Pope Leo hit back at President Donald Trump’s attack on him over the war in Iran as Trump deleted a social media post depicting himself as a Christ-like figure that many found offensive.

“I have no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel,” the pope said Monday. “(That) is what I believe I am...Read more

An employee of a Jersey Shore nursing home was killed and another person was injured in a shooting at the facility on Monday morning, authorities say.

The shooting happened at Excelcare Rehabilitation Facility in Egg Harbor Township during a “domestic confrontation,” an administrator of the nursing home said.

The death of one of Exelcare�...Read more

NEW YORK — A bevy of New York City nonprofit organizations are urging state lawmakers to keep pushing Gov. Kathy Hochul to grant Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s asks for tax hikes on the city’s wealthiest residents and most profitable corporations.

Their push comes as Albany has blown through the deadline for the state budget and as Mamdani has ...Read more

MIAMI — A federal grand jury Monday indicted the stepbrother of an 18-year-old girl who was found dead on a Carnival Cruise ship in November with her murder and aggravated sexual abuse.

Federal prosecutors had charged the 16-year-old boy, whose initials are T.H., as a juvenile in February, but he now faces life in prison after the grand jury ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — As hours tick by Monday, it remains unclear whether the Los Angeles Unified School District will be shut down Tuesday by a powerful union triumvirate — even though two of the three unions announced settlements on Sunday.

The protracted talks mean that families of 390,000 students still must scramble to make contingency plans ...Read more

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Iran reached out to his administration over peace negotiations, as the United States began a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz in the war’s seventh week.

Even as Trump sought to jawbone negotiations back on track, there were few signs that was taking place after weekend negotiations failed in ...Read more

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said the United States would attack any Iranian vessels that approach U.S. ships in the Strait of Hormuz, as his naval blockade of the vital waterway took effect Monday.

“Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED,” Trump said in a social ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Drinking water in Baltimore City will have its fluoride levels lowered by 42% this week due to supply chain issues caused by the war between the U.S., Israel and Iran, according to a news release.

The Baltimore City Department of Public Works announced that, beginning this week, fluoride levels in the city’s drinking water will ...Read more

BOSTON — Karen Read does not want to give former State Police Trooper Michael Proctor the opportunity to obtain early discovery to “refresh his memory” ahead of a deposition in another case, according to a new filing in federal court.

Read is suing Proctor for allegedly ignoring, mishandling and manufacturing evidence while investigating ...Read more

After hurtling to the moon and back, the four astronauts of the Artemis II mission were welcomed home to cheers back in Houston and spoke to the public Saturday for the first time since coming back to Earth.

“We are we are bonded forever, and no one down here is ever gonna know what the four of us just went through, and it was the most ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Spurred by residents’ stories of foreclosures and sky-high fines, a bipartisan group of legislators is nearing the finish line of a yearslong push to curtail the power of homeowners associations in Minnesota.

Legislation that would require more transparency from HOAs, which act as quasi-governments that collect fees, provide ...Read more

Blue Origin is pushing forward with plans to launch its third-ever New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, with a liftoff that could come as early as Friday morning.

The Federal Aviation Administration added a primary launch window to its operation plan advisory on Monday, listing Blue Origin’s NG-3 Bluebird 7 mission on its...Read more

President Donald Trump said the U.S. would attack any Iranian vessels that approach U.S. ships in the Strait of Hormuz, as his naval blockade of the vital waterway took effect Monday.

“Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED,” Trump said in a social-media post. He said the U.S....Read more

Pope Leo hit back at President Donald Trump’s attack on him over the war in Iran, insisting he’s not afraid of pushing for peace in the Middle East.

“I have no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel,” the pope said Monday. “(That) is what I believe I am here to do.”

The first American-...Read more

ST. LOUIS — Voters in Jefferson and Franklin counties approved measures Tuesday to cap future increases on their property tax bills. But it's not clear when, or even if, those tax freezes will go into effect.

The tax caps will be difficult and expensive to implement, county leaders say. They also point to the state law that allowed the public...Read more

The war with Iran is not just a geopolitical conflict. We see religious rhetoric used to cast strategic interests as a moral or sacred matter.

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson described Iran’s majority faith tradition, Shiite Islam, as a “misguided religion” while discussing the ongoing U.S. strikes against Iran on March 4, 2026....Read more

At least six gray whales have died in San Francisco Bay from mid-March to early April 2026. These deaths follow a pattern over the past few years, and they are raising concerns among marine biologists like us that 2026 is becoming another dangerous year for a struggling population.

The majority of eastern North Pacific gray whales ...Read more

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people covered by Medicaid rose month after month – an unusual pattern for the government’s insurance program for people with low incomes and disabilities.

Why? A policy of continuous coverage during the pandemic essentially halted Medicaid disenrollment to make it easier for people to ...Read more

When Maria looked at herself in the mirror for the first time after her mastectomy, she stood very still.

One hand rested on the bathroom counter. The other hovered near the flat space where her breast had been. The scar was raw and angry. The loss was quiet but enormous. Her body felt foreign.

In moments like these, people ...Read more

Florida added nearly 3 million residents from 2010-2020, making it the fastest-growing state in the United States during that time.

On any given day, a Florida county commission or municipality may approve a new subdivision, a transportation agency may select the route of a highway expansion, or a rancher may decide whether to sell ...Read more