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Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner dropped out of the race for Maine Sen. Susan Collins’ seat in Congress, after sexual assault allegations made by a former partner surfaced. Democrats are searching for a replacement. Calls for answers on Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell’s whereabouts and wellbeing are growing. The former Senate majority leader has not been seen in three weeks, leading to spe...

Humans like to know what’s coming next. How to plan for the future. And what the consequences of our actions might be. But the modern world is only becoming less certain — war abroad and political conflict at home, technological breakthroughs once only seen in science fiction, a volatile economy and labor market with the careers of billions at risk. And of course, the climate crisis, which rages o...

At the end of June, the Supreme Court ruled six to three that the federal government can end Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for more than 300,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians currently residing legally in the United States. TPS is a program that allows people from designated countries currently experiencing crises, like natural disasters or civil war, to live and work in the U.S. Some Haitian T...

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. 250 years on, are these words still guiding us? The Declaration of Independence marked the start of our American Experiment. Does that document still hold central tenets of who we are as a nation? Deep political polarization has made that question murkier than perhaps ever before. We reflect on what a shared civic gospel look...

It’s been nearly a year since a major reshaping of the State Department. It was part of the Trump Administration’s goal to overhaul the federal government and to streamline and reduce redundancies. On July 8, 2025 the Supreme Court cleared the way for the Administration’s massive reduction in force plan. Days later, more than 1,350 employees, including foreign services officers were laid off from...

It's a milestone birthday for the U.S. this weekend. And we're marking the 250th by taking a look back at this year's Sounds of America series. Every year, the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress selects 25 pieces of sound to add to its collection — songs, speeches, and beyond. In the past, we’ve partnered with the 14th Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, who oversaw this proje...

Throughout history, adulthood has often been defined by clear markers — turning 18, moving out of your parents’ home, or getting married. But most of us know that being an adult by law is very different from being one in real life. Traditional markers of adulthood like purchasing a home or getting married are happening later and later these days. The average first-time homebuyer in 1981 was just 2...

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” 250 years ago, the founding fathers were days away from adopting the Declaration of Independence. Fast forward to July 4, 2026, two and a half centuries later, has America lived up to thos...

Americans are grappling with a rising cost in healthcare. For the first time in five years, fewer than half of Americans can consistently afford healthcare. That’s according to the latest data from Gallup. The cost of healthcare in the US remains higher than any other large, wealthy country. According to a report from the Department of Health and Human Services, five million fewer people are enrol...

President Donald Trump has taken an increasingly personal role in the government’s clemency process, wielding pardons aid his allies and advance his own political grievances. A Reuters investigation found tha t 96% of Trump’s second-term clemency grants have gone to recipients who didn’t fulfill longstanding DOJ guidelines for such requests. Past presidents on have sidestepped those rules before ,...

This week the Supreme Court sides with President Trump on ending Temporary Protected Status . The decades-long program currently gives legal status in the U.S. to about 350,000 Haitians and more than 6,000 Syrians seeking refuge from crises at home. The court also ruled to renew a “turn-back” policy at the border with Mexico that prevents migrants from entering the U.S. to seek asylum. A decision...

Artificial Intelligence is advancing at a dizzying pace. One analysis shows it doubling its abilities every seven months . And it’s surpassed humans in more than just trivia and Chess. Last year, an AI from Microsoft solved complex medical cases with 85% accuracy, far about the 20% average for experienced physicians . And a recent Stanford report found that some of the newest A-I systems now match...

Black Americans serving in the U.S. military have long lived with a great contradiction. The country they’re fighting to protect is the same one that’s failed to serve and protect them. Despite this, Black Americans continue to enlist. There are over 350,000 Black active duty and select reserve members and more than 2.4 million Black veterans. That’s according to the Institute for Veterans and Mil...

The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. and Israel’s war in Iran. The Israel-Hamas war. Each of these conflicts of the last few years is rewriting how war is fought. Cheap drones are doing damage that once required far more expensive weapons. Battlefield information is now available at a distance in real time. And some of the biggest innovations are coming from countries with relative...

How would lawmakers respond to election interference – both foreign and domestic – ahead of the midterm elections? That was the central question of a summit held earlier this month between top Senate Democrats and election experts. The meeting came weeks after President Donald Trump signed an executive order that gave the U.S. postal service control over who gets to vote by mail. That order is bei...

Novels centering on love and sex are among the best-selling books year after year. More and more are challenging the conventions of romance as a genre — and bringing us well beyond fairy tale endings. Two novels out this summer are pushing some of the boundaries of romance writing and love stories as we know them. Haili Blassingame’s “They All Fall in Love at the End” follows a young Black writer...

When a couple struggles to conceive, the assumption is often that there is something wrong with the woman. Women are evaluated for infertility far more often than men .  But male factor infertility accounts for about half of all infertility cases . And when that’s the case, men are less likely to talk about it, seek support, or even get tested in the first place.   In this installment of our “In G...

This week, on the southern shores of Lake Geneva, leaders of the Group of Seven countries gathered for their annual summit. There are several pressing issues that require attention including the U.S. and Israeli war with Iran , the resulting economic crisis, the state of the Persian Gulf, and long term questions about the future of relations with Iran. The G7 meeting also notably brought Ukrainian...

It’s a busy time for the Supreme Court – with 20 cases left and only weeks left in its term. The Court has a stacked docket of high-profile cases that could have seismic effects for years to come. Decisions are expected soon on immigration and Birthright Citizenship , a nearly 160-year legal precedent that says those born in the US are citizens. Plus decisions on mail in ballots , transgender athl...

President Trump is working fast to remake the nation’s capital in his image. His major construction projects include demolishing the East Wing of the White House for his proposed ballroom and a planned 250-foot arch that would dwarf the Lincoln Memorial. As part of the mission to renovate D.C., the White House has bypassed many of the checks put in place for any president seeking major transformat...

The latest inflation number are out, and prices are rising fast. Last month, prices soared at the fastest rates seen in three years. A new $70 billion immigration enforcement bill narrowly passed the Senate on Tuesday. The package funds ICE and Border Patrol through the end of Trump’s second term in office. And the World Cup began on Thursday, with Mexico taking on South Africa in a replay of the...

In 1966, the United States declared victory over a destructive flesh-eating parasite that devastated livestock. The New World Screwworm is a fly whose larvae burrow into the living flesh of mammals. It was eradicated after a long campaign that involved releasing millions of sterile flies over infested areas. Last week, that fly came back. The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed five cases of...

104 games. 48 teams. Three host nations. One dream. The men’s World Cup returns to North America for the first time in 32 years. And fans from all over the world are descending on cities like Dallas, Toronto, and Monterrey, hoping to watch their nations find glory. But it’s not all grass and glamour. The run-up to this tournament has been plagued by issues around ticket pricing, transportation cos...

Across the U.S., cities and communities are celebrating Pride during the month of June. At the same time, a new poll from Gallup suggests attitudes around LGBTQ issues are shifting. After two decades, support for the community has now dropped. The swing is being largely driven by republicans. Just four years ago, polling data suggested a majority of Republicans supported same sex marriage at 55 pe...

Last week marked the anniversary of Congress passing the 19th Amendment. In 1919, that Constitutional amendment gave women the right to vote — although it only applied in practice to white women for decades. Poll taxes, literacy tests, and Jim Crow-era state laws prevented Black women from voting. Fast forward 107 years, and a growing conservative movement now wants to repeal the 19th Amendment an...