White House, used to road blocks on student debt, finds cause for victory lap
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has reached a major milestone in its pursuit of expansive student debt relief, announcing Thursday that over 1 million people have had their federal student debt canceled through a program that offers forgiveness to public service workers.
Yellen warns sweeping tariffs would ignite inflation
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned in a speech Thursday that the economic policies being proposed by former President Donald Trump would fuel inflation and harm businesses, raising alarm about the risks of blanket tariffs.
How pervasive are microplastics? Dolphins are exhaling them.
Scientists have found plastic pollution almost everywhere they have looked. In clouds. On Mount Everest. In Arctic snow.
A climate resistant community passed two hurricane tests
As Hurricane Milton rushed ashore last Wednesday, at least 2,000 Floridians found safe haven at Babcock Ranch, a community the size of Manhattan that opened in 2018 to withstand climate-driven storms.
A distant planet may host a moon that’s spewing a volcanic cloud
Astronomers have identified thousands of planets orbiting distant stars using sophisticated observatories. But there’s something they have yet to spot with any certainty: moons around those worlds.
Giant pandas from China return to National Zoo in Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON — A pair of pandas from China arrived at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, in a revival of so-called panda diplomacy after an 11-month pause that had left countless zoogoers disappointed by the absence of the lovable black-and-white bears.
Kamala Harris sets an interview with a not-so-friendly outlet: Fox News
Vice President Kamala Harris has agreed to an interview with Fox News, the network said Monday.
In Texas, execution looms despite questions in shaken baby case
HOUSTON — Texas is preparing for the execution this week of an autistic man, Robert Roberson, who was convicted of killing his 2-year-old daughter in a case that has drawn intense scrutiny for its reliance on a questionable diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome.
Mark Zuckerberg tries his hand at fashion
Mark Zuckerberg would like us all to know that learning is best achieved through suffering.
Attention Kmart shoppers: It’s closing time
When Chrissy Economos and Gloria McCourtney heard that the last full-size Kmart in the mainland United States was closing down, they knew they had to pay their respects, even if the store was more than 1,300 miles away.
The Trump voters who don’t believe Trump
DETROIT — One of the more peculiar aspects of Donald Trump’s political appeal is this: A lot of people are happy to vote for him because they simply do not believe he will do many of the things he says he will.
Meteorologists face harassment and death threats amid hurricane disinformation
A meteorologist based in Washington, D.C., was accused of helping the government cover up manipulating a hurricane. In Houston, a forecaster was repeatedly told to “do research” into the weather’s supposed nefarious origins. And a meteorologist for a television station in Lansing, Michigan, said she had received death threats.
The ground game: Harris’ turnout machine vs. Trump’s unproven alliance
In the final weeks of the 2024 election, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are staking their chances on two radically different theories of how to win: one tried-and-true, the other untested in modern presidential campaigns.
Texas man drops suit against women who helped ex-wife get abortion pills
A Texas man has dropped his lawsuit against three women who helped his ex-wife obtain abortion pills, a case widely seen as designed to discourage private citizens from aiding women in using the pills in states where abortion is all but banned.
A tale of 2 hurricanes finds more that differs than is the same
NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. — Cindy Miller wasn’t sure where to begin the cleanup this weekend at her home in Englewood, Florida. Hurricane Milton had drenched her home and dumped debris everywhere. Much of it was not even hers. A sofa, doors and shoes littered the backyard, along with detritus that remained from Hurricane Helene, the deadliest hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland in nearly two decades.
A hedgehog, a centrifuge and other Millennial life-improvement splurges
How much ongoing joy can you get from something that weighs 8 ounces?
If the pro-life movement loses this one, its future is in danger
I’ll never forget the first time I heard my oldest daughter’s heartbeat. My wife was experiencing trouble in the first three months of pregnancy, and we were worried she was miscarrying. We rode together to her doctor’s office, full of anxiety. And then we heard the magical sound — the pulsing of our little girl’s tiny heart. We didn’t know if she would ultimately be OK, but there was one thing we knew: Our daughter was alive.
Hurricanes amplify insurance crisis in riskiest areas
Until late last month, there was optimism in the insurance industry. Hurricane season had been quiet, and the number of wildfires was still below the yearly average. Insurers were beginning to hope that the cost of reinsurance — that is, insurance for insurers — would only inch up next year, instead of shooting higher as it did the previous two years.
Biden declares disaster from Milton before Florida visit
President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration for Florida for communities ravaged by Hurricane Milton, freeing up federal funding to assist in the state’s recovery and rebuilding.
Nation and world news — at a glance — for October 13
Black voters drift from Democrats, imperiling Harris’ bid, poll shows
