Capital One to buy Discover for $35 billion
NEW YORK — Capital One Financial said it will buy Discover Financial Services for $35 billion, in a deal that would bring together two of the nation’s credit card companies as well as potentially shake up the payments industry, which is largely dominated by Visa and Mastercard.
Astronomers find what may be the universe’s brightest object
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Astronomers have discovered what may be the brightest object in the universe, a quasar with a black hole at its heart growing so fast that it swallows the equivalent of a sun a day.
Hendrick Motorsports’ starts 40th anniversary season with win
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The goal was obvious to William Byron: put the No. 24 Chevrolet in victory lane in the 2024 Daytona 500 to launch Hendrick Motorsports’ 40th anniversary season.
More than 29,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel-Hamas war
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israel’s assault in Gaza has killed more than 29,000 Palestinians since Oct. 7, the territory’s Health Ministry said Monday, marking another grim milestone in one of the deadliest and most destructive military campaigns in recent history.
Putin waits for Western support for Kyiv to wither
When the invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, some analysts predicted it might take as few as three days for Russian forces to capture the capital of Kyiv.
Arabs put to vote a Gaza cease-fire UN resolution
UNITED NATIONS — Arab nations are putting to a vote a U.N. resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza, knowing it will be vetoed by the United States but hoping to show broad global support for ending the Israel-Hamas war.
Navalny’s widow vows to continue his fight against the Kremlin
The widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny vowed on Monday to continue his fight against the Kremlin, while authorities denied his mother access to a morgue where his body is believed to be held after his death last week in an Arctic penal colony.
Long after pope’s abuse summit, victims still traumatized
VATICAN CITY — One afternoon in mid-December, Pope Francis had a meeting that wasn’t on his official agenda or otherwise recorded, that underscored the utter dysfunction of the Catholic Church’s response to the global clergy sex abuse scandal.
California forging ahead with food recycling
CHULA VISTA, Calif. — Two years after California launched an effort to keep organic waste out of landfills, the state is so far behind on getting food recycling programs up and running that it’s widely accepted next year’s ambitious waste-reduction targets won’t be met.
Coral restoration effort suffers setback
Record hot seawater killed more than three-quarters of human-cultivated coral that scientists had placed in the Florida Keys in recent years in an effort to prop up a threatened species that’s highly vulnerable to climate change, researchers discovered.
Coastal storm to hammer Northeast
HARTFORD, Conn. — Parts of the Northeast prepared Monday for a coastal storm that was expected to pack high winds and dump a foot or more of snow in some areas, leading to school closures, warnings against road travel and the possible disruption of flights.
Storm dumps record rain on Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES — A storm of historic proportions dumped a record amount of rain over parts of Los Angeles on Monday, sending mud and boulders down hillsides dotted with multimillion-dollar homes while people living in homeless encampments in many parts of the city scrambled for safety.
Atmospheric river punishes California
LOS ANGELES — The second of back-to-back atmospheric rivers battered California on Sunday, flooding roadways and knocking out power to nearly 800,000 people and prompting a rare warning for hurricane-force winds as the state braced for what could be days of heavy rains.
U.S. employers add a stunning 353,000 jobs in January
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The nation’s employers delivered a stunning burst of hiring to begin 2024, adding 353,000 jobs in January in the latest sign of the economy’s continuing ability to shrug off the highest interest rates in two decades.
‘Pineapple Express’ pummels Golden State
LOS ANGELES — Heavy rain flooded California roadways and much-needed snow piled up in the mountains as the first of back-to-back atmospheric rivers pummeled the state on Thursday.
Grave peril of digital conspiracy theories
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Days after Maui’s wildfires killed scores of people and destroyed thousands of homes in August 2023, a shocking claim spread with alarming speed on YouTube and TikTok: The blaze on the Hawaiian island was set deliberately, using futuristic energy weapons developed by the U.S. military.
Poll: U.S. Asians and Pacific Islanders worry over economy
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States are somewhat more optimistic than the overall adult population about their personal finances, but recent polling shows the outlook isn’t quite as sunny when it comes to keeping up with household expenses or unexpected medical costs.
Lawsuit seeks to protect dolphins
JACKSON, Miss. — Opening a spillway as a flood-control measure in 2019 sent polluted fresh water from the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico and killed bottlenose dolphins that live in saltwater, according to a new lawsuit.
Avian flu devastates poultry farms in California
PETALUMA, Calif. — Last month, Mike Weber got the news every poultry farmer fears: His chickens tested positive for avian flu.
Inflation slowed in December, as an economic ‘soft landing’ moves into sharper focus
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge cooled further last month even as the economy kept growing briskly, a trend sure to be welcomed at the White House as President Joe Biden seeks reelection in a race that could pivot on his economic stewardship.