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Gas prices are up, but other forces may limit the economic harm to the U.S. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

US is less prone to oil price shocks than in past decades

Current News / News & Features /

Oil is a global market, so when prices rise in one place, they rise everywhere. The current war against Iran has already raised oil prices significantly.

Mideast oil production has been slowed by efforts to close the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for oil tankers from the Middle East to the rest of the world, as well as by attacks – ...Read more

A study explored the evolution of several glacial lakes near Bering Glacier, Alaska. Google Earth, AirbusMaxar Technologies, CNES/Airbus

Alaska’s glacial lakes are expanding, increasing the risk of destructive outburst floods

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Every summer, people living near the Mendenhall River in Juneau, Alaska, keep a close eye on the water level. When the river level begins to rise rapidly, it’s a sign that Suicide Basin, a small glacier-dammed lake 5 miles up the mountains, has broken through the glacier again and a glacial lake outburst flood is underway.

After ...Read more

Emily Curiel/ecuriel@kcstar.com/Kansas City Star/TNS

Man who fired fatal shot at KC Chiefs' Super Bowl rally pleads guilty on one count

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Dominic M. Miller pleaded guilty Monday to one count of unlawful use of a weapon in Jackson County Circuit Court for his role in the 2024 Chiefs Super Bowl rally shooting that killed a Kansas City-area mother and injured dozens.

The 20-year-old Kansas City man was accused of firing the fatal shot that killed 43-year-old ...Read more

Barry Williams/New York Daily News/TNS

ISIS-inspired suspects who threw explosive devices near Gracie Mansion wanted to cause more damage than Boston Marathon, NYPD says

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NEW YORK — The Gracie Mansion counterprotesters accused of throwing IEDs were inspired by the Islamic State terror group and wanted to cause more carnage than the Boston Marathon bombing, federal prosecutors said Monday.

Ibraham Kayumi, 19, and Emir Balat, 18, were radicalized and bent on destruction, with two of the three devices linked to ...Read more

Pennsylvania State Police/Pennsylvania State Police/TNS

'He died protecting others': Pennsylvania state trooper shot and killed during Chester County traffic stop

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PHILADELPHIA — A motorist who was pulled over after driving erratically on a Chester County roadway opened fire on a Pennsylvania state trooper Sunday night, killing him, authorities said. Then, they said, the motorist turned his gun on himself and ended his life.

Cpl. Timothy J. O’Connor Jr. stopped the driver shortly before 8:30 p.m. near...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Michigan state senator's wife is being charged with embezzlement

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LANSING, Mich. — Kellie Lauwers, the wife of Michigan state Sen. Dan Lauwers, is facing two felony charges, according to court records, after a small chamber of commerce in St. Clair County accused her of stealing from the organization.

On Friday, Kellie Lauwers, who had been the treasurer of the Yale Area Chamber of Commerce, was charged ...Read more

Julien De Rosa/Getty Images North America/TNS

Trump to oil tankers: 'Show some guts' amid Iran war danger

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President Donald Trump on Monday urged oil tankers to “show some guts” and sail out of the Persian Gulf amid the danger posed by the Iran war that has practically shut down shipping through the strategic Straits of Hormuz.

As the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran raged with no end in sight, Trump said oil tankers should brave the threat posed by ...Read more

Carlos Gonzalez/Minnesota Star Tribune/TNS

How the Rebel Loon became a symbol of resistance to ICE

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MINNEAPOLIS — Take Minnesota’s state bird, the loon, combine it with the “Star Wars” Rebel Alliance symbol, and the Rebel Loon is born.

During Operation Metro Surge, Moorhead-based software engineer Bernardo Anderson felt inspired when he saw friends come together across the political spectrum.

“I kept thinking about how this is a ...Read more

Barry Williams/New York Daily News/TNS

ISIS inspired suspects who threw IED at NYC Gracie Mansion anti-Islam protestor, NYPD says

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NEW YORK — The Gracie Mansion counterprotestors accused of throwing IEDs were inspired by ISIS, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Monday.

Ibraham Kayumi, 19, and Emir Balat, 18, were radicalized and bent on destruction,with two of the three devices linked to them containing the hallmark explosive seen in bombings around the world, Tisch ...Read more

Marie Audinet/Hans Lucas/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Colombian congressional elections reveal polarized electorate as left wing leads

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BOGOTÁ, Colombia – Colombia’s left wing is on track to win the largest number of seats in legislative elections held Sunday, but faces an emboldened right-wing bloc, according to the preliminary vote count.

