WASHINGTON — Two months before President-elect Trump moves into the White House again, President Biden has reportedly made a major change in U.S. policy toward Ukraine, authorizing it for the first time to use U.S.-supplied missiles to hit targets deeper inside Russia.

Moscow responded angrily on Monday, with the Kremlin warning of potential ...Read more

NEW YORK — The MTA’s board voted 12 to 1 to approve Gov. Hochul’s modified congestion pricing plan Monday, effectively reviving the controversial toll deigned to fund system improvements.

“This is a hopeful moment,” MTA chairman Janno Lieber said ahead of the vote. “It shows that New Yorkers — we collectively — can take on and ...Read more

Amid fresh allegations that Sean “Diddy” Combs is managing a PR campaign from behind bars intended to intimidate witnesses and influence jurors, lawyers for the embattled hip-hop mogul on Monday demanded a hearing into how federal authorities obtained his paperwork from Brooklyn MDC.

In arguments opposing Combs’ latest request to be ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump will return to the White House with a Senate Republican majority that is larger than the start of his first term and friendlier to him overall, a combination that gives him a powerful advantage to filling his Cabinet and other positions.

There’s a high likelihood that Republicans will have a 53-seat majority when ...Read more

CHICAGO — Hundreds of law enforcement officers stood at attention on the north lawn of St. Rita of Cascia church Monday morning, rain sprinkling down on them, as pallbearers carried the casket of slain Chicago Police officer Enrique Martinez inside the church.

Martinez, 26, was fatally shot on Nov. 4 while he and other officers responded to a...Read more

President-elect Donald Trump Monday backed an “emergency” plan to use the military to carry out mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, which he has said could target more than 10 million people.

“True!!!” Trump posted on his social media site in response to an ally’s claim that the incoming president would use unspecified ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Coming off Thursday night’s loss in front of 65,000 raucous Philadelphia Eagles fans, the Washington Commanders may face an even more unreceptive crowd in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

The panel is slated to consider a host of bills Tuesday, including one that would grant the District of Columbia a 99-year ...Read more

In a statement shared by the Royal Family, Queen Camilla is in mourning.

Alongside a photo of the queen with her beloved rescue puppy, Beth, the family announced her death.

“A sad farewell to Beth, The Queen’s much-loved companion from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home,” the statement began.

According to People, Beth had an untreatable tumor...Read more

ATHENS — A black Adidas hat led police to Jose Ibarra, the 26-year-old accused of killing a nursing student on the University of Georgia campus in February.

On Monday, the second day of Ibarra’s trial, UGA police Sgt. Joshua Epps testified he was told that a security camera had caught a man discarding a jacket the morning of the attack on ...Read more

Standing desks became popular thanks to phrases like “sitting is the new smoking,” which highlighted the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle.

A new study, however, has found standing desks might do more harm than good, not improving heart health but actually leading to circulation problems.

The study focused on 83,000 people who wore devices ...Read more

BOSTON — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said the city will look to continue to protect immigrants in “every possible way” under the threat of mass deportations from President-elect Donald Trump.

“Elections have consequences, and the federal government is responsible for a certain set of actions, and cities — no individual city — can ...Read more

CHICAGO — The 3 p.m. bell at Telpochcalli Elementary marked the start of students’ and teachers’ favorite hours. Students played instruments under the guidance of their musically talented educators and swirled paint on canvases, eventually graduating to create murals that adorned the school’s walls and ceilings.

For the first time in 20...Read more

LAS VEGAS — Studying cosmetology isn’t something Brenda Garcia said she ever saw herself doing. In fact, until she started taking classes, she said she couldn’t do her own hair.

But today, Garcia, 26, is about halfway through a yearlong program that will end in a license, allowing her to help lift up other women the way the program has ...Read more

SACRAMENTO — California leaders are bracing for a clash with Donald Trump on most environmental issues when he returns to the White House, but they’re surprisingly aligned with him on forest management.

Since his first term as president, Trump has blamed the state for its devastating wildfires, telling leaders to thin out its forest and ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to abolish the United States Department of Education. What would such a change mean for Nevada public schools?

While the majority of Nevada’s education funding comes from state and local taxes, around 10% comes from the federal agency. That money funds programs such Title I, which ...Read more

BALTIMORE — It’s almost like a washing machine, if you ask Joseph H. Brown. The casket-shaped metal tank sitting in Brown’s crematory in West Baltimore uses hot water, chemicals and a bit of agitation to dissolve human remains, leaving behind only bone.

The practice, formally known as alkaline hydrolysis, was legalized during this year’...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.

Why do I feel better rested when I wake myself up than I do if my alarm or another person wakes me up? – Calleigh H., age 11, Oklahoma

We’ve all experienced this: You’...Read more

Home insurance rates are rising in the United States, not only in Florida, which saw tens of billions of dollars in losses from hurricanes Helene and Milton, but across the country.

According to S&P Global Market Intelligence, homeowners insurance increased an average of 11.3% nationwide in 2023, with some states, including Texas,...Read more