The Supreme Court weighs whether South Carolina targeted Black voters in redistricting (apnews.com)
The Supreme Court is taking up a new congressional redistricting case, this time from South Carolina, that could shape the fight for partisan control of the House of Representatives....
Families of U.S. citizens held hostage by Hamas urge the Biden administration to 'do more' and plead for information (www.nbcnews.com)
Relatives of U.S. citizens feared to have been taken hostage by Hamas urged the Biden administration Tuesday to help free their loved ones, saying they had yet to receive “formal communication” from the White House....
The Federal Trade Commission proposes a ban on junk fees and says hidden charges push up prices (apnews.com)
The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday proposed a rule to ban any hidden and bogus junk fees, which can mask the total cost of concert tickets, hotel rooms and utility bills....
More than 1,000 birds killed in one night after hitting the same Chicago building (www.cnn.com)
In just one night, more than a thousand migrating birds died after crashing into a single building in Chicago, due to what experts say was a deadly combination of migration season, difficult weather, and a lack of “bird-friendly” building measures....
Children found ‘butchered’ in Israeli kibbutz, IDF says, as horror of Hamas’ attacks near border begins to emerge (www.cnn.com)
Bodies of Israeli residents and Palestinian attackers lay outside burned-out homes in the Israeli kibbutz Kfar Aza on Tuesday, days after Hamas launched a large-scale surprise assault on Israel....
New Mexico governor defends approach to attempted gun restrictions, emergency order on gun violence (apnews.com)
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Tuesday defended her decision to treat gun violence as a public health epidemic, citing statistics on recent firearms seizures, reduced reports of gunfire in the Albuquerque metro area and an uptick in jail bookings, while awaiting a crucial court ruling on a signature effort to suspend...
Chris Rock Asked Out Jada Pinkett Smith Before the Slap, Explaining Everything (www.cracked.com)
Reddit users are reporting Christian websites for violating Virginia's new porn identification law, citing vulgar passages in the Bible (www.insider.com)
As more and more states pass laws targeting "pornographic material" in books and online, they are repeatedly running up against a problem: The Bible has not just a few passages that could be considered indecent
Louisiana public school principal apologizes after punishing student for dancing at a party (apnews.com)
The 17-year-old student government president and scholarship candidate was videotaped dancing at an off-campus party following Walker High School’s Sept. 30 Homecoming festivities. A hired DJ took the video and posted it on social media. Three days later, Jason St. Pierre, principal of the public high school near the state...
The UAW says it is expanding its strike to include a Ford truck plant in Kentucky (apnews.com)
DETROIT (AP) — The United Auto Workers union significantly escalated its strikes against Detroit Three automakers Wednesday by going on strike against a major Ford truck plant in Louisville, Kentucky....
NASA’s Bennu Asteroid Sample Contains Carbon, Water (www.nasa.gov)
NHL bans players from using rainbow-colored tape on hockey sticks (www.lgbtqnation.com)
The National Hockey League (NHL), the highest-level professional ice hockey league representing 32 North American teams, has banned individual players from wrapping their hockey sticks with rainbow-colored Pride Tape during warm-ups, games, and practices....
A retired Vermont university dean was shot to death on a trail near campus. Now police are looking for her killer (www.cnn.com)
A retired university dean was found shot in the head on a hiking trail near the Vermont State University Castleton Campus where she’d worked, and authorities are searching for clues to help lead them to whoever killed the beloved educator.
Abortion rights and marijuana questions expected to drive Ohioans to polls as early voting begins (apnews.com)
Heavier-than-normal turnout is expected Wednesday as early voting begins in Ohio’s closely watched off-year election to decide the future of abortion access and marijuana legalization in the state....
US nutrition panel’s ties to top food giants revealed in new report (www.theguardian.com)
Almost half of a federal government panel that helps develop US nutritional guidelines has significant ties to big agriculture, ultra-processed food companies, pharmaceutical companies and other corporate organizations with a significant stake in the process’s outcome....
Hughes Van Ellis, one of last Tulsa race massacre survivors, dies aged 102 (www.theguardian.com)
One of the last known survivors of the Tulsa race massacre of 1921 has died, his family has confirmed in a statement....
Medical imaging fails dark skin. Researchers fixed it. (hub.jhu.edu)
Traditional medical imaging works great for people with light skin but has trouble getting clear pictures from patients with darker skin. A Johns Hopkins University–led team found a way to deliver clear pictures of anyone's internal anatomy, no matter their skin tone....
Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton battling pneumonia in intensive care (www.nbcnews.com)
Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton has been battling severe pneumonia in a hospital intensive care unit, daughters of the famed American gymnast said....
Inside the deadly instant loan app scam that blackmails with nudes (www.bbc.com)
We’ve seen evidence of scams like this run by various companies all over the world. But in India alone, the BBC has found at least 60 people have killed themselves after being harassed by loan apps....
Biden says the U.S. would have to invent an Israel if it didn't exist. Why? (theconversation.com)
Protesters on both sides of Israel-Gaza conflict face off again in New York City (www.cbsnews.com)
Tensions are flaring on the East Side, with dueling rallies over the war in Israel....
Remote work may cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than half (www.tucsonsentinel.com)
The growth of remote and hybrid work during the COVID-19 pandemic showed limiting trips to the office can reduce the carbon footprint of simply working by as much as 58% in the United States.
Pumpkin weighing 2,749 pounds wins California contest, sets world record for biggest gourd (apnews.com)
A Minnesota horticulture teacher set a world record in California on Monday for the heaviest pumpkin after growing a giant jack-o’-lantern gourd weighing 2,749 pounds (1,247 kilograms)....