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

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 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

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

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

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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

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

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

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization intercepted a ballistic missile from Iran that entered Turkish airspace, Ankara said, raising the risk that the military alliance could be drawn more directly into the war in the Middle East.

The interception over the southeast of the country was the second such incident in less than a week. Turkey warned ...Read more

Hours after an ICE agent shot and wounded a Venezuelan immigrant in north Minneapolis in January, the Department of Homeland Security spun a narrative that the victim had it coming.

He and two other men “ambushed and attacked” the federal officer with a snow shovel and broom handle, the agency claimed on social media, prompting the agent to...Read more

BERKELEY, Calif. — University of California President James B. Milliken, in his first extensive interview since taking the helm of the nation’s premier public higher education system, defended UC’s diplomatic approach to President Donald Trump’s fusillade of actions against the institution — contrasting it with the more aggressive ...Read more

In the final days of 2025, governors around the country trumpeted the hundreds of millions of federal dollars they won from a new, $50 billion rural health fund.

But plans to spend those nine-digit awards aren’t all warmly received.

At least one group of Republican state lawmakers appears to have scuttled an initiative preapproved by federal...Read more

In the aftermath of powerful storms that killed four people and damaged property in southwest Michigan on Friday, victims and their advocates are asking for help.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has declared a state of emergency for Branch, Cass and St. Joseph counties following the storms that ravaged the region Friday afternoon. At least three...Read more

RICHMOND — More than 60 data center-related bills were introduced in the General Assembly this legislative session. About half have been continued to next year or left to languish in committee. Some advocates worry the legislation that does pass this year will not do enough to rein in data center growth they say could strain Virginia’s ...Read more

Senator Paloma Valencia is on track for a landslide in the primary held by Colombia’s conservative movements, positioning among the favorites to become the nation’s next president.

With 77% of ballots tallied, Valencia had 46% of the vote, trouncing eight other candidates and boosting her chance of successfully challenging the hardline ...Read more

For most of his 56 years, Mojtaba Khamenei has kept a low profile in the Islamic Republic, quietly building networks of influence in the country’s security apparatus, its clergy and within its wealthy business elite. As he steps into his father’s shoes, he faces not only a U.S. and Israeli war machine bent on his downfall but a population in...Read more

Authorities are investigating potential terrorism links to two suspects in custody over what New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said was an improvised explosive thrown near Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s residence, people familiar with the investigation said.

“The NYPD Bomb Squad has conducted a preliminary analysis of a device that ...Read more

Hours after Donald Trump threatened to expand strikes on Iran and hit Beijing’s strategic partner “very hard,” China’s top diplomat took the stage before the world’s press and declared this could be a defining year for U.S.-China ties.

“When the two sides treat each other with sincerity and good faith,” Foreign Minister Wang Yi ...Read more