Across the Country
National News
Top headlines from national outlets, refreshed every 15 minutes. Each story opens on the original publisher’s site.
How a French philosopher’s warnings about speed and power describe today’s AI race
Paul Virilio, a French philosopher, died in 2018. But his writings on technological ‘accidents’ help explain dilemmas the world faces today amid increasing use of artificial intelligence.
The Conversation
Why a company donating $20,000 a month counts for more than $240,000 once a year in the eyes of customers
New research suggests that some ways that companies boast about their charitable giving are more effective at brand-building than others.
The Conversation
A Feejee Mermaid on display in Colorado may shock and intrigue – but it’s no longer considered a ‘missing link’ on the evolutionary tree
All hoax – no science – the Feejee Mermaid startled American audiences that imagined it a real sea creature.
The Conversation
NASA’s Swift Observatory is about to burn up in the atmosphere – the indispensable telescope helped astronomers track fast-moving events in space
The Swift Observatory allowed astronomers to study events that happen quickly in the universe, such as stars exploding.
The Conversation
How space weather powers auroras in the sky and threatens power grids on the ground
When an aurora lights up the sky, electric currents can also flow through the ground beneath your feet.
The Conversation
Are schools a great equalizer? They help kids catch up, but wealthier children still pull ahead
By some measures, schools are a great equalizer for children coming from different backgrounds. But this isn’t the full story.
The Conversation
Short supplies of crucial equipment stymie changes to US electricity grid
Whether you want renewable energy, fossil fuel power plants, data centers or reduced storm vulnerability, it will require equipment that’s hard to make out of materials that are hard to get.
The Conversation
‘Epic’ blue wave helps Democrats take Congress in overwhelming rebuke to President Trump
Election Day turned into a massive rebuke of President Donald Trump: a blue wave not seen in 20 years that was built on transforming the economy and rising prices into a central line of attack.
The Conversation
Democrats in House poised to investigate the Trump Administration, taking up a long-standing power GOP-led Congress ignored for the past two years
Oversight has played an important role in American democracy. House Democrats – who are set to be the majority party in that chamber in 2027 – aim to use that power over the Trump administration.
The Conversation
Midterms proceeded without chaos, despite unprecedented Justice Department interference in recent days
The Trump administration is fighting one battle after another in the nation’s courts over its power – or lack thereof – in the 2026 midterm elections.
The Conversation
Meta’s $25B fine left out accountability for the Cambridge Analytica data privacy scandal
A New Mexico judge’s fine hit Meta for deception about the data privacy violations, not for the harm they caused. A researcher who helped uncover the scandal explains.
The Conversation
Pediatric palliative care addresses the unique needs of seriously ill children and their families
This specialty offers healing and comfort where a cure is not possible, but many who need this care don’t have access to it.
The Conversation
Menopause can quietly weaken bones – here’s what research reveals about protecting them
Bone loss can accelerate before the final menstrual period. Understanding risk, exercise, nutrition and treatment options can help protect bone health.
The Conversation
As it gets harder to figure out what to eat, some Americans are turning to religion for answers
A scholar spent time with 4 alternative food movements to explore how religious Americans are choosing a ‘moral’ diet.
The Conversation
Nearly 7 in 10 professors report being bullied, often by students over grades
The rates are similar to high-stress workplaces like emergency services.
The Conversation
US wildfire damage is on pace to triple by mid-century, but there are affordable ways to lower the risk
Dry land and little snow helped fuel a destructive 2026 fire season. New research shows active fire seasons are becoming the norm, and communities need to prepare.
The Conversation
Not in a FEMA flood zone? Your home could still be at risk – and you could suffer more than your neighbor
Your home’s true flood risk is far more complex than FEMA flood maps reflect.
The Conversation
Disaster aid has become a political lottery – libraries, schools and places of worship are stepping into the breach
Libraries, synagogues, parks and local businesses are becoming the real front line of recovery.
The Conversation
Students who attended Miami-Dade public school pre-K outperformed peers in 18-year study
A new longitudinal study followed kids from pre-K through grade 12 and found that those who attended public school pre-K programs had an academic advantage.
The Conversation
Getting a big head start on holiday shopping can benefit retailers and consumers alike
But before you buy gifts long before you plan to give them away, be sure to read vendors’ fine print and get familiar with their return policies.
The Conversation
Why do galaxies rotate?
Galaxies act a little bit like figure skaters twirling on the ice – but at an astronomical scale.
The Conversation
How to prepare your online life for your death
Handing your heirs a list of passwords is only the first step in ensuring they can access and manage your digital affairs after you die.
The Conversation
Parents, let your kids eat as much candy as they want – less restriction could help reduce the urge to overeat
Restricting access to candy is one way parents try to teach their kids moderation. But this can backfire and harm a child’s relationship to food and eating in the long run.
The Conversation
Zombies are real – just ask the parasites taking over the bodies and brains of insects and rodents, leading them to their doom
Parasitic fungi, wasps, worms and amoeba can control the behavior of their hosts in various horrifying ways.
The Conversation
From 18th-century false ballots to the second JFK to double Dan Sullivans, a brief history of spoiler candidates and the unsuccessful legal challenges to them
The spoiler candidate is one of the oldest tricks in the American campaign toolbox, and the law has rarely touched it.
The Conversation
Allegheny County is reassessing every property – here’s how your tax bill is calculated now
A court has ordered Allegheny County’s first full reassessment since 2012. A finance scholar explains how assessed values and millage rates add up to your tax bill.
The Conversation
Why achieving your goals can leave you feeling so empty
There is an irony in Anne Carson’s Nobel win: The highest award in literature has gone to a writer who has spent her career exploring the emptiness of a desire fulfilled.
The Conversation
Florida Department of Health considers dropping 4 school vaccine requirements – here’s what that could mean for kids
Most parents of young children today haven’t experienced the devastating childhood diseases that used to be common before vaccines were developed.
The Conversation
Figuring out where cosmic neutrinos come from is tricky - radio telescopes could help find where these ‘ghost particles’ originate
A researcher just won a Nobel Prize for detecting tiny particles from space. Scientists now want to get better at figuring out where in the cosmos they come from.
The Conversation
How moving civil rights enforcement out of the US Department of Education threatens students’ protections from race, sex and disability discrimination
A reorganization of civil rights investigations in education likely means many complaints will never be investigated and others will take years to solve.
The Conversation