August 2026
Ancient mummy DNA provides scientific evidence that colonization brought smallpox to the Americas
NEW YORK | Ancient mummy DNA recovered in Chile has yielded the firmest evidence yet that European colonization brought smallpox to the Americas. Smallpox was one of the deadliest diseases in human history before it was eradicated in 1980, largely thanks to vaccination. For centuries, the virus had killed about one-third of the people it […]
Music Review: Charli xcx remains one of pop’s great contrarians on ‘Music, Fashion, Film’
NEW YORK | When Charli xcx released the barely two-minute, glitched-out “Rock Music,” the first single from “Music, Fashion, Film,” she was almost immediately labeled a provocateur. The song, with its hyperpop affectations and cheeky, lyrical dedication to craft — “I think the dance floor is dead/So now we’re making rock music” — confused and […]
Trump’s arch could harm the integrity of many of Washington’s historical sites, report says
WASHINGTON | President Donald Trump’s proposed 250-foot-tall (76-meter) memorial arch could disrupt the historical significance of dozens of sites near its planned location, according to an assessment by the National Park Service. Many of Washington’s monuments, buildings and sites have been carefully planned over decades to reflect significant moments in the nation’s history and evoke […]
Divided federal appeals court says Trump administration was wrong to terminate climate funds
WASHINGTON | A divided federal appeals court on Tuesday said the Trump administration improperly terminated billions of dollars in funds to boost clean energy projects, handing a win to a coalition of nonprofits picked to run the Biden-era effort. Climate United Fund and other nonprofits won’t have access to their funds immediately as the decision […]
25 states sue over Trump’s new tariffs, calling them ‘pretext’ to replace his old ones
WASHINGTON | Twenty-five states sued the Trump administration Monday over its latest tariffs, calling them a pretext for replacing import taxes the Supreme Court struck down in February. The United States last month imposed double-digit tariffs on 59 countries and the European Union, charging that they had not done enough to crack down on imports […]
Man from El Salvador dies in immigration jail in New Jersey, ICE says
A man from El Salvador has died at an immigration jail in New Jersey that has been the target of months of protests over living conditions for people detained there, federal officials said Monday. Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, 41, had been held at Delaney Hall in Newark after being arrested June 18, according to U.S. Immigration and […]
Trump is making a rare Western trip to talk about the economy, something polls show he’s weak on
WASHINGTON | President Donald Trump is making a rare visit to California and Nevada this week to try to draw contrasts with Democrats on the economy, border security and crime, seeking to shore up support for Republicans in November elections that will determine whether his party keeps control of Congress. The Republican president has struggled […]
Musk likely to face tough questions during SpaceX’s first earnings call as a public company
NEW YORK | Investors in Elon Musk’s space company get a chance to question him Tuesday after SpaceX issues its first quarterly earnings since going public. SpaceX shares are down by half from their June peak as investors worry Musk may have oversold them on its future prospects. They’re also bracing for volatile trading as […]
What to watch in the Aug. 4 primaries: Michigan Senate race tests Democrats’ path forward
Michigan will offer the country its clearest gauge yet on the direction of the Democratic Party, as primary voters in the battleground state choose between a progressive standard-bearer and an establishment-backed candidate. Although there have been similar contests around the country, this one will hold extra weight because Michigan is a key state in presidential […]
Mass funeral held in Gaza and other developments from across the Mideast
CAIRO | A mass funeral was held in Gaza City on Tuesday for 112 Palestinians whose bodies were recovered nearly three years after Israeli warplanes flattened a residential block. Hundreds of people gathered as the bodies wrapped in Palestinian flags were laid in rows near the destroyed buildings before being carried on stretchers through a […]