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Stop and think: An undervalued approach in a world that short-circuits thoughtful political judgment

Current News / News & Features /

When’s the last time you saw a pundit pause?

When President Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter, who was convicted of three felony charges, the pardon was startling because Biden repeatedly pledged before the election that he would respect the federal jury’s conviction.

As the news broke of the president’s decision, ...Read more

Ferns’ ability to evolve ‘backward’ offers insights into the meandering path of evolution

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Imagine a photograph of your great-grandparents, grandparents and parents side by side. You’d see a resemblance, but each generation would look distinct from its predecessors. This is the process of evolution in its simplest form: descent with modification.

Over many generations, a staggering amount of modification is possible. This...Read more

Response to CEO killing reveals antipathy toward health insurers − but entire patchwork system is to blame for ill feeling

Current News / News & Features /

The U.S. health care system leaves much to be desired.

It is convoluted, fragmented, complex and confusing. Experts have also raised concerns about quality, and disparities are rampant. And, of course, it is excessively costly – far more so than in any other developed nation. Given these failings, it is not surprising that Americans...Read more

Why ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ almost didn’t air − and why it endures

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It’s hard to imagine a holiday season without “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” The 1965 broadcast has become a staple – etched into traditions across generations like decorating the tree or sipping hot cocoa.

But this beloved TV special almost didn’t make it to air. CBS executives thought the 25-minute program was too slow, too ...Read more

Russia air strikes target Ukraine energy sites as winter deepens

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Russia launched a massive air-strike against western Ukraine on Friday in what Kyiv described as one of the largest attacks on its power infrastructure since the war started.

Moscow forces fired almost 200 drones and more than 90 missiles, including at least one made by North Korea, 81 of which were intercepted, Ukrainian President Volodymyr ...Read more

Zoe Cranfill/Los Angeles Times/TNS

LA promised $30 million to people wronged by gang curfews. Why has only half been spent?

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LOS ANGELES — He had plans for reassembling his life after 10 years in prison. Big plans.

Step one was opening a party-supply company, an idea that came to him while he was locked up. He'd start small — stick to quinceañeras and graduation parties at first. Then someday, maybe, level up to bigger corporate events, whose organizers wouldn't...Read more

Macron names centrist Bayrou as France's new prime minister

Current News / News & Features /

President Emmanuel Macron picked Francois Bayrou to be France’s new prime minister, calling on a longstanding centrist ally to navigate a fractured political landscape that toppled the previous administration.

Bayrou, who leads the centrist Democratic Movement party known as MoDem, steps into the breach after far-right leader Marine Le Pen ...Read more

Jason Getz / Jason.Getz/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS

Can one of the best treatments for depression move past its old reputation?

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On a sunny November afternoon, Gerard Robinson set out from his Johnson Ferry Road apartment and walked his terrier. The simple act was a revolution for him.

Robinson’s walk would have been unthinkable just last year, as he sat in his apartment suffering from severe depression. The disease was defying other treatments Robinson had diligently ...Read more

José Luis Villegas/The Sacramento Bee/TNS

Like Trump, California lawmakers want to end taxes on tips. Does it have a chance?

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Following in the policy footsteps of both major presidential candidates, some California lawmakers want to end state income taxes on tips.

“Working class Americans are working so hard and they’re having a really hard time making ends meet,” Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, R-Yucaipa, the bill’s author, said in an ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

These new Texas laws go into effect in 2025, including one for car registrations

Current News / News & Features /

FORT WORTH, Texas — A new year means new laws for Texans, and several will go into effect starting Jan. 1, 2025.

Some of these laws will affect drivers and internet users, while others will affect court operations and school funding.

Changes to the laws were passed during the 88th Texas Legislature and were signed by Gov. Greg Abbott.

Here�...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Kids get kicked off social media (and other new Florida laws that take effect Jan. 1)

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A series of new laws — including changes to how and whether minors will be allowed to use social media — will take effect in the state of Florida on Jan. 1.

Here is a rundown of what to know about the new legal changes:

Social media restrictions for most kids in Florida

Starting with the new year, a new law will ...Read more

Rodger Mallison/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/TNS

Elon Musk wants to 'stop' federal spending for Lockheed Martin's F-35. Could that happen?

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FORT WORTH, Texas -- A billionaire with Texas ties and President-elect Donald Trump’s ear wants to cut federal funding for Lockheed Martin’s F-35, something North Texas congressional lawmakers are warning against, but eliminating the program may be easier said than done.

Tesla and Space X’s Elon Musk is tasked with slashing federal ...Read more

Steven M. Falk/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

Trump Backs US dockworkers poised to strike over automation

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President-elect Donald Trump met with the leaders of the International Longshoremen’s Association on Thursday and voiced support for the dockworkers union that shut East and Gulf coast ports in October and may strike again in just over a month.

“I’ve studied automation, and know just about everything there is to know about it. The amount ...Read more

Win McNamee/Getty Images North America/TNS

With deadlines looming, Chesapeake Bay environmental agreement will be revised

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The Chesapeake Bay Executive Council, a group of governors and other environmental leaders, announced plans to revise the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement.

With the 2014 agreement, the council committed to increasing the watershed’s resiliency and withstanding the effects of a changing climate. Many of the objectives in the agreement have a...Read more

Brandon Bell/Getty Images North America/TNS

SpaceX seeks approval to turn Texas Starbase site into new city

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Elon Musk is attempting to turn the Starbase site in Texas where SpaceX builds its Starship rockets into a new city and officially move his space company there.

SpaceX’s headquarters are currently in Hawthorne, California, but the company has over the past few years been building out a massive facility in Texas in an area on the southern tip ...Read more

Ye Aung Thu/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/TNS

Drone sightings reach Pa.; Monroe County officials ask residents to report them to 911

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Mystery “drones” have been seen in the skies over New Jersey in recent weeks, and now the sightings have apparently reached the Lehigh Valley and eastern Pennsylvania.

On Thursday evening, social media was abuzz with reports of lights in the sky, from the Easton area to the Slate Belt and beyond.

Numerous sightings were also reported just ...Read more

Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times/TNS

About 2.6 million Stanley cups recalled after malfunctions caused burns. Is your mug included?

Current News / News & Features /

Stanley — whose cups have become almost as popular as the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup — recalled 2.6 million travel mugs because their burn count got too high.

As explained in the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall notice, “These mugs’ lid threads can shrink when exposed to heat and torque, causing the lid to ...Read more

Alex Wong/Getty Images North America/TNS

Unidentified drones spotted flying at locations across NYC

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Numerous unconfirmed reports of drones spotted flying at locations across New York City surfaced on Thursday.

The first known sighting involved multiple drones spotted flying near Clarke Place West and Jerome Ave. in the Bronx around 5:30 a.m., a law enforcement source told the Daily News.

The drones zoomed off when police arrived at the scene...Read more

Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times/TNS

DMV apologizes for license plate that mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel

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The California Department of Motor Vehicles issued an apology for an "unacceptable and disturbing" personalized license plate that the agency said displayed hate speech related to the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

The watchdog organization StopAntisemitism posted a photo on X, formerly known as Twitter, of the license plate on a Cybertruck that "(...Read more

Anthony DelMundo/New York Daily News/TNS

Convicted former Brooklyn Assemblyman William Boyland Jr. is on Biden's clemency list

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William Boyland Jr., a former Brooklyn Assemblyman whose influential family has been dubbed “the Kennedys of Brownsville,” was one of 1,583 people granted clemency by the outgoing Biden administration Thursday.

Boyland Jr., was convicted on 21 bribery and corruption charges in 2014 and sentenced to a 14-year prison term. But in February ...Read more