efficiency to the White House. Obama also spoke of his plans to revive the economy without worsening the federal budget deficit.

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The guns fell silent for three hours Wednesday in the Gaza Strip as both Israel and Hamas observed what's being called a humanitarian truce, aimed at bringing food and medical supplies into Gaza. Both Israel's operations and Hamas rocket attacks resumed after the lull.

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President-elect Barack Obama's desire to meet with the men who preceded him on the job led to lunch at the White House and a rare group photo in the Oval Office. The current occupant, President Bush, reminded all that the office "transcends the individual."

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Photojournalist David Gilkey spoke with Corey Flintoff via telephone Tuesday from Israel. Gilkey had just returned from a reporting trip to Sderot, one of the Israeli towns near the border with Gaza. Here are some excerpts from the interview.

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Senate Democratic leaders are changing course and it looks as if the Senate will seat Roland Burris as the junior senator from Illinois once all legal obstacles are overcome. Senate leaders Harry Reid and Dick Durbin both have said they have no problem with Burris.

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Israel has barred journalists from entering Gaza since launching its offensive Dec. 27. The ban continues despite a decision last week by Israel's Supreme Court to allow a limited number of journalists to enter Gaza.

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With Alaska's Ted Stevens no longer in the Senate, there's talk on Capitol Hill of reconsidering some of the federal contracting preferences enjoyed by Alaska Native corporations. These companies often receive federal deals even when other, cheaper businesses offer similar services.

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The Indian government has compiled a dossier of evidence on last November's attacks in Mumbai that it presented to Pakistan and to countries that lost citizens in the attacks. Siddharth Varadarajan, of the Hindu newspaper, says Indian authorities began to record phone calls between the militants and their handlers soon after the incident began.

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President Bush has hosted a luncheon for President-elect Barack Obama and all the former U.S. presidents who are still alive: Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. The last such gathering of U.S. presidents took place in 1981.

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Toyota says it will suspend production at its Japanese plants for 11 days in February and March. This marks a stoppage of unprecedented scale for the automaker. We examine what it means.

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With President-elect Obama's inauguration less than two weeks away, there are wait lists a million names long for the hot tickets. Some congressmen have held drawings or put names on a list — but for the last-minute seeker, the inaugural committee is holding an essay contest.

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The fighting in Gaza has killed more than 600 Palestinians — many of them civilians. Col. Jim Hellis is chairman of the U.S. Army War College's department of national security and strategy. He talks with Ari Shapiro about how the U.S. military factors in civilian casualties when assessing war strategy. Hellis says it's a balance among legal, ethical and political concerns.

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Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has held off calling for an immediate cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, preferring what she calls a more durable solution to make sure Hamas can't continue to fire rockets into Israel. But others say waiting too long to get a truce won't help.

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Israel is under growing pressure to end its military operations in Gaza, following the terrible bloodshed that occurred in the territory over the past 24 hours. However, Israeli leaders are discussing whether to expand military operations in Gaza. That would be a significant escalation of the assault and would inevitably bring even greater casualties among the civilian population.

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President-elect Barack Obama is looking for a surgeon general. And CNN says its chief medical correspondent is under consideration for the job. Should the offer come, CNN says Dr. Sanjay Gupta has indicated he's likely to take it. The 39-year-old Gupta is a practicing neurosurgeon.

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On the 111th Congress' opening day Tuesday, Roland Burris showed up to claim Barack Obama's seat as the junior senator from Illinois. As promised, he was rejected. And a Senate seat for Minnesota remains vacant because of an election dispute. But the Senate carried on with its opening ceremonies.

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