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Sophrosyne is a constellation of characteristics that includes moderation, reflectiveness and self-knowledge. PM Images/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Why sophrosyne, an ancient Greek virtue, matters more than ever in the age of AI

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Texting while driving. Bullying people on social media. Buying into the latest conspiracy theory. Passing off AI-generated work as your own.

That may seem like a random list of 21st-century vices. But I’d argue they’re all examples of the loss of one particular virtue: sophrosyne.

An ancient Greek concept, sophrosyne – ...Read more

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is suing Character.AI to stop its chatbot from posing as doctors. Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images via Getty Images

What Pennsylvania’s AI chatbot lawsuit teaches us about the psychology behind medical trust

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In May 2026, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration filed suit against Character Technologies Inc., the company behind the popular chatbot platform Character.AI. A state investigation found that a chatbot character named “Emilie” claimed to have a medical degree, seven years of practice and a Pennsylvania medical license – ...Read more

Large-scale solar power plants are key elements of energy policies in New York and other states. Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

Building more renewable energy sources means rethinking land use for agriculture and conservation

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The state of New York could meet its goal of building 46 gigawatts of large-scale solar by midcentury, but not without making difficult choices in how land is used across the state.

That’s the overall finding of an analysis several colleagues and I have made in that state. It’s an issue that other states, and the U.S. as a whole, ...Read more

AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

US and Iran show little progress in talks after week of clashes

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The U.S. and Iran have made little progress in talks over an interim peace deal this week, with the sides seeing their worst clashes since an April ceasefire began and fighting continuing in Lebanon.

Skirmishes continued overnight between Hezbollah and Israel in southern Lebanon after the Iran-backed group rejected a U.S.-brokered proposal ...Read more

Jung Yeon-Je/Getty Images North America/TNS

Xi to visit North Korea next week for first time since 2019

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Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to North Korea next week, marking his inaugural overseas trip of the year after recently hosting Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Beijing.

Xi will travel to Pyongyang for the first time since 2019 from June 8-9 at the invitation of Kim Jong Un, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Friday...Read more

Nuccio DiNuzzo/Chicago Tribune/TNS

'Bad Decision for a Good Cause:' August event in Chicago looks to set Malört world record

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CHICAGO — From most cookies dunked in milk at one time to most sweet corn kernels eaten in 3 minutes with a toothpick, the Chicago area has seen its fair share of attempts at setting niche food-related world records. The next comes in August, when Jeppson’s Malört hopes to gather hundreds of fans to set the world record for most people ...Read more

Ernesto Benavides/Getty Images North America/TNS

Jailed leader's protege attempts left-wing comeback in Peru

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Roberto Sánchez campaigns wearing a traditional farmer’s hat from one of Peru’s poorest provinces, promising to slash the entrenched inequities in the copper-rich nation.

But the leftist candidate is nothing like the Andean farmers who have propelled him into what’s set to be a tight presidential runoff against right-winger Keiko ...Read more

Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Emergency room visits during heat waves available to the public in 'near-real time' in LA County

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LOS ANGELES — For the first time, Los Angeles County residents can see how many people are ending up in emergency rooms, their bodies pushed past the limit, during heat waves.

The county Department of Public Health says its new Heat-Related Illness and Mortality Dashboard will provide heat illness counts in “near real time,” which means ...Read more

Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times/TNS

An LAPD gang? Internal report says police unit had 'rampant culture of misconduct'

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LOS ANGELES — The LAPD internal investigation leveled a troubling allegation: Officers in a specialized unit tasked with combating street gangs had themselves behaved like a gang.

In 2023, officers in the San Fernando Valley were accused of making dozens of improper traffic stops and attempting to hide their actions from their supervisors by ...Read more

Alejandro A. Alvarez/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

Atlantic City mayor sues local prosecutor who charged him with child abuse

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The Democratic mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey, says the county prosecutor knew that he was innocent of allegations that he physically beat his daughter and that charges were pursued against him anyway as part of a conspiracy with other Republican officials to unseat him.

