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States rush to figure out how to enforce Trump's Medicaid work requirements

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State officials remain uncertain on how to enforce a requirement that many adult Medicaid enrollees show they’re working — even as one state launches its program this week— and they’re taking a variety of approaches to the job, including, in a handful of states, using artificial intelligence.

A KFF survey of Medicaid officials from 42 ...Read more

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Three new measles cases reported in South Florida; state still ranks fourth in US

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Three additional measles cases were reported in South Florida in April as the state, for two consecutive months, ranks fourth in the U.S. for the highest number of cases this year.

As of April 25, the latest data available, there have been a total of 149 measles cases in the state since Jan. 1, Florida Department of ...Read more

Court filing reveals new details of home invasion linked to a Chicago rapper

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CHICAGO — The masked home invaders that ransacked a Winnetka, Illinois, residence in search of cryptocurrency accounts in March held a person face-down on the ground as a child ran for help, new court filings allege.

A criminal complaint filed in Chicago federal court on Wednesday reveals new details in the high-profile invasion, which ...Read more

Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group/TNS

Trump administration investigates Stanford University for racial discrimination

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SAN JOSE, Calif. — Stanford is backing away from a program designed to support teachers of color after accusations of racial discrimination led to a federal investigation announced this week.

The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights will determine whether Stanford violated Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act — a federal law ...Read more

A pregnant mother with untreated syphilis can pass it to the unborn fetus. Halfpoint Images/Moment via Getty Images

Syphilis cases in expectant mothers have dramatically risen since the pandemic – here’s what’s driving the trend

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Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacteria Treponema pallidum.

During pregnancy, this bacteria can pass from a mother with untreated syphilis, known as maternal syphilis, to her child in utero, causing the fetus to contract congenital syphilis.

In January 2026, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and ...Read more

Barbed wire surrounds the GEO Group ICE detention facility in Adelanto, Calif. on July 10, 2025.  Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

When immigration detention becomes a system of concentration: Lessons from research on 150 historical cases

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The phrase “concentration camp” is freighted with dark historical meaning. Most people hear it and instinctively think of concentration camps used by the Nazis to exterminate Jews and other minority populations during the Holocaust.

But the use and name of concentration camps originated far earlier. In the late 1800s, Spanish ...Read more

Sycophancy eats away at truth and trust. Andriy Onufriyenko/Moment via Getty Images

AI chatbots can prioritize flattery over facts – and that carries serious risks

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In the summer of 2025, OpenAI released ChatGPT 5 and removed its predecessor from the market. Many subscribers to the old model had become attached to its warm, enthusiastically agreeable tone and complained at the loss of their ingratiating robotic companion. Such was the scale of frustration that Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, had to ...Read more

Gas prices were well over $4 a gallon on April 28, 2026, in Brooklyn, N.Y. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

What’s in the price of a gallon of gas?

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The U.S. Energy Information Administration expects nationwide retail gasoline prices to average near US$4.30 a gallon for April 2026 – the highest monthly average of the year. The political response has been familiar. Georgia has suspended its state gas tax, other states are weighing their own tax holidays, and the White House has issued a ...Read more

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Iran internet blackout tightens military's grip on civilian life

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Iran’s record internet blackout is emerging as a key dividing line between the country’s powerful security apparatus and its civilian government, underlining how the war with the U.S. has extended the military’s control over daily life.

Top government officials have become increasingly vocal about their opposition to the shutdown, imposed...Read more

PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Failed plane and bus trips: How ICE can't bring back man wrongfully deported to Mexico

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The U.S. government had no trouble deporting Lazaro Romero León to Mexico in February, despite a California federal judge's order that the Cuban national stay in this country.

The problem now, government officials claim, is getting him back.

First, Immigration and Customs Enforcement considered putting Romero León on a plane from the Mexican...Read more

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

One of the World Cup's biggest sponsors is Big Oil

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As FIFA prepares to bring the largest-ever World Cup to Los Angeles and other parts of North America this summer, the global soccer organization is again promoting a commitment to environmental sustainability. But some of its sponsorship agreements tell a different story — including a premiere deal with the largest oil and gas company in the ...Read more

Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group/TNS

'It's like a big camping trip': Mountain View residents near a week without safe drinking water

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MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Dozens of Mountain View homes have gone nearly a week without safe drinking water after a construction mishap contaminated a city water main, forcing families to cook, clean and care for children using bottled water.

An 11-month-old baby uses lots of water for Mountain View resident Maggie Wang. There’s the bottles ...Read more

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Trump says Iran blockade 'incredible' as pump prices keep rising

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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he was sticking with a naval blockade of Iranian ports amid concerns the vital Strait of Hormuz would not reopen anytime soon.

“Their economy is crashing, the blockade is incredible,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “Their economy is a disaster. So we’ll see how long they hold out.”...Read more

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images North America/TNS

Trump signs permit for oil pipeline echoing Keystone XL

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WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a presidential permit authorizing the Bridger Pipeline expansion project meant to carry Canadian crude to Wyoming — the latest in years of back-and-forth over oil pipelines linking the countries.

The project is a quasi-revival of the canceled Keystone XL pipeline that would have ...Read more

Aaron Flaum/Hartford Courant/TNS

Connecticut child takes own life shortly after DCF visit, official says

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HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut’s child advocate addressed Gov. Ned Lamont, the Department of Children and Families commission, state policymakers and the public Thursday, saying deficits in care provided by DCF to the state’s children must be “urgently remedied” and that she is “increasingly alarmed” about the quality of services.

...Read more

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Novo obesity shot Wegovy helped alcoholics drink less in study

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Novo Nordisk A/S’s obesity shot Wegovy helped people with alcoholism reduce their drinking, in the first controlled study of patients who sought help with their addiction.

Volunteers on Wegovy reported drinking heavily for five days in a 30-day period after six months of treatment, 12 fewer days than before they started. The improvement ...Read more

Trump invites Iraq premier-designate to US, eyeing stronger ties

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President Donald Trump invited Iraq’s prime minister nominee to visit Washington after he forms a new government, as the U.S. seeks to limit Iran’s influence on its neighbor.

In a telephone call, Trump and Ali al-Zaidi discussed “ways to develop and strengthen” bilateral relations between the U.S. and Iraq in various fields,” ...Read more

Marc Lester/Anchorage Daily News/TNS

Alaska Gov. Dunleavy vetoes sweeping election reform bill

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Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Thursday vetoed a sweeping election reform bill passed by the Legislature in March, the result of years of negotiations between factions in the House and Senate.

The bill seeks to make numerous changes to Alaska’s election laws sought by both Democrats and Republicans.

The Alaska Constitution calls on lawmakers ...Read more

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New Princess Diana docuseries to feature hours of her unheard tapes

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Five hours of never-before-heard taped conversations the late Diana, Princess of Wales, recorded in secret in 1991 will form the basis for a new docuseries telling her life story in her own words, the project’s production team announced.

Diana made the clandestine recordings with close friend Dr. James Colthurst to document the disintegration...Read more

Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Funeral services for slain Chicago Officer John Bartholomew set for next week

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CHICAGO — Visitation and funeral services for slain Chicago Police officer John Bartholomew are set for next Thursday, and Friday, May 7-8, at St. Andrews Greek Orthodox Church in Edgewater.

The May 7 visitation begins at 2 p.m. and lasts until 8 p.m., and the funeral is scheduled for the next day at 10 a.m., according to Bartholomew’s ...Read more