NEW YORK — Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Thursday he will opt out of the city’s matching funds program — which would have imposed limits on how big his war chest can get — in his run for a second term.

The program, which matches campaign donations from city residents 8-to-1 with taxpayer funds, helped boost Mamdani to victory last year.

...Read more

LANSING, Mich. — U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a prominent figure in national Democratic politics, said in an interview Thursday that the wildfire smoke blanketing Michigan and other places in the United States was a "manifestation" of climate change, which he labeled a crisis.

Sanders, an independent and self-described democratic socialist from ...Read more

The U.S. launched fresh strikes against Iran on Thursday, the fifth straight day of attacks as shipping traffic slumped in the critical Strait of Hormuz.

The attacks began at 2 p.m. ET, according to U.S. Central Command, with U.S. forces aiming to “further degrade Iranian military capabilities.”

Iran responded to earlier strikes by firing...Read more

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Thursday said he won’t vote in favor of Todd Blanche’s confirmation as attorney general unless the nominee meets with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking ring.

The Republican lawmaker, who is retiring and is considered a crucial swing vote on Blanche’s bid, said he wants to see a meeting before any ...Read more

CHICAGO — Thick haze settled over northern Illinois on Thursday morning as dangerous levels of wildfire smoke from Canada and Minnesota rolled into the area, and it might get worse tonight, according to the National Weather Service.

Concentrations of the pollutant PM2.5 in the Chicago area by midafternoon had reached an index of 400 on a ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — With three helicopters making water drops overnight, firefighters made good progress on a fire that began Wednesday near Boulevard, California, forcing evacuations and charring about 1,200 acres of brush.

By Thursday morning, forward progress of the Thorn fire was halted and crews reported having 10% containment on the blaze, ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Even as cost of living concerns rise, and addressing affordability becomes the primary talking point for politicians of both parties, California voters continue to place a high value on environmental issues as they weigh who to vote for in November’s elections, a new survey by the Public Policy Institute of California ...Read more

CHICAGO — Thick haze settled over northern Illinois on Thursday morning as dangerous levels of wildfire smoke from Canada and Minnesota rolled into the area, and it might get worse tonight, according to the National Weather Service.

Particulate matter levels in the Chicago area had reached an index of 355 on a scale of 500, which is ...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — SpaceX is set for the 13th suborbital test flight of its Starship and Super Heavy rocket from Texas on Thursday as it drives toward its goal of beginning operational missions from Florida.

The massive rocket looks to launch during a 90-minute window that opens at 6:45 p.m. from the company’s Starbase site on the southeast ...Read more

DETROIT — The number of cyclosporiasis cases in Michigan continues to grow, with state officials reporting 550 more cases Thursday morning, bringing the total since June 22 to 4,312, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

The latest total represents a roughly 65% increase from the more than 2,600 cases reported on ...Read more

CHICAGO — Thick haze settled over northern Illinois on Thursday morning as wildfire smoke from Canada and Minnesota rolled into the area, according to the National Weather Service.

Particulate matter levels in the Chicago area had reached an index of 267 on a scale of 500, which is considered unhealthy for the general public.

Also in this ...Read more

The U.S. intensified strikes against Iran overnight, hitting an oil tanker near the country’s main export terminal as shipping traffic slumped through the critical Strait of Hormuz.

The target, deep within the Persian Gulf, suggests Washington is widening the scope of the naval operation in parallel with continued attacks on Iranian military...Read more

DETROIT — Wildfire smoke cloaked Metro Detroit on Thursday, creating a thick haze after traveling hundreds of miles from Ontario and northern Minnesota, where raging wildfires are sending a cloud of ash into the air.

The haze, which was so thick that it made visibility difficult in some areas, impacted everything from outdoor day camps to ...Read more

Nine Venezuelan nationals have pleaded guilty to federal charges stemming from a sex trafficking organization that lured vulnerable Venezuelan women to the United States with false promises of employment before forcing them into prostitution to repay inflated smuggling debts, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

According to court documents, ...Read more

CHICAGO — Thick haze settled over northern Illinois on Thursday morning as wildfire smoke from Canada and Minnesota rolled into the area, according to the National Weather Service.

Particulate matter levels in the Chicago area had reached an index of 248 on a scale of 500, which is considered unhealthy for the general public.

Also in this ...Read more

The smell of death lingers in the sweltering heat along Venezuela’s Caribbean coast, where displaced families sleep on bunk beds in converted school classrooms and newly dug graves line a nearby cemetery.

Three weeks after twin earthquakes rocked the densely populated state of La Guaira, the frantic search for survivors has given way to a ...Read more

NEW YORK — New York City-area Democratic lawmakers split on a failed measure that would have cut off all U.S. aid to Israel, which for the first time ever garnered the support of half the Democrats in the House of Representatives.

With many moderates and longtime backers of Israel switching sides, Hudson Valley Rep. Pat Ryan voted in favor of...Read more

MIAMI — The National Weather Service issued another heat advisory Thursday for all of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. It is the 11th heat advisory issued this month.

And yes, it feels hotter than last year. By comparison, there were 11 heat advisories during the entire summer last year.

The National Weather Service issues a heat...Read more