WASHINGTON — In the waning days of his administration, President Joe Biden is pushing to strengthen Ukraine’s position against Russia before the return of Donald Trump to the White House.

That’s because the president-elect has pledged to promptly end the grinding war started by Russia’s Vladimir Putin almost three years ago. That likely...Read more

WASHINGTON — Scott Bessent, the veteran hedge fund manager who Donald Trump picked to become the next Treasury secretary, wants tariffs, a shadow chair for the Federal Reserve and maybe a weaker dollar.

If confirmed by the Senate, he will have a sprawling remit: oversee public financing, economic sanctions and the Internal Revenue Service; ...Read more

NEW YORK — Cops have arrested the man they say swiped a $3,000 gold-plated rose from a 9/11 memorial at a Midtown church.

Members of the New York Police Department's Manhattan Warrant Squad grabbed Deikel Alcantara, 21, for Wednesday’s theft at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi on West 31st Street near Seventh Avenue, down the block from ...Read more

Nearly a year after the Biden administration gave Florida the green light to become the first state to import lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada — a longtime goal of politicians across the political spectrum, including President-elect Donald Trump — the program has yet to begin.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hailed the FDA’s approval ...Read more

A California agency charged with slowing health costs has set a lofty goal for insurers to direct 15% of their spending to primary care by 2034, part of the state’s effort to expand the primary care workforce and give more people access to preventive care services.

The board of the state Office of Health Care Affordability in October set its ...Read more

On Thursday, Nov. 26, 1789, George Washington woke early. Assisted by his enslaved valets – William “Billy” Lee and the young Christopher Sheels – he powdered his hair, put on his favorite black velvet suit, tied his white neckwear and donned his yellow gloves.

Finally ready, he set out to travel the short distance from the ...Read more

Thanksgiving doesn’t ring in the ear for months on end, unlike another holiday that lies just ahead. Yet readers may remember a couple of hymns that roll around each November in church, around the dinner table, or even – for readers of a certain age – in school. One I remember well is “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come.” Then there’s...Read more

Historians know that turkey and corn were part of the first Thanksgiving, when Wampanoag peoples shared a harvest meal with the pilgrims of Plymouth plantation in Massachusetts. And traditional Native American farming practices tell us that squash and beans likely were part of that 1621 dinner too.

For centuries before Europeans ...Read more

President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to run the sprawling government agency that administers Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act marketplace — celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz — recently held broad investments in health care, tech, and food companies that would pose significant conflicts of interest.

Oz’s holdings, some shared ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — For years, many residents in the working-class, mostly Latino communities of Sun Valley and Pacoima thought they were going crazy as doctors were unable to figure out why they were plagued with frequent headaches, nausea and nosebleeds.

It turns out they were being gaslighted.

Staff at the L.A. Department of Water and Power hid...Read more

BALTIMORE — County officials say funding the Harford public school system’s requested $60 million budget increase would require tax increases, while school officials warn that not covering the system’s $60 million budget deficit would result in devastating cuts for students. Both outcomes will have an impact on county residents. Here’s ...Read more

Campaign signs for the 2024 general election adorned front yards across Tampa Bay. “Vote No on Amendment 4″ next to a “Trump 2024″ sign. “Don’t make it weird” next to a “Harris Walz” one.

But now that the election is over, what can — and should — residents do with their metal posts and plastic?

Are yard signs recyclable? ...Read more

BOISE, Idaho — In the weeks leading up to what was expected to be a second attempt to execute Idaho’s longest-serving death row prisoner, state prison officials found they had a problem: Their lethal injection drugs expired.

Already difficult to acquire for use in executions, the drugs are costly, too. Idaho paid $100,000 in state funds for...Read more

WASHINGTON — As a candidate, Donald Trump disavowed the MAGA manifesto Project 2025, calling its ideas “abysmal.” Now the president-elect has nominated or appointed to his incoming administration at least five people involved in the project.

The plan became public more than a year ago as the presidential campaign was intensifying. The ...Read more

Former attorney general nominee Matt Gaetz is now selling $500 videos on Cameo.

The disgraced politician’s new business venture comes a day after he withdrew his candidacy to become the next Trump administration’s chief law enforcement official.

His withdrawal followed congressional and law enforcement investigations that reportedly ...Read more

WASHINGTON — U.S. aviation regulators are examining whether pilots of Boeing Co.’s 737 Max should take new precautions following two incidents in which planes were filled with smoke after large birds struck the engines.

A small group of investigators at the Federal Aviation Administration has developed internal recommendations on how to ...Read more

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump is tapping Scott Turner, a former NFL player and veteran of his first term to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Turner served as executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council previously. The president-elect in a statement praised Turner’s work in ...Read more

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Dave Weldon to be director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tapping a former Florida politician and physician to lead the nation’s public health agency.

Weldon will replace Mandy Cohen, who took on the role last year. For the first time in its 78-year history, the nominee for ...Read more