News
Montana lawmakers cross the aisle to block a trans bathroom ban in the state capitol
Some Republicans joined Democrats in rejecting the measure, which would have restricted bathroom access. Rep. Zooey Zephyr, Montana's first openly transgender legislator, won a second term last month.
Trump’s Defense pick Hegseth is under scrutiny. But he says he’s ‘not going anywhere’
Pete Hegseth is fighting to keep his nomination on track after a series of negative reports about his past behavior — including a damning email his mom sent him during his second divorce.
A North Carolina town is suing utility Duke Energy over climate change
A small North Carolina town is suing Duke Energy for costs from climate change, claiming the utility knew its fossil fuel power plants were heating the planet and deceived the public.
South Korea’s president faces calls to resign or be impeached
Opposition parties have filed a motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol and plans for rallies in major cities are underway.
D.R. Congo’s mining capital is at the heart of Biden’s bid to counter China in Africa
Kolwezi has some of the world's largest copper and cobalt reserves and that makes it a key location at the heart of the U.S. and China's jostle for mineral supremacy on the African continent.
Supreme Court hears challenge to law banning gender-affirming care for trans kids
At issue is a Tennessee law that bans access to hormones, puberty blockers, and other treatments for trans kids in the state.
Inside RFK Jr.’s nonprofit’s legal battles over vaccines and public health
The nonprofit Children's Health Defense that Kennedy led has filed nearly 30 federal and state lawsuits since 2020, many challenging vaccines and public health mandates.
‘Guardian’ journalists strike to protest sale of sister paper ‘Observer’
Nearly 500 journalists have walked out of the Guardian and its sister paper, the Observer, to protest what they see as a betrayal of the paper's values: the planned sale of the Observer to a startup.
Search goes into the night for Pennsylvania woman who may have fallen into a sinkhole
A grandmother looking for her lost cat apparently fell into a sinkhole that had recently opened above an abandoned coal mine and rescuers worked late into Tuesday night to try and find her.
North Carolina’s voter ID law just got its first big test
For more than a decade, North Carolina has seen a bitter back-and-forth over voter identification rules. The requirement finally got its first major test in last month's presidential election.
Trump team signs an agreement with the DOJ for security clearances
The new agreement will help Trump officials on agency landing teams access classified information needed to prepare to take over on Jan. 20.
Elon Musk’s more than $50 billion pay deal at Tesla was rejected again. Here is why
A judge in Delaware has for the second time struck down a compensation package for Elon Musk after a Tesla shareholder filed suit.
Putin’s planes took Ukrainian kids into ‘coerced’ Russian adoption, a Yale report says
Russia's president and senior Kremlin officials financed and facilitated the transport of at least 314 Ukrainian children into "coerced" foster care and adoptions, a new Yale University report says.
How do you make a film about Afghan women protesters without being in Afghanistan?
Getting footage from the ground was a challenge for the director of Bread & Roses. The documentary, which profiles three women who engage in protests, is now streaming on Apple TV+.
South Korea’s president declares martial law
South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol declared an "emergency martial law" on Tuesday, accusing the opposition of paralyzing the government with anti-state activities.
As Israel bans UNRWA, Palestinians stand to lose schools and clinics, not only in Gaza
Israel is severing ties with the main United Nations agency that provides aid to Palestinians. With the focus largely on Gaza, the move also threatens key services in the occupied West Bank.
The fight against medical debt is pivoting to the states after Trump’s election
Patient and consumer advocates fear a new Trump administration will scale back federal efforts to expand financial protections for patients and shield them from debt.
One-day strikes are in: Why unions are keeping it short on the picket line
Strikes can be a double-edged sword. Keeping them short can help workers gain leverage while minimizing the pain for those who don’t have it.
J. Edgar Hoover made the FBI his personal weapon. Kash Patel could try doing it again
Trump's pick to lead the FBI may test internal guardrails, historian and J. Edgar Hoover biographer Beverly Gage tells Morning Edition.
U.S. will send Ukraine $725 million more in arms
President Joe Biden has pledged to spend all of the military assistance funds Congress approved this year for Ukraine before the end of his administration on Jan. 20, 2025.
The Gaza war has shaken up the Mideast. Now Syria’s war has reignited
Rebels have rekindled Syria's war with a lightning offensive that seemed to come from nowhere. But multiple upheavals, beginning with the Gaza war last year, have spread conflict across the region.
Trump falls just below 50% in popular vote, but gets more than in past elections
This year's popular-vote margin is the second-closest since 1968 and still tightening. It shows just how closely divided the country is politically, and that any shift to the right is marginal.
Teens can’t get off their phones. Here’s what some schools are doing about it
Teens spend much of their days on their phones — many of them during school. Here's how schools and teachers are trying to fix that.
‘Tis the season for porch pirates. Here are some tips to help protect your items
Retailers are warning Americans to be vigilant about their packages and not let porch pirates steal the holiday spirit,
Creator of ‘2000 Mules’ apologizes to man falsely accused of ballot fraud in the film
Filmmaker and conservative pundit Dinesh D'Souza has issued a statement saying "inaccurate information" was provided to him about ballot box surveillance videos featured in the film.
Negotiators fail to reach an agreement on a plastic pollution treaty. Talks to resume next year
The negotiations in Busan, South Korea, were supposed to be the fifth and final round to produce the first legally binding treaty on plastics pollution, including in the oceans, by the end of 2024.
Photos: See inside the Bidens’ last White House Christmas
More than 300 volunteers spent the past week decorating the White House's public spaces and its 83 Christmas trees with nearly 10,000 feet of ribbon, more than 28,000 ornaments, over 2,200 paper doves and some 165,000 lights used on wreaths, garlands and other displays, according to the Associated Press.
At Supreme Court, vaping may be frowned upon, but that could change with Trump
The focal point of the case is 2009 law enacted by Congress that gives the Food and Drug Administration a mandate to curb the availability of nicotine products for minors.
The U.S. is facing a youth mental health crisis. These skaters want to help
The Skate Mind Project is working to bring psychological first aid to the skatepark — promoting stronger relationships within skating culture, and emphasizing parks and shops as community centers.
Writer Thoreau warned of brain rot in 1854. Now it’s the Oxford Word of 2024
The term brain rot first appeared in Henry David Thoreau's famous Walden, according to the Oxford University Press. How did he use it — and what might he have made of its modern meaning?
Biden isn’t the first president to pardon a relative. Here’s how the power works
Biden is now the third president to pardon a relative, after Bill Clinton and Donald Trump. Here's a look at the commonplace — yet often controversial — presidential power.
College sports reform could advance in GOP-controlled Congress
Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican who is set to take over as chair of the powerful Commerce Committee, said recently that a college sports bill will be a top priority, accusing Democrats of dragging their feet on needed reforms.
