SAN JOSE, Calif. — Disgusting. Sickening. Unacceptable. Reprehensible.

Those are descriptions from federal politicians and child-safety advocates of the “sensual” and “romantic” chats Meta allowed its artificial intelligence bots on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp to have with children.

The Bay Area-based social media giant is ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — A new study has found that people who lived in areas with high levels of leaded gasoline emissions in the 1960s and '70s are more likely to report memory problems today — a finding that researchers say could deepen our understanding of environmental risks tied to dementia.

The study and others presented in July at the 2025 ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The travel pattern resembled a Southern California hiker's dream.

The journey began in Angeles National Forest above Glendora in May 2024 and progressed south into Azusa. There were stops, stays and starts from Monrovia and Sierra Madre, then northeast into La Cañada Flintridge, Tujunga and, eventually, the Santa Clarita ...Read more

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Can you ride out a Category 5 hurricane on the 50th floor? Would you want to?

You might not make it through the storm alive, experts say. Even if you do, your building won’t likely be the same when the storm is over. The South Florida Sun Sentinel spoke to five people in the know to find out how all those tall towers...Read more

As the lifeguards prepared to end their shift, a 77-year-old Russian grandmother visiting her family in Brooklyn was having such a good time at Manhattan Beach Park she called her daughter and told her to hold off on picking her up.

“It’s breezy. It’s good weather,” Liudmila Marchenko told her daughter. “”Give me an hour.”

...Read more

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — President Donald Trump made his expectations clear entering a summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday: “I won’t be happy if I walk away without some form of a ceasefire,” he said aboard Air Force One.

Yet he did, emerging from their meeting in a diplomatic retreat, endorsing Russia’s territorial ambitions ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — While classes were out for summer, districts were busy preparing for the upcoming school year: Finalizing budgets, hiring staff, building programming and working with the state to secure grants are all a regular part of business when kids are out of class.

But the attitude toward education on a federal level has shifted ...Read more

BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho Department of Correction said it’s investigating to determine whether videos of Bryan Kohberger, the man convicted of murdering four University of Idaho students, in his prison cell were leaked online.

IDOC in a news release said it hasn’t yet confirmed the legitimacy of the what appears to be footage of Kohberger...Read more

ORLANDO , Fla. — SpaceX has had a tough year with its Starship program, but the Federal Aviation Administration has cleared the path for the next-generation rocket’s 10th suborbital launch attempt as early as next weekend.

The FAA on Friday closed investigations into mishaps suffered on the ninth launch in May that saw the Super Heavy ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — In downtown Los Angeles, Gov. Gavin Newsom was holding a news conference with Democratic leaders when the Border Patrol showed up nearby to conduct a showy immigration raid.

In Washington, D.C., hundreds of National Guard troops patrolled the streets, some in armored vehicles, as city officials battled with the White House over ...Read more

Donald Trump will host President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington on Monday after the U.S. president abandoned his push for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and Vladimir Putin again insisted that Kyiv give up land in peace talks.

Trump told the Ukrainian president and European leaders in a call that Putin wants Kyiv to cede control of the ...Read more

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — President Donald Trump made his expectations clear entering a summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday: "I won't be happy if I walk away without some form of a ceasefire," he said aboard Air Force One.

Yet he did, ending his meeting with the Russian leader with curt remarks, taking no questions from the press and ...Read more

A sweeping conservation plan identifies where Joshua trees may survive in a warmer future and plots out how to best protect that land.

Proponents say it’s the first time the state has taken steps to conserve a species that’s abundant now but is projected to lose much of its future habitat due to climate change.

Some fear the plan and the ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Hundreds of people gathered in Monrovia on Friday night at a vigil for Carlos Roberto Montoya, who was struck and killed by an SUV after running onto the 210 Freeway while trying to flee U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents this week.

The vigil, held at the Home Depot that was the location of Thursday’s raid, was ...Read more

Self-driving vehicle technology continues to advance, prompting a wave of liability and safety regulations from state lawmakers.

This year, lawmakers in Arizona, Louisiana, Montana, Nevada and the District of Columbia enacted legislation to regulate driverless vehicles, according to a database from the National Conference of State Legislatures....Read more

Jacob Sweidan has seen his patients through the federal immigration raids of the 1990s, a sitting governor’s call to abolish birthright citizenship, and the highly publicized workplace crackdowns and family separation policies of President Donald Trump’s first term.

But in his 40 years as a pediatrician in Southern California serving those ...Read more

BALTIMORE — When Heather Miller Rubens and Lora Hargrove met for the first time this year, they agreed they were doing so at a time of extraordinary dividedness, particularly for religious leaders.

Immigration, abortion and LGBTQ+ rights had long since split Americans into separate, often angry camps. Racial and economic inequality were well-...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — More than a month after the Trump administration moved to rescind $4 billion in expected funding, the future of California’s high-speed rail project remains uncertain.

The money hasn’t been reallocated yet, and California is challenging the decision. But the attempted funding cut has reignited long-standing doubts ...Read more