Americans still dreaming of a really big Christmas present can keep that dream alive during Friday's Mega Millions drawing for a jackpot worth an estimated $1.15 billion. Friday’s jackpot will potentially be the fifth largest in the game's history. Mega Millions tickets are $2 a piece. However, the odds of winning...
AI Is a Game Changer for Students With Disabilities. Schools Are Still Learning to Harness It
For Makenzie Gilkison, spelling is such a struggle that a word like rhinoceros might come out as "rineanswsaurs" or sarcastic as "srkastik." The 14-year-old from suburban Indianapolis can sound out words, but her dyslexia makes the process so draining that she often struggles with comprehension. "I just assumed I was...
Israeli Attorney General Orders Probe Into Report That Alleged Netanyahu’s Wife Harassed Opponents
Investigation Focuses on WhatsApp Messages JERUSALEM — Israel's attorney general has ordered police to open an investigation into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's wife on suspicion of harassing political opponents and a witness in the Israeli leader's corruption trial. The Israeli Justice Ministry made the announcement in a terse message late...
What Is Known About a Plane Crash in Kazakhstan as Experts Suspect Russian Air Defense Fire
How Did the Plane Crash? Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 was en route from Azerbaijani capital of Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus on Wednesday when it was diverted for reasons that aren't fully clear yet. It crashed while making an attempt to land in Aktau,...
New York to Charge Fossil Fuel Companies for Damage From Climate Change
ALBANY, N.Y. — Large fossil fuel companies would have to pay fees to help New York fight the effects of climate change under a bill signed Thursday by Gov. Kathy Hochul. New Law Creates Climate Change Fund The new law requires companies responsible for substantial greenhouse gas emissions to pay...
Israel Strikes Houthis in Yemen’s Capital. The WHO Chief Was Just a Few Feet Away.
JERUSALEM — A new round of Israeli airstrikes in Yemen on Thursday targeted the Houthi rebel-held capital and multiple ports, while the World Health Organization's director-general said the bombardment occurred nearby as he prepared to board a flight in Sanaa, with a crew member injured. "The air traffic control tower,...
Holiday Shoppers Increased Spending by 3.8% Despite Higher Prices
Sales rose this year during the holiday shopping season even as Americans wrestled with elevated prices for many groceries and other necessities, according to new data. Holiday sales from the beginning of November through Christmas Eve climbed 3.8%, outpacing the 3.1% increase from a year earlier, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse,...
Americans Are Exhausted by Political News. TV Ratings and a New AP-NORC Poll Show They’re Tuning Out
NEW YORK — As a Democrat who immersed himself in political news during the presidential campaign, Ziad Aunallah has much in common with many Americans since the election. He's tuned out. "People are mentally exhausted," said Aunallah, 45, of San Diego. "Everyone knows what is coming and we are just...
How the Stock Market Defied Expectations Again This Year, by the Numbers
NEW YORK — What a wonderful year 2024 has been for investors. U.S. stocks ripped higher and carried the S&P 500 to records as the economy kept growing and the Federal Reserve began cutting interest rates. The year featured many familiar winners, such as Big Tech, which got even bigger...
Oakland Man Dies in Christmas House Fire After Rescuing His Family
OAKLAND — A man in Oakland was found dead Christmas morning after his house caught on fire, officials said. Firefighters responded around 6:15 a.m. to a residential fire in the area. A 37-year-old man had alerted his family to the fire and rescued his father and aunt as well as...