News

The CFPB drops its lawsuit against Capital One, marking a major reversal

The consumer protection agency also dropped cases against four other companies including Rocket Homes.

Katy Perry and Gayle King are heading to space as part of an all-female Blue Origin crew

The crew was selected by Bezos' fiancée, journalist Lauren Sánchez, who will also be on the brief suborbital flight scheduled for this spring.

Data show Tesla sales declined sharply in Europe

New data out this week shows a sharp decline in Tesla sales in Europe. The company is facing multiple headwinds — including consumer pushback to CEO Elon Musk's political pivot to the right.

USAID workers return to HQ to clear their desks, as Trump dismantles the agency

Workers who served in the U.S. Agency for International Development were allowed a final and brief visit back to their offices to clear out their belongings on Thursday.

Trump says new tariffs will cut U.S. drug deaths but fatal overdoses were already plummeting

President Trump cited outdated drug overdose data to justify tariffs against Canada, China, and Mexico. He also offered no evidence Canada is fueling the U.S. drug crisis.

Alzheimer’s was taking her memory, so she started taking a new drug

Myra Solano Garcia, who has Alzheimer's, says the drug Kisunla may be one reason she can still drive, cook, and sing.

Court considers halting Trump’s mass firings of federal employees

A federal judge in San Francisco hears arguments in a case challenging the Trump administration's firings of thousands of probationary employees — those in their first year or so on the job.

ICE will reopen a major detention center in New Jersey as it eyes a broader expansion

The Trump administration is expanding its immigration detention capacity, reopening a 1,000-bed detention center in New Jersey and adding beds at other privately owned facilities around the country.

Martin Marty, leading scholar of American religion, dies at 97

Martin Marty, one of the foremost interpreters of religion in American public life, died on Tuesday. He was 97 years old.

2 years after Greece’s deadliest train crash, victims and families await answers

On Feb. 28, 2023, a passenger train and freight train collided, leaving 57 dead. New evidence suggests many may not have been killed by the crash itself, but by a fire that followed.

Trump says he doesn’t see need for U.S. security guarantees to end Ukraine-Russia war

In a meeting with the British Prime Minister, Trump said reaching a peace deal would be the "difficult part." He said security would be made easier by a U.S. deal with Ukraine on critical minerals.

Andrew Tate, facing rape and trafficking charges in Romania, is back in the U.S.

The Tate brothers have been allowed to leave Romania, where they were charged with human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal group to sexually exploit women. They arrived in Florida on Thursday.

Musk says work to stop Ebola was accidentally cut but restored. Experts raise doubts

Elon Musk said USAID's "Ebola prevention" was "accidentally canceled" but "immediately" restored. Health specialists following the current outbreak in Uganda raise doubts about the restoration.

The U.S. resumes hundreds of millions in security aid to Taiwan, annoying China

The U.S. has unfrozen millions in security assistance for Taiwan, with an eye toward China.

Pentagon directs removal of trans service members from military

Service members and recruits who are diagnosed with or treated for gender dysphoria are to be separated from the U.S. military in accordance with an executive order issued a month ago by President Trump.

Bill advances which would further protect police from criminal, civil prosecution

A recent bill in Alabama’s legislature would establish new legal protections for police officers who use physical or deadly force on a person while in the line of duty. Bill supporters say it will improve police safety, recruitment and retention. But critics worry it would give police officers immunity from criminal prosecution. 

S-Town co-creator Brian Reed pulls back the curtains, goes deep into how the podcast was made

S-Town took the world by storm when it was released in 2017. Downloaded more than 100 million times, it’s become one of the most popular podcasts ever released.

In the fight over Louisiana’s execution plans, religion plays a prominent role

Faith activism against the state's plan to resume executions adds to a history of religious engagement with social questions in the South.

Syrian Jews return to Damascus for the first time in decades, hoping to build bridges

Thousands of Jews left Syria in 1992, when they were allowed to emigrate. The visit by a small delegation of U.S.-based Syrian Jewish religious figures last week was their first time back since then.

Republican Sen. Josh Hawley discusses his mission to hold big tech accountable

Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri talks about his mission to hold tech companies accountable even as they try to align themselves with President Donald Trump.

Thailand deports dozens of Uyghurs to China, activists say

The detainees were part of a group of some 300 Uyghurs who fled China and were arrested in Thailand in 2014. Thailand deported more than 100 of them to China in 2015, drawing condemnation.

Language as protagonist in Cristina Rivera Garza’s newly translated novel

Pulitzer winner Cristina Rivera Garza offers new perspective on gender violence through a murder mystery and poetry.

The FDIC’s goal is to prevent another banking crisis. It’s now also a Trump target

President Trump's sweeping cuts to the federal government are also threatening a key banking watchdog.

How tariffs are (and aren’t) the new ‘infrastructure week’

Little about how Trump discusses tariffs is normal — not only because he threatens tariffs on a weekly, even daily, basis, but also because it's often unclear if or when those tariffs will happen.

Curious about exploring your spirituality? Ask yourself these 4 questions

You don't need to be religious to create a meaningful connection to something greater than yourself. If you're interested in examining that relationship, grab a pen and paper and answer these prompts.

A rare ‘parade’ of all 7 planets will move across the night sky this week

This phenomenon known as a "planet parade," will feature Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune all present at the same time along a line in the night sky on Friday, NASA says.

How Trump’s crackdown plays into misperceptions about immigrants and crime

The White House portrays its immigration crackdown as a success. Critics say the administration is trying to look tough for the cameras, and worry about the "tail wagging the dog."

Hamas returns bodies of four hostages and Israel releases hundreds of Palestinians

Both sides agreed there would be no Hamas ceremonies for the hostage bodies and in exchange Israel would release the Palestinian detainees and prisoners whose freedom had been held up since Saturday.

Taiwan condemns China for conducting shooting drills off its coast

Taiwan said in a 24-hour period it detected 45 aircraft, 14 navy vessels and one ship from the Chinese military operating around Taiwan, of which 34 had crossed into its waters and airspace.

Trump cuts financial lifeline for Venezuela by ending permit to export oil to U.S.

Trump's accused the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of not meeting democratic conditions for last year's July presidential election as well as of not moving fast enough to transport back immigrants set for deportation.

Over 7,000 from scam centers in Myanmar are awaiting repatriation after crackdown

Trapped in virtual slavery, many are lured to work in scam centers where they exploit people around the world through false romances, bogus investment pitches and illegal gambling schemes.

The Trump administration kills nearly all USAID programs

The Trump administration is terminating thousands of foreign assistance grants and awards, according to a court filing. The move effectively guts the six-decade-old agency.