Mister Mittens is a classically handsome playful 7-month-old boy with dapper white feet. If he’s not playing with his foster siblings, you can find him enjoying whatever toys he finds — preferably crinkly ones. Two little kittens were dumped by a human at an apartment complex without their mama cat....
White Smoke Billows From Sistine Chapel as New Pope Elected
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - White smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel on Thursday and the bells of St. Peter's rang out, signaling that cardinals have elected a new pope to succeed Pope Francis and take charge of the Roman Catholic Church. The election came on the first full day of...
AI Execs Say US Must Increase Exports, Improve Infrastructure to Beat China
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top executives at American AI giants OpenAI, Microsoft and Advanced Micro Devices said at a U.S. Senate hearing on Thursday that while the U.S. is ahead in the artificial-intelligence race, Washington needs to boost infrastructure and champion exports to stay ahead of Beijing. The U.S. Senate Commerce...
More Older Americans Worry Social Security Won’t Be There for Them
WASHINGTON — As the Social Security Administration undergoes massive changes and staffing cuts ushered in by the Trump administration, an increasing share of older Americans — particularly Democrats — aren't confident the benefit will be available to them, a poll shows. The share of older Americans who are "not very"...
Head Start Gets a Reprieve From Trump Budget Cuts, but the Fight Isn’t Over
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Chalk one up for the 4-year-olds. Thanks to a relentless onslaught of pleading, cajoling, lobbying and public pressure, Head Start appears to have dodged the federal budget axe — for the time being. Last month, President Donald Trump’s...
Sen. John Fetterman Raises Alarms With Outburst at Meeting With Union Officials
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was meeting last week with representatives from a teachers union in his home state when things quickly devolved. Before long, Fetterman began repeating himself, shouting and questioning why "everybody is mad at me," "why does everyone hate me, what did I...
Catholic Cardinals Signal With Black Smoke There Is No New Pope Yet
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Black smoke billowed from a chimney atop the Sistine Chapel on Thursday, signalling that the cardinals locked in a conclave have not yet chosen a new pope to guide the Roman Catholic Church. Thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square to wait for the smoke to...
Cancer Before Age 50 Is Increasing. A New Study Looks at Which Types
Cancer before age 50 is rare, but increasing, in the United States and researchers want to know why. A new government study provides the most complete picture yet of early-onset cancers, finding that the largest increases are in breast, colorectal, kidney and uterine cancers. Scientists from the National Cancer Institute...
Trump Administration Invokes State Secrets Privilege in Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s Case
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is invoking the " state secrets privilege " in an apparent attempt to avoid answering a judge's questions about its mistaken deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis disclosed the government's position in a two-page order on Wednesday. She...
US Imposes Iran-Related Sanctions on Third China ‘Teapot’ Refinery, Port Terminal
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration on Thursday imposed sanctions on a third Chinese independent - or "teapot" - oil refinery, and port terminal operators in China for purchases of Iranian oil. The U.S. Treasury designated the Hebei Xinhai Chemical Group refinery and three companies for operating a terminal...