The entire island of Cuba is undergoing a blackout that began late Friday morning due to the failure of one of the few energy plants that were still working, amid what the government a few hours before called an “energy emergency.”

The failure at 11 a.m. at the Antonio Guiteras power plant in the western province of Matanzas left the entire...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — A federal judge rebuked Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration for threatening television stations with criminal charges if they didn’t stop showing ads favoring an abortion rights measure, and supporters of that ballot amendment cheered his ruling Friday.

Judge Mark Walker blasted state officials in an order issued late ...Read more

The attorneys general of Kansas, Missouri and Idaho are trying, once again, to restrict access to medication abortion, the most commonly used form of abortion nationally.

The Republican-led states filed a complaint earlier this month to prohibit mifepristone’s use after seven weeks of pregnancy instead of 10 and require three in-person doctor...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A stretch of potentially hazardous weather is spanning much of California through the weekend, with gusty winds, red flag conditions and the risk of additional power shutoffs — already in place for thousands — to avoid sparking any deadly wildfires.

From Redding to Riverside, forecasters are warning of a strong offshore flow...Read more

PITTSBURGH — For the first time, the American Academy of Pediatrics has announced clear guidelines for how and when pediatricians and psychiatrists should prescribe opioids to children.

The news comes at the tail end of an era of the opioid crisis fueled by prescription pills including OxyContin, which were prescribed to millions of people ...Read more

CHICAGO — Authorities have accused a Florida man of shoving and slapping a Chicago police officer during a contentious pro-Palestine rally at the University of Chicago Friday.

A Chicago police officer attempting to disperse a group of protestors who surrounded a U. of C. police squad car said he felt someone — who was later identified as ...Read more

ATLANTA — Luther Rice College & Seminary in Lithonia has filed a lawsuit against some state officials, claiming they’ve discriminated against the institution by not allowing students to receive any state financial aid.

Georgia has several college financial aid programs, including the merit-based HOPE scholarship. The funding is available to...Read more

MIAMI — Water did much of Hurricane Milton’s damage in Florida — but unlike Helene just two weeks earlier, it wasn’t just from the record storm surge that swept over Gulf Coast beaches and communities.

Milton was a massive rainmaker — overflowing canals, rivers and lakes and flooding homes and neighborhoods from North Tampa to Orlando...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Beautiful and artificial, the 100-acre lake on Burlington Island embodies the sort of complexities that for centuries have helped make this storied piece of South Jersey real estate alluring, inspiring — and a periodic source of controversy.

The western shore of the verdant, uninhabited Delaware River island is 1,000 feet ...Read more

The U.S. said it would begin a renewed push for a cease-fire in Gaza after Israel killed Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas who ordered the Oct. 7 attacks, in an effort to end the yearlong war that’s devastated the Palestinian territory.

President Joe Biden said he’s sending Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Israel as part of efforts to ...Read more