WASHINGTON — The U.S. Justice Department ended its pursuit of criminal charges against Donald Trump, signaling a conclusion to the extraordinary federal prosecution of a former president whose reelection ensured he’d be shielded from charges in the White House.

Special counsel Jack Smith, who charged Trump with illegally conspiring to ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A decision on whether to resentence brothers Erik and Lyle Menendez for the shotgun killings of their parents was delayed Monday until after the holidays.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic said he needed more time to consider the matter and scheduled a second hearing for Jan. 30.

The brothers, who were convicted of...Read more

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.

Is it possible to dig all the way through the Earth to the other side? – Anishwar, age 8, India

When I was a kid, I liked to dig holes in my backyard in Cincinnati. My ...Read more

Every November, numerous articles recount the arrival of 17th-century English Pilgrims and Puritans and their quest for religious freedom. Stories are told about the founding of Massachusetts Bay Colony and the celebration of the first Thanksgiving feast.

In the popular mind, the two groups are synonymous. In the story of the ...Read more

Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the way companies market their products, enabling them to target consumers in personalized and interactive ways that not long ago seemed like the realm of science fiction.

Marketers use AI-powered algorithms to scour vast amounts of data that reveals individual preferences with unrivaled ...Read more

The billionaire hip-hop producer Sean Combs was charged in September 2024 with sex trafficking and a range of other offenses – and continues to be hit with lawsuits from alleged victims.

Perhaps one of the most stunning aspects of the unfolding case is the large number of people who may have been witnesses to the alleged crimes. ...Read more

President-elect Donald Trump has reaffirmed that once he takes office he plans to declare a national emergency and use the military on American streets to accomplish his promises to round up and deport millions of undocumented migrants.

Many experts’ concerns about this program have included the facts that immigrants contribute ...Read more

The opioid crisis remains a significant public health challenge in the United States. In 2022, over 2.5 million American adults had an opioid use disorder, and opioids accounted for nearly 76% of overdose deaths.

Some patients are fearful of using opioids after surgery due to concerns about dependence and potential side effects, even ...Read more

In late October, more than 80% of Botswana’s electorate went to the polls and voted out the incumbent government. The unexpected result was accepted by all parties, and the outgoing president immediately announced his plans for a smooth transition of power.

This is not unusual in the southern African country – Botswana regularly ...Read more

More than 40 years since the first American servicewomen were allowed to serve in combat, Idaho U.S. Sen. Jim Risch thinks the “jury’s still out” on how the U.S. military should manage women’s involvement in a war zone.

The three-term Republican senator responded to a question over the weekend related to President-elect Donald Trump’s...Read more

SAN JOSE, Calif. — A bid by the co-captain of San Jose State University’s women’s volleyball team to get a purportedly transgender teammate banned from the Mountain West Conference Championship has failed.

Co-captain Brooke Slusser and her co-plaintiffs waited too long to seek an emergency court order barring the player from the ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Standing behind a table bristling with guns and drugs at Baltimore Police Headquarters, officials on Monday touted the takedown of four criminal organizations comprised of at least 39 people as evidence of improving law enforcement coordination.

The gangs operated in Southwest Baltimore and primarily dealt in drug trafficking, but...Read more

DENVER — Mayor Mike Johnston’s pointed comments last week about Denverites resisting a federal mass-deportation effort — including a suggestion that he would mobilize the Denver police department to face off with federal and National Guard troops — have generated blowback in Colorado and across the country.

Even billionaire Elon Musk, ...Read more

CHICAGO — If the life and times of Chicago Alderman Daniel Solis a decade ago were pitched as the plot of a daytime soap opera, it might be rejected as too fantastical.

Sexual trysts at massage parlors, procuring erectile dysfunction pills from friends, an affair with his Chinese translator, a bag of cash handed over at a hotel in Beijing, a ...Read more

In keeping with a long-standing Thanksgiving tradition, President Joe Biden recently pardoned a pair of turkeys. During a ceremony at the White House, the birds — named Peach and Blossom — were spared from the dinner table and given a new lease on life.

While it was an act of pure political pageantry, it highlights the president’s ...Read more

WASHINGTON — As Dillion and Ben, two Clydesdales, pulled an 18-and-a-half-foot Christmas tree in a green wagon up the driveway to the North Portico of the White House Monday afternoon, it was already clear something would be different about this 58-year-old tradition.

At the top of the driveway, first lady Jill Biden and an entourage of ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A Hawaii woman’s father who flew to Los Angeles looking for her after she was reported missing has been found dead near Los Angeles International Airport.

The body of Ryan Kobayashi, 58, was found in a parking lot on Sunday, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner. Los Angeles Police Department officials said they...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — This is the season for California lawmakers to travel across the globe, some to lush beachside resorts with schmoozing lobbyists, at no cost of their own.

A hand-selected group of elected officials spent the last few weeks traveling — gratis — to Hawaii, Vietnam and Taiwan to discuss big-picture policy ideas.

But ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Missouri judge on Monday upheld the state’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors, allowing the state to continue prohibiting treatments such as hormone therapy and puberty blockers for people under 18.

Circuit Court Judge Robert Craig Carter from southern Douglas County wrote in a 74-page order on Monday that the ban...Read more