Despite objections over the expedited process to redraw congressional districts, the South Carolina House passed a new map aimed at electing seven Republicans to the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2026 midterms.

After just three days of floor debate, lawmakers opted against any changes to the proposed map. The proposal heads to the state ...Read more

Iran warned it would retaliate beyond the Middle East if the U.S. or Israel attacks it again, following renewed threats from President Donald Trump.

The U.S. and Iran seem deadlocked over how to turn their fragile ceasefire into a more permanent peace, with neither side toning down its belligerent rhetoric in recent days.

Trump said late ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Human rights advocates on Tuesday rallied outside the state Capitol to push back on Gov. Gavin Newsom's proposed budget plan to reduce state-sponsored healthcare coverage for undocumented immigrants.

"We are here to demand a budget that protects California's values," said Kiran Savage-Sangwan, executive director of ...Read more

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin praised the strength of their relationship during talks in Beijing as both countries seek to reinforce bilateral ties in the shadow of wars in Ukraine and Iran.

The two leaders signed a pact on deepening strategic cooperation on Wednesday before looking on as officials from...Read more

Speaking to Cubans directly in a recorded video message in Spanish to mark the anniversary of Cuba’s Independence Day on Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered a “new relationship” between the United States and the Cuban people that could open up the way to a future in which Cubans could freely elect their leaders and be ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The critically endangered Torrey pine tree only grows naturally two places in the world — a state park near San Diego and on Santa Rosa Island — and one of those places is on fire.

A wildfire sparked by a flare from a shipwrecked sailor has burned through nearly one-third of Santa Rosa Island, including the Torrey pine grove...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Computers — and all other digital screens — would be banned for Los Angeles public school students until second grade, according to a draft plan to limit screen time.

The ban would start at the beginning of the school year this fall. Older students would see screen-time limitations phased in over the 2026-27 school year.

...Read more

With the 2026 midterms less than six months away, the Election Security Group would normally be busy helping prepare the nation’s election infrastructure. The federal task force typically briefs Congress on upcoming threats and engages with state and local leaders to game out scenarios ranging from ransomware to critical infrastructure ...Read more

Imagine this scenario: In late 2025, a social worker sits down with a transgender teenager and his parents. The family is trying to decide whether, and when, to begin gender-affirming hormone treatment.

No one in the family was questioning this young person’s gender identity. The teen had been living as a boy for years. By all ...Read more

For decades, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has relied on an independent scientific program to answer two basic questions when chemicals come up for review: Does the chemical pose a threat to human health? If so, how much exposure is necessary before it becomes a problem?

The scientists involved in that program, known as the...Read more

Iran warned it would retaliate beyond the Middle East if the U.S. or Israel restart attacks on the Islamic Republic, following renewed threats from President Donald Trump.

The U.S. and Iran seem deadlocked over how to turn their fragile ceasefire into a more permanent peace, with neither side toning down its belligerent rhetoric in recent days....Read more

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin praised the strength of their relationship during talks in Beijing as both countries seek to reinforce bilateral ties in the shadow of wars in Ukraine and Iran.

The two leaders signed a pact on deepening strategic cooperation on Wednesday before looking on as officials from...Read more

LOS ANGELES — One of NASA's most valuable assets is a Southern Californian.

Following the space agency's successful Artemis II mission around the moon last month, Victor Glover — who grew up primarily in the Inland Empire and has spent much of his career at Southern California's many military and aerospace hubs — is now the only pilot to ...Read more

Stigma is fading and new laws are passing that will help increase access to menopause treatment.

When Jacqueline Perez started experiencing symptoms of menopause in her early 50s, the brain fog was so severe, she thought she had early onset dementia.

Perez, who founded a website dedicated to normalizing aging for women, said she gained more ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Sen. Bill Cassidy’s loss in the Louisiana Republican primary over the weekend puts the future of the powerful Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in flux.

During his tenure as HELP chair, Cassidy has pushed legislative priorities such as a proposal to establish pre-funded health savings accounts for people on the ...Read more

Thousands of Americans prayed on the National Mall on May 17, 2026, during “Rededicate 250”: a day-long rally to “come together in prayer and worship ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday,” as organizers described it. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, one of many Republican politicians and conservative Christian leaders to speak, led ...Read more

Memorial Day is an apt time to reflect on the long-term consequences of war. Among them are substance use, mental health problems, homelessness and jail time for those who served in the military.

About 8% of all Americans in prisons or jails are veterans, according to the Council on Criminal Justice, a nonpartisan think tank. Veterans...Read more

Two Boston city councilors are calling for the city to rescind Mayor Michelle Wu’s $43,000 raise and the Council’s tiered $21,500 raise and redirect that money to restore budget cuts amid a $70 million shortfall.

Councilors Erin Murphy and Ed Flynn plan to ask their colleagues to vote on a resolution Wednesday that aims to claw back the ...Read more

President Donald Trump threatened to resume strikes on Iran in the coming days as part of the push for a deal to end the war, after he said he had just called off a U.S. attack.

“I hope we don’t have to do the war, but we may have to give them another big hit,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday. When asked how long he would wait, he said: ...Read more