CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A woman masquerading online as a man netted millions of dollars from a romance scam that targeted the old and the lonely, according to investigators in eastern North Carolina.

The con duped victims across multiple states over the past six years, the Craven County Sheriff’s Office said in a Jan. 26 news release.

“On ...Read more

Venezuela’s new socialist leader, Delcy Rodríguez, has launched a public campaign aimed at reassuring the regime’s radical base that she has not become a puppet of Washington — even as President Donald Trump publicly praises her leadership for fostering what he calls a “wonderful” relationship between the two countries.

In recent ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia lawmakers are set to consider legislation that would make it harder for ICE to operate in the city, including limiting information sharing, restricting activity on city-owned property, and prohibiting agents from concealing their identities.

Among the package of bills set to be introduced Thursday is an ordinance ...Read more

In Minneapolis, two recent fatal encounters with federal immigration agents have produced not only grief and anger, but an unusually clear fight over what is real.

In the aftermath of Alex Pretti’s killing on Jan. 24, 2026, federal officials claimed the Border Patrol officers who fired weapons at least 10 times acted in self-defense...Read more

Eat this, not that. This one food will cure everything. That food is poison. Cut this food out. Try this diet. Don’t eat at these times. Eat this food and you’ll lose weight. With society’s obsession with food, health and weight, statements like these are all over social media, gyms and even health care offices.

But do you need ...Read more

For thousands of years, one tree species defined the cultural and ecological identity of what is now the American South: the longleaf pine. The forest once stretched across 92 million acres from Virginia to Texas, but about 5% of that original forest remains. It was one of North America’s richest ecosystems, and it nearly disappeared.

...Read more

Snow has returned to the Philadelphia region, and along with it the white residues on streets and sidewalks that result from the over-application of deicers such as sodium chloride, or rock salt, as well as more modern salt alternatives.

As an environmental scientist who studies water pollution, I know that much of the excess salt ...Read more

Winter Storm Fern brought Colorado’s mountain towns a bit of what they’ve spent weeks hoping for.

It snowed 23 inches (58 centimeters) at the Crested Butte ski resort over the weekend of Jan. 24-25, 2026. Aspen Snowmass got 13 inches (33 cm).

It was a welcome change in Colorado, where the ski season is off to a slow start....Read more

LOS ANGELES — California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he is investigating reports that TikTok is suppressing anti-Trump content days after the platform averted a nationwide ban by finalizing a U.S. ownership deal backed by Donald Trump.

"Following TikTok's sale to a Trump-aligned business group, our office has received reports — and ...Read more

North Korea fired what appeared to be ballistic missiles off its east coast days after the U.S. released a new defense strategy signaling a reduction in American military support to deter Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions.

Multiple ballistic missiles were launched on Tuesday from north of Pyongyang toward waters off its east coast, South Korea’...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Greg Bovino recently took to the streets of Minneapolis, pulling the pin from a grenade and lobbing it into a crowd of protesters as plumes of vibrant green smoke filled the air and stained snow in the residential neighborhood.

Bovino yelled, “Gas, gas, gas!” as he wound his arm back. He was maskless...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS -- The federal prosecutor who formerly helmed the effort to root out wrongdoing in Minnesota welfare programs has called the state “the leader in fraud.”

Officials are investigating more than a dozen social services programs that federal prosecutors say could have lost some $9 billion to fraud since 2018. Fifteen people have ...Read more

CHICAGO — Shortly after her arrival last fall, Amelia Gray met Hudson, and the pair hit it off immediately. They touched their noses together in greeting and chuffed — a soft, breathy, snorting sound that signals affection or reassurance. Amelia Gray rolled on her back, gently pawing at her counterpart. Later that same day, they played in ...Read more

A federal judge heard arguments on Jan. 26, 2026, as the state of Minnesota sought a temporary restraining order to stop the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operation in the state. The administration has sent some 3,000 immigration agents to Minnesota, and attorneys for the state have argued, in part, that it amounts to an ...Read more

Across Massachusetts, snow accumulation reached over 20 inches in some areas as the massive storm set in to drop even more snow at a slower pace through Monday night.

“In terms of snowball totals, the general theme has been 12 to 17 inches throughout most, if not all, of southern New England,” said NWS meteorologist Francis Tarasiewicz as ...Read more

The death toll from this weekend’s bone-chilling winter storm has climbed to eight, with city officials investigating how so many New Yorkers lost their lives on the streets and whether the deaths were caused by the extreme cold.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Monday that several of the deceased were found to have had interactions with the city’...Read more

The three major Democratic candidates vying to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin clashed Monday night over who would be the strongest opponent to President Donald Trump and his aggressive deportation enforcement operations, each vowing to varying degrees to end the current tactics of his federal immigration agents.

The hourlong debate, ...Read more