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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/TNS

Dengue fever on the rise. What to know about the mosquito-borne illness in Florida

Current News / News & Features /

MIAMI — The U.S. is on alert for dengue fever during the busy spring break season as cases of the mosquito-borne illness continue to rise globally.

Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Cuba, Colombia, and Mexico are some of the places that have seen a rise in dengue cases, an illness that is known to cause flu-like symptoms, including fever,...Read more

Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times/TNS

'Swatting' calls spark panic, fear, massive police responses. Can California finally crack down?

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LOS ANGELES — Earlier this month, the Claremont Police Department received a chilling 911 report: A caller said they were holding someone captive inside a Claremont McKenna College restroom, carrying a bomb and preparing to shoot anyone they saw on campus.

The call triggered a massive deployment of law enforcement and SWAT team members and ...Read more

Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Efforts underway to restore crumbling site where Abraham Lincoln began his political rise

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In 1831, Abraham Lincoln arrived at the New Salem grist mill along the Sangamon River aboard a flatboat that was sinking.

Lincoln had been hired by a man named Denton Offutt to deliver the boat cargo to New Orleans. As the story goes, Offutt was so impressed by Lincoln’s quick thinking to rescue the boat and save the cargo that he offered him...Read more

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images North America/TNS

In New York, providers must put patient costs on the table

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The routine is familiar for most people: When checking in for an appointment with a doctor or other health care provider, patients typically complete and sign a pile of paperwork, including a form that contains some version of the statement, “I agree to pay for all charges not covered by my insurance company.”

Patients may not feel ...Read more

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images North America/TNS

States try to rein in health insurers' claim denials, with mixed results

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Health insurance companies are under increasing scrutiny for allegedly using artificial intelligence bots and algorithms to swiftly deny patients routine or lifesaving care — without a human actually reviewing their claims.

The high-profile killing late last year of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has focused even more attention on so-...Read more

Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Earth 1, asteroids 0: The next generation of planetary defense takes shape at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

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LOS ANGELES — There is a non-zero chance that somewhere in the nearby solar system is a rock that might kill us all.

This stony assassin may well be orbiting the sun at this very moment, careening down a celestial path that could, one day, intersect with ours.

And if that rock is big enough and hits in the right place — boom. Fire and ...Read more

Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times/TNS

LA teachers union pursues big salary hike and bold ideals in opposition to Trump agenda

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LOS ANGELES — At a time when President Donald Trump has threatened to cut education funding to institutions that cross him, the Los Angeles teachers union is having a throwback moment: It's pushing an aggressive social justice and diversity agenda — and demanding a big raise from the L.A Unified School District.

United Teachers Los Angeles ...Read more

Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Trump administration cuts to NOAA threaten efforts to save sea lions from toxic plankton

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REDONDO BEACH, Calif. — The Trump administration’s targeting of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will jeopardize efforts to save sea lions, dolphins, sea birds and other wildlife stricken by poisons lurking offshore, say marine scientists, public health officials and animal rescuers.

Federal research and funding plays a ...Read more

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images North America/TNS

Fact check: Bill that congressman says protects Medicaid doesn't -- and would likely require cutting it

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“On Feb. 25, I voted yes on a budget resolution that protects Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid while cutting some spending elsewhere.”

Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), in a YouTube video posted March 4, 2025

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On Feb. 25, Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., voted in favor of a House budget resolution that calls for sharp cuts in spending ...Read more

Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Trump's school choice push adds to momentum in statehouses

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More than a dozen states in the past two years have launched or expanded programs that allow families to use taxpayer dollars to send their students to private schools. Now, President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress want to supercharge those efforts.

Trump in January issued an executive order directing several federal agencies to allow...Read more

Jim Watson/AFP/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/TNS

COUNTERPOINT: Wrong time, wrong president for mandatory national service

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There could not be a worse time to implement a required national service for young people.

In a nation that has turned individual freedom into a fetish, such an idea would always be a hard sell. Now, with an autocratic president and his sidekick car salesman slashing federal jobs, it would be a disaster.

Forced service would further sap ...Read more

Jim Watson/AFP/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/TNS

POINT: A case for mandatory national service

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As someone who firmly believes in libertarian/conservative values and principles, I fully understand that compulsory national service could seem like an infringement upon one’s personal freedom. However, I still think it is worth exploring under specific guidelines.

When most people hear the term national service, they automatically think of ...Read more

Spencer Platt/Getty Images North America/TNS

Federal cuts squeeze already-struggling food banks, school lunch programs

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For the Day Eagle Hope Project, federal money has helped volunteers deliver fresh produce and meat to families in need across the remote Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in northern Montana — while putting cash into the hands of farmers, ranchers and meat processors.

The nonprofit generally has less than $300,000 to spend per year. So the $200...Read more

Church director accused of raping minor over years is arrested during Mass, Ohio police say

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A director of worship who worked at two Ohio Catholic churches was arrested during Mass and charged with sexually abusing a minor, according to officials.

Andres Andino, 59, had outstanding warrants when his license plate showed up on Avon Lake Police’s camera system March 16, the Chronicle Telegram reported. Police arrested him outside one ...Read more

Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot/TNS

Evidence in ex-U.S. Attorney's death points to 'natural causes,' police say

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Alexandria police investigating the death of former U.S. Attorney Jessica Aber said Wednesday they have found no evidence of foul play, but the investigation is ongoing.

Aber was found dead Saturday following a report of an unresponsive woman. She was 43 years old.

Aber stepped down as the top federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of ...Read more

Jason Getz/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS

Trump's elections order asserts broad power over voting in Georgia and nation

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President Donald Trump’s expansive executive order on elections Tuesday attempts to take control of voter citizenship verification, absentee ballot deadlines and voting technology, but its immediate impact in Georgia appears to be limited.

The order requires citizenship checks and absentee ballots to be returned by Election Day, both of which...Read more

Yuri Gripas/Abaca Press/TNS

Trump says he could cut China tariffs to secure TikTok deal

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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he would consider lowering tariff rates imposed on China to secure Beijing’s support for a sale of the U.S. operations of ByteDance Ltd.’s social video platform TikTok to an American company.

“Every point in tariffs is worth more than TikTok,” Trump told reporters Wednesday in the Oval Office. ...Read more

KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH/The Charlotte Observer/TNS

NCDHHS to lose more than 80 jobs, $100M after Trump administration cuts COVID funds

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Public health work by universities, hospitals, social services and health departments around North Carolina will be impacted after the Trump administration announced $11.4 billion in immediate cuts, state officials say.

For the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, it will mean more than 80 job losses and at least $100 million...Read more

Appeals court denies Trump bid to pause spending freeze ruling

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A court order blocking President Donald Trump’s freeze on trillions of dollars in spending for grants, loans and other financial assistance will remain in place while the government challenges the ruling, an appeals court said.

Trump’s request to stay a lower court injunction was denied Wednesday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st ...Read more

MANDEL NGAN/AFP/AFP/TNS

President Trump announces 25% tariffs on autos not produced in United States

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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday to levy 25% tariffs on vehicles and certain auto parts not produced in the United States, a policy that experts and industry executives warn could create distinct winners and losers in Detroit.

"This is very modest," Trump said in the Oval Office during the signing. "If ...Read more