October 17, 2025

New York City mayoral candidates spar in first debate

New York City’s three mayoral candidates debated for the first time on television Thursday night. The debate comes as voters get ready to head to the polls in the general election in just a few weeks. Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo — who is running as an independent after losing the Democratic primary […]

October 17, 2025

You asked, we answered: Smithsonian vs USPS, ‘hostages’ vs ‘prisoners’

Mail vs. museums in a shutdown, to the real meaning of a “baseless” charge, and the high-stakes line between “hostage” and “prisoner” — we’re back with another round of Straight From You. Each week, we take your comments and questions and put them to the test — separating fact from speculation and adding the context […]

October 17, 2025

Trump refiles $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times

President Donald Trump has refiled his $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times. It accuses the publication and its reporters of seeking to undermine his 2024 candidacy and disparage his reputation as a businessman.  The refiling comes after a judge dismissed a similar filing last month. He ruled it was “tedious and burdensome” […]

October 17, 2025

New York City mayor’s race may determine future of notorious Rikers Island

NEW YORK — In the shadow of a massive jail, a leafy Chinatown park welcomed New Yorkers playing mahjong, basketball and saxophone. But last year, the shadow vanished.  New York City demolished its downtown detention center, known as The Tombs, leaving behind a gaping chasm. In its place could be the world’s tallest jail, as tall […]

October 17, 2025

John Bolton surrenders to authorities, pleads not guilty

Former White House national security adviser John Bolton surrendered to authorities Friday and pleaded not guilty following a federal indictment. He faces accusations of unlawfully transmitting and retaining classified documents from Trump’s first term in office. Bolton did not speak to reporters when he arrived at a federal courthouse in Greenbelt, Maryland, on Friday morning. […]

October 17, 2025

Paris in DC? Trump proposes building an arch near the Lincoln Memorial

President Donald Trump is already leaving his mark on the White House with recently announced renovations. Now, he wants to alter the landscape of Washington, D.C., with a Paris-like arch near the Lincoln Memorial.  During a White House fundraising dinner with wealthy businesspeople on Wednesday, Trump unveiled preliminary plans for the arch.  “It’s going to […]

October 17, 2025

Penn, USC are latest schools to reject Trump funding deal

The University of Pennsylvania and the University of Southern California have become the latest two universities to reject the Trump administration’s offer of favored treatment for government funding in exchange for a compact full of changes to curriculum and policies. MIT and Brown University had previously turned down the same offer. The “Compact for Academic […]

October 17, 2025

WHO says infectious disease ‘spiraling out of control’ in Gaza

The World Health Organization says infectious diseases in Gaza are “spiraling out of control” as aid groups continue to send food and medicine into the war-torn territory. The WHO reports that only 13 of the 36 hospitals in the area are operational, with most not fully functional. The United Nations told Agence France-Presse that controlling […]

October 17, 2025

Spam alert: Americans receive 2.56 billion robocalls a month

Your phone rings, and before you answer it, you see “Potential Spam” above the number on your phone. Sound familiar? If so, that was one of the 2.56 billion robocalls that Americans receive each month, according to a new study from the U.S. PIRG Education Fund. The average monthly volume of telephonic spam is at […]