Soon after Philadelphia hosted America’s bicentennial celebrations in late July 1976, more than 200 attendees of the American Legion Convention at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia fell ill with pneumonia symptoms, including fever, cough and trouble breathing.

Thirty-four of them died.

One of us was a newly minted...Read more

Keir Starmer’s refusal to cede power after Andy Burnham’s election to parliament leaves the Labour Party in a stand-off and the Cabinet considering if they should tell the prime minister his time is up.

A clear majority of the Cabinet think it is now inevitable Burnham will take over from Starmer as premier, according to people familiar ...Read more

The U.S. and Iran delayed the start of negotiations over a permanent peace deal and Tehran’s nuclear program after fighting intensified in southern Lebanon, a potential setback to efforts to end the war.

The talks, which were meant to take place in Switzerland on Friday, were delayed because of those clashes between Israel and Iran-backed ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The B-52 bomber is considered a marvel not only of the U.S. military but of all aviation history.

The massive plane remains a workhorse for the Air Force seven decades after it debuted in the 1950s, and military officials believe the fleet can continue through the century mark with regular modifications and modernization.

...Read more

Iran delayed the start of negotiations over a permanent peace deal with the U.S. after fighting intensified in southern Lebanon, a potential setback to Donald Trump’s efforts to end the war and curb Tehran’s nuclear program.

The talks, which were meant to take place in Switzerland on Friday, were delayed because of those clashes between ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Baltimore’s four controversial Confederate monuments, which were removed in the dead of night nearly nine years ago by former Mayor Catherine Pugh, have reentered Charm City as quietly as they left.

But no one is saying exactly where they are being held or what the plan for them is going forward.

“The Confederate monuments ...Read more

DENVER — Three Denver-area venues canceled an event over the weekend that would have featured a popular — albeit controversial — internet personality alongside two Colorado Democratic primary candidates for the U.S. House and Senate.

The venue cancellations, at least two of them said to be based on security concerns with hosting the event...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Wilber Urbina Garcia had an ambitious list of errands to run the day after his high school graduation, before his summer really began.

The shy boy was the first in his family to walk the graduation stage, and he was determined to get a head start on his future. He had a diploma to pick up, a high school textbook to return and ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — Black drivers stopped for low-level traffic violations in San Diego were more than four times as likely as white drivers to be frisked and more than three times as likely to be subjected to force, according to an analysis presented by the city’s police oversight commission, which is recommending broad restrictions on so-called ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A cheating crisis is growing at American universities as AI rapidly becomes embedded in learning: Extreme and uneven classroom practices are in force to prevent deception, false accusations against students are increasing and the definition of what it means to cheat is shifting, professors, students and specialists in academic ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A new shelter-in-place order was issued Thursday in Boyle Heights, where a massive fire at a warehouse was extinguished Wednesday evening. Firefighters said smoke was being vented from the charred structure that could affect residents nearby.

The fire originated Wednesday afternoon on the solar-panel-covered roof of the cold ...Read more

New York City’s carriage horse industry is shutting down Friday in response to the death of an 18-year-old tourist, killed after a driverless horse bolted in Central Park, a rep for the union representing the industry said Thursday.

The carriage horse union, TWU Local 100, made the call to shutter its stables while it reviews safety protocols...Read more

BALTIMORE — Baltimore’s four controversial Confederate monuments, which were removed in the dead of night nearly nine years ago by former Mayor Catherine Pugh, have reentered Charm City as quietly as they left.

But no one is saying exactly where they are being held or what the plan for them is going forward.

“The Confederate monuments ...Read more

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the United States will kick off a six-month review of its military presence in Europe as leaders in the region brace for a plan for deep cuts to American support for the continent.

President Donald Trump’s administration has floated plans to slash military assets the Pentagon would send to defend Europe...Read more

MIAMI — Adam Arenas’ Doral neighborhood was calm and quiet just a few days go. All it took was one flash of lightning to change that.

Suddenly, Miami seemed to be on fire.

One brush fire from the summer storm then split into two, and the raging flames sent plumes of black smoke upward, darkening the skies for miles and fouling the air.

It...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — President Donald Trump’s administration sued Philadelphia and some of its top officials Thursday over a new ordinance that bars law enforcement officers from concealing their identities and effectively bans federal immigration agents from wearing masks.

The law, part of City Council’s recently adopted “ICE Out” package ...Read more

The Trump administration is dropping near-term plans to dismantle a $386 million federal ocean-observing system after encountering resistance from scientists and Congress.

The National Science Foundation said Thursday it will pause efforts to decommission most of the Ocean Observatories Initiative, a network of sensors in the Atlantic and ...Read more

BOSTON — Off-sides!

Gov. Maura Healey has apologized for the confusion she sparked when she signed an executive order making haggis legal in Massachusetts, which she said was entirely a “joke.”

Haggis has been illegal to import or produce in the U.S. since 1971, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture classified the sheep’s lung as an ...Read more