Nation & World

A fire-ravaged property is seen after the Bridge Fire swept through, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Wrightwood, Calif.

A scenic California mountain town walloped by a blizzard is now threatened by wildfire

September 13, 2024, 9:31am Nation & World

In the Southern California mountain town of Running Springs, residents live between two scenic lake resorts — a seemingly serene spot but one also caught between the swings of devastating winter snowstorms and menacing summer wildfires. Read story

People in the audience throw paper airplanes toward the stage during a performance at the Ig Nobel Prize ceremony at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass., Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024.

Studies on pigeon-guided missiles, swimming abilities of dead fish among Ig Nobels winners

September 13, 2024, 9:30am Nation & World

A study that explores the feasibility of using pigeons to guide missiles and one that looks at the swimming abilities of dead fish were among the winners Thursday of this year’s Ig Nobels, the prize for comical scientific achievement. Read story

This undated photo provided on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, by the North Korean government shows its leader Kim Jong Un, center, on an inspecting visit at what they say is an institute of nuclear weapons and a facility for nuclear materials at an undisclosed location in North Korea. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency.

North Korea gives a glimpse of a secretive uranium-enrichment facility as Kim pushes for more nukes

September 13, 2024, 9:26am Nation & World

North Korea offered a rare glimpse into a secretive facility to produce weapons-grade uranium as state media reported Friday that leader Kim Jong Un visited the area and called for stronger efforts to “exponentially” increase its number of nuclear weapons. Read story

Feds rarely punish hospitals for turning away pregnant patients

September 13, 2024, 9:25am Health

As the pregnant woman's contractions rolled in every two minutes, staff at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, dispatched an ambulance to send her elsewhere. Read story

Pilots of an Alaska Airlines jet braked to avoid a possible collision with a Southwest plane

September 13, 2024, 9:24am Nation & World

An Alaska Airlines jet taking off in Nashville braked to a rapid stop on the runway to avoid a possible collision Thursday with a Southwest Airlines plane, and federal agencies are investigating the incident. Read story

From Chinese to Italians and beyond, maligning a culture via its foods is a longtime American habit

FILE - Tito Thepkaysone cooks up some pad Thai at "Love & Thai" restaurant in Fresno, Calif., Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. The Thai restaurant was wrongfully accused of abusing a dog to turn it into meat, a false claim rooted in a racist stereotype.

September 12, 2024, 5:30pm Food

It's a practice that's about as American as apple pie — accusing immigrant and minority communities of engaging in bizarre or disgusting behaviors when it comes to what and how they eat and drink, a kind of shorthand for saying they don't belong. Read story

Earth has overshot key ‘planetary boundaries,’ scientists warn

A crowd of people gather near a large poster that shows a speech bubble from planet Earth that reads "Help!!" on the occasion of the first Earth Day conservation awareness celebration, New York City, April 22, 1970.

September 12, 2024, 1:48pm Nation & World

Human activity is imperiling eight of the planet’s critical life-support systems and seven of them have already passed into a danger zone, according to a massive review of Earth science conducted jointly by more than 60 researchers and published Wednesday in The Lancet Planetary Health. Read story