Mayor Marty Small Sr., who was acquitted by a jury in December, ...Read more

Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post/TNS

New Colorado laws require health inspections of ICE facilities, aim to reduce cost of homeowners insurance

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Gov. Jared Polis signed new laws Thursday that will require quarterly inspections of immigration detention facilities and help retrofit homes to protect against wind and hail damage.

Another bill signed by the governor aims to rein in the skyrocketing cost of Medicaid-like coverage for some immigrants without legal status in Colorado.

The ...Read more

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images North America/TNS

Trump says he will headline rally marking nation's 250th anniversary

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President Donald Trump said he would headline a rally in Washington on June 24 to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States, a week after several artists pulled out of planned shows on the National Mall.

“We don’t want singers with no talent, but big fees to put you to sleep, we’ve told them all to stay home,” Trump said in a ...Read more

Lintao Zhang/Getty Images North America/TNS

Xi to visit North Korea June 8-9, for first time since 2019

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Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit North Korea this month, marking his first trip to the country in more than six years.

China’s top leader will visit North Korea from June 8-9, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

The trip to North Korea will allow Xi to cast China as one of the few world powers still able to engage all sides ...Read more

Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images North America/TNS

John Gotti grandson Carmine Agnello arrested, accused of choking girlfriend

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NEW YORK — The grandson of late mob boss John Gotti is accused of choking his girlfriend on Long Island.

Nassau County police confirmed Carmine Gotti Agnello was arraigned Thursday.

Charges against the 40-year-old include third-degree assault and property damage, according to a felony complaint.

The alleged incident occurred Tuesday in East...Read more

TNS

Veteran actor James Handy fatally stabbed in LA by girlfriend's son, officials say

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LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles police are investigating the fatal stabbing of actor James Handy, who officials said was killed by his girlfriend’s son Wednesday at a home in Tarzana. The suspect was apprehended after he made a bizarre 911 call.

On Thursday, authorities identified the 81-year-old stabbing victim as the actor, who appeared in the ...Read more

News briefs

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Activities around the 250th highlight America’s disunity

WASHINGTON — One month from America’s 250th birthday, events and celebrations to commemorate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence are as fragmented as the nation’s politics and culture in 2026.

President Donald Trump’s plans for a concert affiliated with the Great ...Read more

Jeff Gritchen/The Orange County Register/TNS

Orange County health officials walk back claim that there was 'no leak' in chemical tank crisis

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LOS ANGELES — Orange County health officials are walking back a claim that no vapor or fumes were released during a chemical tank crisis at a Garden Grove aerospace company two weeks ago, but state officials maintain that any leak did not pose a major health risk to the public.

The Los Angeles Times asked the Orange County Healthcare Agency ...Read more

Jose A Iglesias/El Nuevo Herald/TNS

A fragile return of medical care in Haiti after weeks of violence roil capital

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The French medical charity Doctors Without Borders has reopened its hospital in Haiti’s Cité Soleil neighborhood three weeks after suspending operations because of intense fighting between armed groups.

The deadly surge in violence has forced 300,000 people to flee their homes across metropolitan Port-au-Prince, including 17,500 from the ...Read more

Samuel Corum/TNS/TNS

Trump wins delay to Jan. 6 civil suits during bid for immunity

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WASHINGTON — A federal judge granted President Donald Trump’s request to again pause a collection of lawsuits seeking to hold him responsible for violence at the U.S. Capitol five years ago while he pursues an immunity defense.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled on Thursday that Trump is entitled to a complete pause on activity in most of...Read more

Kent Nishimura/AFP/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/TNS

Trump, without proof, claims 'cheating' in California vote, says federal probe underway

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LOS ANGELES — To the surprise of few, President Donald Trump has once again claimed without evidence that Democrats are somehow cheating to win California’s primary elections — writing on social media late Wednesday that federal prosecutors in Los Angeles are investigating the matter.

“The Dumocrats are at it again! They are trying to ...Read more