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

DETROIT — Smoke from Canadian wildfires has given Detroit the most polluted air in the world among major cities on Thursday, according to a Swiss air quality technology company.

Detroit had an air quality index, or AQI, of 602, earning it the No. 1 spot on IQAir's ranking of the most polluted global major cities on Thursday. IQAir makes air ...Read more

The artificial intelligence boom in the United States is being matched by a data center building boom. There are more than 3,000 data centers in the U.S. and another 1,500 in development, according to a Pew Research Center analysis.

While President Donald Trump has promoted AI advancement, calling it crucial to economic and national ...Read more

Ticks are small, and you might not notice when they bite, but the diseases they carry can dramatically harm your health.

Each year, deer ticks alone cause an estimated 476,000 new U.S. cases of Lyme disease, which can do long-term damage to a person’s joints, heart and nervous system. You may be hearing about the lone star tick, as ...Read more

Mindfulness meditation has become increasingly popular in the United States and around the world in recent decades. Apps such as Headspace, Calm and Plum Village – inspired by the Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh – are helping people build a steady practice, reduce stress and improve sleep.

The practice, which involves ...Read more

The parades, reenactments and fireworks are over. And in the aftermath of Americans’ celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, it is important to recognize that the declaration was only the first step in making a unified country.

Many of the founders argued that the country needed a remodeled ...Read more

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is passing laws aimed at strengthening his rightist-religious political bloc before tight elections in October.

At the center of the drive are measures to ensure military exemption for ultra-Orthodox men, along with curbing the attorney general’s powers and tightening government ...Read more

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy named the head of a state-run energy company as Ukraine’s next prime minister, underscoring his focus on preparing for the coming winter under the threat of Russian attacks.

Sergii Koretskyi, the chief executive officer of NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy, is set to succeed Yuliia Svyrydenko, according to the bill submitted...Read more

If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing or texting “988.”

____

Eight days before my 33rd birthday in April, a social worker at a crisis clinic near Denver determined I was an imminent danger to myself. She placed me on an involuntary 72-hour mental health ...Read more