Americans’ concerns about being able to afford electricity and home heating fuel are elevated since the beginning of the Iran war. But newly released nationwide data shows that even before the war began, these concerns were widespread, long-standing and getting worse faster than the data can reflect.

The new information is from ...Read more

Prior to 1978, U.S. presidents could do what they pleased with the records from their time in office. They owned them.

But in 1978, the Presidential Records Act established new rules for the official records of a president. Passed in the wake of Watergate, when President Richard Nixon tried to keep incriminating materials from being ...Read more

When the movie “Her” debuted in 2013, its plot felt like science fiction. The protagonist, Theodore, is a jaded man with no vigor for life. He comes alive after talking daily with his artificial intelligence chatbot, Samantha, with whom he eventually falls in love.

But today people actually report being in relationships with AI ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Tuberculosis infected more than 8 million people in 2024—surpassing COVID-19 and marking a record high since 1995—as a new Johns Hopkins–developed vaccine emerges amid rising antibiotic resistance.

The nasal spray, DNA-based vaccine targets two genes to help the immune system fight drug-tolerant “persisters” that survive...Read more

Peru’s Keiko Fujimori, the second-place finisher for three straight presidential elections, is now positioning herself for a victory that would capitalize on the power structure she’s built over two decades in the shadow of her father’s legacy.

While official results from Sunday’s vote are still being counted, Fujimori has enough of a ...Read more

More states are piling up gold bars, or encouraging residents to use gold-backed debit cards, to hedge against inflation.

Several states, including Western ones with rich mining histories, have been stockpiling gold as part of their broader state savings. And more states are looking to follow the lead of Texas and Florida by passing so-called ...Read more

Each year a baby goes through about 3,000 diapers, essential care products that are in continuous contact with sensitive skin. But manufacturers are not required to completely disclose what disposable diapers are made of, leaving parents in the dark. That may soon change in California.

A bill introduced last month would require companies that ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Decades of anger and frustration are turning into cautious optimism for some victims of contaminated drinking water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, as about two dozen of more than 3,700 lawsuits seeking compensation for damages appear headed for trial later this year in federal court in North Carolina.

Once settled, these so-...Read more

SAN DIEGO — When students are introduced to most new topics, schools can slowly scaffold learning. But that’s not been the case with artificial intelligence, as Poway Unified School District learned.

“We gave students keys to the sports car before we gave them any drivers’ ed,” says Amy Fousek, the district’s director of ...Read more

President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV, the U.S.-born head of the Catholic Church, had an unusual and acrimonious public exchange over the weekend.

In a scathing attack on Truth Social, the social media platform he launched in 2022, Trump accused the pope of being “WEAK on Crime and terrible for Foreign Policy.” The lengthy post ...Read more

NEW YORK — In an unexpected reversal, lawyers for the Trump administration on Monday said the federal government would fly the rainbow Pride flag at the Stonewall National Monument in Greenwich Village.

The government’s decision was included in a proposed settlement to voluntarily dismiss a Manhattan federal court lawsuit brought by the ...Read more

NORFOLK, Va. — The deadline for Gov. Abigail Spanberger to sign, amend or veto legislation passed by the General Assembly is 11:59 p.m. EDT Monday.

In the hours before, she signed dozens of bills into law – but also made a point to highlight legislation that didn’t pass.

This is the Democratic governor’s first General Assembly session,...Read more

BALTIMORE — Maryland lawmakers passed a voting rights bill in the final days of the 2026 legislative session that could give Gov. Wes Moore a new path to revisit congressional redistricting — despite failing to win approval to redraw maps during the session.

“What is happening at the local level could be an attempt to see what would be ...Read more

LIMA, Peru — The race to take on conservative Keiko Fujimori in Peru’s presidential runoff remained deadlocked Monday, with thousands of Peruvians still voting because of logistical mishaps a day earlier.

A fresh quick count by pollster Ipsos has Fujimori leading the first round with 17.1%. Leftist lawmaker Roberto Sánchez was second with ...Read more

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump began a U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a move intended to raise pressure on Tehran, even as the two countries are weighing another round of talks in hopes of cementing a longer-term ceasefire.

A naval blockade took effect Monday after a Trump-imposed deadline passed, with the United States ...Read more

Maryland is moving to further curb local cooperation with immigration authorities, placing it at odds with Republicans and the Trump administration in a widening fight over federal enforcement efforts.

As its 90-day session wound down Monday, the General Assembly approved legislation restricting when local authorities can detain individuals ...Read more