U.S. News

Many kids are struggling. Is special education the answer?

The COVID-19 pandemic sent Heidi Whitney’s daughter into a tailspin. FILE - Desks are spaced apart ahead of planned in-person learning at an elementary school on March 19, 2021, in Philadelphia. The COVID-19 pandemic spared no…

Expert looks at 2022 holiday seasons best toys

JACKSON, Tenn. -- Monday, Elizabeth Werner, a lifestyle expert, shared with tips on how to pick out exciting holiday gifts for the special kids in our lives. Among some of…

EXPLAINER: US power grid has long faced terror threat

WASHINGTON (AP) — Investigators believe a shooting that damaged power substations in North Carolina was a crime. What they don't have yet is a suspect or a motive. FILE - Power transmission lines deliver electricity to rural Orange…

Justices spar in latest clash of religion and gay rights

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court 's conservative majority sounded sympathetic Monday to a Christian graphic artist who objects to designing wedding websites for gay couples, a dispute that's the latest clash of religion and gay rights to land at the highest…

George Clooney, Gladys Knight among Kennedy Center honorees

By Rebecca Santana - Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Performers such as Gladys Knight or the Irish band U2 usually would be headlining a concert for thousands but at Sunday's Kennedy Center Honors the tables will be turned as they…

'Wakanda Forever' is No. 1 for 4th straight weekend

By Jake Coyle - AP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) — "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" kept the box-office crown for the fourth straight weekend, and the comic holiday thriller "Violent Night" debuted with $13.3 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.…

FDA change ushers in cheaper, easier-to-get hearing aids

By Tom Murphy - AP Health Writer It's now a lot easier — and cheaper — for many hard-of-hearing Americans to get help. Hearing aids can now be sold without a prescription from a specialist. Over-the-counter, or OTC, hearing aids…

Man charged with threatening doctor over transgender care

BOSTON (AP) — Federal prosecutors have charged a Texas man with threatening a Boston physician who cares for transgender children. Thirty-eight-year-old Matthew Jordan Lindner of Comfort, Texas, faces a charge of transmitting interstate threats. He was arrested Friday in Texas…

Man arrested in fatal shooting of Migos rapper Takeoff

By Lekan Oyekanmi and Jake Bleiberg - Associated Press HOUSTON (AP) — A 33-year-old man was arrested on a murder charge in the shooting of rapper Takeoff, who police on Friday said was an "innocent bystander" when he was struck…