Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.

Why does some rain fall harder than other rain? – Naomi B., age 9, San Fancisco, California

There are some days when the rain falls peacefully and gently, nourishing the ...Read more

MIAMI — Three months after Venezuelans woke up to the news that strongman Nicolás Maduro had been captured by U.S. military forces and taken to New York to face drug-trafficking charges, many in South Florida and elsewhere are still weighing a question that has lingered for years: Are they willing to return home?

For Victor Jiménez, the ...Read more

It happened a few years ago, but I still remember it clearly. I was seated at a white-tablecloth fine-dining restaurant in Brooklyn, the now-shuttered Clover Hill. In need of a break from booze, I ordered a nonalcoholic cocktail. After the server recited the drink’s composition — beet, oolong tea, tonka bean and a few other carefully ...Read more

Tax time can come with big surprises for some people who have Affordable Care Act coverage, including owing money back to the government for premium subsidies received during the previous year.

More changes lie ahead that make it important for those getting subsidies in 2026 to track their income and take steps to protect against that kind of ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A pair of brush fires erupted in Southern California on Friday afternoon, forcing evacuations in Los Angeles and Riverside counties as the first major blazes of the season after a winter of intense rains and periods of scorching heat.

The fires were being driven by Santa Ana winds gusting at up to 50 mph across the landscape at ...Read more

MIAMI — Relatives of the husband of murdered Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen knew she was in danger and urged police to break down the door of her home Wednesday afternoon to make sure she was alive, 911 calls released Friday show.

Metayer Bowen’s husband, Stephen Bowen, 40, is in Broward County jail on a premeditated murder ...Read more

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A company that’s been touting Anchorage’s mobile voting use has been told to stop.

The Municipality of Anchorage in March sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Mobile Voting Project and its founder, Bradley Tusk, asserting the company has misrepresented the city’s mobile voting.

As the municipality prepares for its ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A pair of fast-moving brush fires erupted in Southern California on Friday afternoon, forcing evacuations in Los Angeles and Riverside counties as the first major blazes of the season after a winter of intense rains and periods of scorching heat.

The fires were being driven by Santa Ana winds gusting at up to 50 mph across the ...Read more

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is singling out the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority as a cautionary tale about Democratic mismanagement of publicly funded programs, using it to justify proposed cuts to homeless assistance services across the country.

Trump’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year, released Friday, asks ...Read more

BOISE, Idaho — Idaho Democratic leaders railed against the state Republican supermajority at a news conference Friday following the end of the legislative session.

Senate Minority Leader Melissa Wintrow and House Minority Leader Rep. Ilana Rubel, both Democrats, criticized their Republican colleagues for prioritizing tax cuts over good ...Read more

WASHINGTON — An American pilot flying over Iran was rescued Friday after his fighter jet was shot down by enemy fire, an attack that defied U.S. proclamations of total control over Iranian skies and prompted a hurried search and rescue operation for the pilot’s crew member.

Word of the downed F-15E, a storied U.S. fighter jet rarely before...Read more

The owner of Gorda by the Sea, the lone gas station for several miles in any direction from this remote, scenic hamlet in Big Sur, California, is charging $9.99 for a gallon of gas because, well, that’s as high as the digital numbers on the gas pumps allow.

“The software only goes to $10,” said Leo Flores, owner of the gas station and ...Read more

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump unveiled a nearly $2.2 trillion spending request for fiscal 2027 on Friday that features an enormous defense boost, posing a major challenge to GOP leaders as they seek an election-year spending deal with Democrats.

National security spending would soar to $1.5 trillion in the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1...Read more

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is requesting $152 million from Congress to begin“rebuilding” the prison on Alcatraz Island for operational use, though his administration appears to have taken few steps toward advancing the project.

The request, in the president’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2027, resurrects Trump’s attention...Read more

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump asked Congress to enact a $2.2 trillion budget for discretionary programs, seeking a massive increase in defense spending, while also renewing his push for steep cuts to domestic agencies.

The 2027 budget proposal released Friday requests $1.5 trillion for defense, a significant increase over the $1 ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Iran shot down a US F-15E fighter jet and a second U.S. plane reportedly crashed in the Gulf region, incidents which marked a significant escalation in the five-week war that’s already triggered a global energy crisis.

The developments added to Iran’s stepped-up attacks Friday as the Islamic Republic targeted energy sites in ...Read more

Bank of America’s $72.5 million settlement to compensate at least 60 survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking ring continues to move forward, following preliminary approval from a federal judge and the scheduling of a final hearing for this summer.

A victim identified as BOA Jane Doe claimed the bank ignored clear warning signs of his...Read more

CHICAGO — On the day after the “Broadview Six” indictment was filed in October charging a group of local Democratic officials and other protesters with conspiracy to impede law enforcement, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent whose vehicle was allegedly damaged in the incident texted a Facebook post about the charges to ...Read more

DENVER — Colorado’s proposed ban on allowing the largest food assistance program to pay for soft drinks is on hold while a lawsuit against the federal government plays out, but Gov. Jared Polis is planning an executive order to limit state soda purchases.

The proposed change would prevent the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, ...Read more