WASHINGTON — Americans stepped up their spending at retailers last month by the most in a year and a half, easing concerns that the economy might be weakening under the pressure of higher prices and elevated interest rates. The Commerce Department reported Thursday that retail sales jumped 1% from June...
Schools Have Made Slow Progress on Record Absenteeism, With Millions of Kids Still Skipping Class
MEDFORD, Mass. — Flerentin "Flex" Jean-Baptiste missed so much school he had to repeat his freshman year at Medford High outside Boston. At school, "you do the same thing every day," said Jean-Baptiste, who was absent 30 days his first year. "That gets very frustrating." Then his principal did something...
Palestinian Death Toll Surpasses 40,000 as Mediators Hold Cease-Fire Talks
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — The Health Ministry in Gaza says more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war. Thursday’s announcement comes during new efforts to broker a cease-fire to the conflict, now in its 11th month. The count does not distinguish between civilians and militants. It...
Vance and Walz Agree to a Vice Presidential Debate on Oct. 1 Hosted by CBS News
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Sen. JD Vance have agreed to debate each other on Oct. 1, setting up a matchup of potential vice presidents as early voting in some states gets underway for the general election. CBS News on Wednesday posted on its X feed...
Michael Harris Hits Grand Slam in 1st at-Bat After Injury Return, Braves Rout Giants
SAN FRANCISCO — Michael Harris hit a grand slam in his first at-bat after missing nearly two months because of a hamstring injury, helping the Atlanta Braves rout the San Francisco Giants 13-2 on Wednesday night. UP NEXT Giants RHP Logan Webb (10-8, 3.32 ERA) was set to face LHP...
Mediators Hold New Gaza Cease-Fire Talks and Hope to Head Off a Wider War
DOHA, Qatar — International mediators held a new round of talks Thursday aimed at halting the Israel-Hamas war and securing the release of scores of hostages, with a potential deal seen as the best hope of heading off an even larger regional conflict. The United States, Qatar and Egypt met...
All Rise for Aaron Judge. He’s Fastest to Reach 300 Home Runs in MLB History.
CHICAGO — Aaron Judge noticed his teammates dancing in the bullpen as he rounded first. He got quite the reception when he crossed the plate, too. Not only did he hit his 300th homer, the New York Yankees' slugger reached that milestone faster than any other player when he connected...
It’s Instincts Over Strategy for Trump
When Donald Trump held a news conference last week, ostensibly to hit Vice President Kamala Harris for not yet having held one of her own, he said something revealing about how her sudden climb up the Democratic ticket had shaped his own campaign for the presidency — or not. “I...
At Least 1 Arrest Made in Connection to Matthew Perry’s Death, Law Enforcement Source Says
LOS ANGELES — Authorities have arrested at least one person in connection with Matthew Perry's death from an accidental ketamine overdose last year, a law enforcement official tells The Associated Press. The official was not authorized to discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to AP on condition of...
Firefighters Achieve 40% Containment of California’s Park Fire, Fourth-Largest in State History
CHICO, Calif. — California's largest wildfire so far this year was 40% contained Wednesday after scorching more than 670 square miles (1,735 square kilometers). The massive Park Fire was allegedly started by arson on July 24 in a wilderness park outside the Central Valley city of Chico and spread northward with...