The Pacto Historico, or Historic Pact, founded by incumbent president Gustavo Petro – who is not eligible for re-election – won 22...Read more

STR/Getty Images North America/TNS

Iran signals no letup in war as Khamenei's son made leader

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Iran chose Mojtaba Khamenei, the hardline son of the assassinated Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as its new supreme leader, signaling Tehran won’t back down in a war now raging across the Middle East and causing a surge in energy prices.

The choice was quickly criticized by U.S. President Donald Trump, who is under mounting pressure as oil prices ...Read more

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth responds to questions about the Iran war in a March 2, 2026, press conference. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

I’ve studied MAGA rhetoric for a decade, and this is what I see in Hegseth’s boasts, action-movie one-liners and gloating over dominance

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When Secretary of Defense James Mattis addressed the intensification of U.S. combat operations against the Islamic State group in 2017, he assured the American public of his commitment to “get the strategy right” while maintaining “the rules of engagement” to “protect the innocent.”

Mattis’ professional tone was a stark...Read more

Wearing silicone wristbands that absorb pollutants could help scientists monitor for chemicals in the air.  Venier Lab

Silicone wristbands can help scientists track people’s exposure to pollutants like ‘forever chemicals’

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Every morning, people fasten their watch, slip on a bracelet and head out the door without thinking much about what they might encounter along the way. The air they breathe, the dust on their hands and the surfaces they touch all feel ordinary. Yet many chemical exposures happen quietly, without smell, taste or warning.

What if ...Read more

Most people get acquainted with their appendix when it's inflamed and about to rupture. Sebastian Kaulitzki/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

What does the appendix do? Biologists explain the complicated evolution of this inconvenient organ

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Most people know only two things about the appendix: You don’t need it – and if it bursts, you need surgery fast.

That basic story traces back at least to Charles Darwin, the English naturalist who developed the theory of natural selection. In “The Descent of Man,” he described the appendix as a vestige: a leftover from plant-...Read more

An aerial view shows cooling vent fans on the roof next to generators on the lower level of a data center in Ashburn, Va. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Abandoned Pennsylvania mines and waste-heat recycling could make the state’s massive new data centers far more sustainable

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The electricity needed to power new Pennsylvania data centers already in advanced stages of planning could power 11 million homes – nearly twice the total number of households in the state.

Companies that want to build data centers to expand their cloud and artificial intelligence computing are drawn to Pennsylvania due to its ...Read more

Gases in the atmosphere warm the Earth by trapping heat close to the planet’s surface. Too much of those greenhouse gases can cause global temperatures to rise beyond normal and stay high.
              Climate Central, CC BY

Why do mountaintops stay snowy, even though they’re closer to the Sun?

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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 we see snow on mountaintops that are closer to the Sun but not near the ground? – Ms. Drew’s third grade class, Beechview Elementary School, Farmington Hills, Michigan

...Read more

Painting in the Wisconsin State Capitol of 'The Signing of the American Constitution.' George Washington is seen presiding over the occasion, and on the right in the foreground is James Madison.   E. R. Curtiss/Wisconsin Historical Society/Getty Images

What James Madison can teach Americans about religious freedom today

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As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, debates about religious freedom continue to occupy the center of American public life.

Since taking office for a second time, the Trump administration has issued a number of executive orders on religion that raise new questions about religious freedom...Read more

Mobile clinics offer a practical way to improve health care access in maternity care deserts

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Only three of the 14 counties in north-central Florida provide full access to obstetric care. Six have low access to care – meaning there are fewer than two hospitals offering obstetric care or birth centers per 10,000 births and fewer than 60 obstetric providers. The remaining five counties are maternity care deserts. Approximately 3,400 ...Read more

STR/Getty Images North America/TNS

Iran signals no letup in war as Khamenei's son made leader

Current News / News & Features /

Iran chose Mojtaba Khamenei, the hardline son of the assassinated Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as its new supreme leader, signaling Tehran won’t back down in a war now raging across the Middle East and causing turmoil in energy markets.

The choice was quickly criticized by U.S. President Donald Trump, who is under mounting pressure as oil prices ...Read more

Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

New Florida Board of Medicine doctor opposes vaccine requirements, abortion

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida senators are set to confirm four new Board of Medicine appointees, one of whom is ardently opposed to abortion, hormonal birth control and vaccine requirements.

Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Dr. John Littell in November to the 15-person board, which in part is responsible for disciplining Florida doctors when they ...Read more