BEIRUT — During his first term as president, Donald Trump took a bold if controversial approach to the Middle East.

He moved the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, forged landmark deals between Israel and some Arab states and tore up the international nuclear deal with Iran.

He imposed his will using a transactional style of...Read more

Fast fashion is everywhere – in just about every mall, in the feeds of influencers on social media promoting overconsumption, and in ads constantly popping up online.

Its focus on the continual production of new clothing is marked by speedy fashion cycles that give it its name. Fast fashion is intended to quickly copy high-end ...Read more

You have scheduled an appointment with a health care provider, but no matter how hard you try, no one seems to be able to reliably tell you how much that visit will cost you. Will you have to pay US$20, $1,000 – or even more?

Patients are increasingly on the hook for health care costs through deductibles, co-pays and other fees. As ...Read more

The United States presents a paradox: Though the media and public opinion suggest it is a nation deeply divided along partisan lines, surveys reveal that Americans share significant common ground on many core values and political issues.

As a political philosopher, I am deeply concerned about the perceived contrast between the public�...Read more

Some years ago, I was rushing past the treasures of the Louvre in Paris, on the way to the “Mona Lisa,” when a painting stopped me in my tracks.

Massive and unusually elongated, “The Triumph of St. Thomas Aquinas” depicts the 13th-century saint throned in a golden sun, with Aristotle and Plato standing reverently on either ...Read more

An estimated 18 million Americans are invested in cryptocurrency, according to the Federal Reserve. And the United States just elected a pro-crypto president.

Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin have become a trendy digital asset. Supporters claim that crypto subverts capitalism because it bypasses traditional bankers. Crypto can offer ...Read more

The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes, adding to pressure on the country’s leadership over the conduct of its military campaign against Hamas.

The Hague-based court’s announcement on Thursday followed an application by the ICC’s chief prosecutor in ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A woman told Monterey police that Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for Defense secretary, took her phone, blocked her from leaving his hotel room and sexually assaulted her, according to a newly released police report.

On Wednesday evening, the Monterey Police Department released a 22-page report revealing ...Read more

WASHINGTON — While Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer pushes to confirm many of Joe Biden’s judicial nominees through the lame-duck session, Republicans have employed a series of procedural tactics to slow down the process as much as possible.

When Schumer attempted to file cloture on nominees Monday evening, a procedural step ...Read more

BALTIMORE — During the first two months of the school year, there have been 13 traffic accidents involving Carroll County school buses, according to Transportation Services Director Michael Hardesty. No accident-related injuries were reported.

“With over 250 to 300 busses on the road every single day, doing 5.2 million miles annually, we ...Read more

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump’s first actions upon taking office in January could set the tone for how much he plans to leave the issue of regulating abortion to the states.

Presidents typically make two key global family planning decisions during their first week in office: whether to fund the United Nations Population Fund, ...Read more

A new federal rule will require water utilities across the country to pull millions of lead drinking water pipes out of the ground and replace them, at a cost of billions of dollars.

States, cities and water utilities agree that the lead pipes need to go to ensure safe water for residents. But they say they may struggle to do so in the 10-year ...Read more

ORR, Minn. — Nothing seemed to stop Wolf 04D.

The wildlife biologists thought they had ended a decades-long struggle between rancher and wolf when they built a 7.5-mile fence in the heart of Minnesota’s wolf territory. Even the rancher, Wes Johnson, had high hopes when he came across a wounded deer on his land and saw that the wolves ...Read more