HOLIDAYS WEEKENDS

The midterm elections are days away, and Friday’s jobs report will give voters a final glimpse of the strength of the economy. A key recurring question: Is wage growth finally picking up?

NASA mission managers haven’t heard from the Martian rover Opportunity since June. A dust storm interfered with communication but the storm is over now and engineers hope to hear from the rover soon.

Observers offer three key reasons why the world isn’t paying heed to what a UNICEF official calls a “living hell for its citizens and their children”

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has appointed several women to senior government posts, part of a wave of reforms since he came into office last April.

A bipartisan sanctuary law that Oregon lawmakers passed easily in 1987 is now subject to a repeal vote.

Atlantic journalist McKay Coppins says Gingrich “set a model for future Republican leaders” by engaging in extreme partisanship while serving as speaker of the House.

The Environmental Protection Agency has given farmers the OK to continue to spray the controversial weedkiller dicamba. The chemical is prone to blowing in the wind and damaging other vegetation.

Hmong immigrants began losing native bacteria in their guts soon after arriving in the U.S., a change associated with more obesity. Eating an American diet plays a role but doesn’t explain everything.

Setting up the case for a jury trial, Robert Bowers pleaded not guilty to all 44 counts against him in connection with Saturday’s massacre at the Tree of Life Synagogue that resulted in 11 deaths.

Polls show that Americans broadly support the concept of affirmative action but oppose preferential treatment for minorities in college admissions.

The pharmaceutical giant will stop delivering its rotavirus vaccine to four West African countries and will begin to sell it in China for likely more than 10 times the cost.

Many at Google have been simmering since The New York Times reported the company gave generous exit packages to alleged harassers. Thousands of employees walked out of its offices around the world.

A new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll finds that voters are worried that the lack of a civil tone and negativity in Washington will lead to violence, but they don’t agree on who to blame.

They’re running strong in suburban districts, where independents and women want to send a message to President Trump. It’s also a year when historical trends and a GOP exodus could boost Democrats.

The flight data recorder from Lion Air flight JT610, which crashed on Monday with 189 people aboard, could provide insight into the cause of the disaster.

Dewayne “Lee” Johnson, 46, says the company’s Roundup weedkiller caused his illness. He will accept the award after a judge reduced a jury’s original figure of $289 million.

The massive telescope with a nearly 100-foot mirror is set to be built atop 13,800-foot Mauna Kea, considered sacred land by some of the project’s opponents.

Premature birth rates are heading in the wrong direction after nearly a decade of decline. Some states have started to tackle the problem, while others struggle with stubbornly high rates.

McCovey was known as one of the most powerful left-handed batters in baseball and is tied for 20th on the all-time home run list.

It’s hard to find a bucket, pail or plastic receptacle in the city of millions that isn’t full of water. Residents stored water in whatever they could find in preparation for the pipes going dry.

The president says he may triple the number of forces that were deployed just this week. The defense secretary likens the deployment to when troops help after a natural disaster.

University President Wallace Loh says “a departure is in the best interest of the University, and this afternoon Coach Durkin was informed that the University will part ways.”

Faith leaders are stuck in a quandary. They’re trying to balance a mission of keeping houses of worship welcoming spaces with a responsibility to tighten security.

Two new studies suggest that minimally invasive surgery for early stage cervical cancer patients leads to death and recurring disease more often than standard surgery through a large incision.

Following a rash of deaths, threats and violent acts, Americans fear the nation may be growing so far apart that danger may become a regular factor in partisan disputes. It has happened before.

A study released last week by the Anti-Defamation League revealed that anti-Semitic online slurs have surged in the lead-up to the midterms — and many of the attacks are automated.

The American mulefoot hog was once popular, but began to die out in favor of fast-growing breeds suited to confinement. But some farmers hope to renew interest in the hogs — by getting them on menus.

Barber has been compared to Martin Luther King Jr. He has revived the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign while continuing to minister to his small town congregation.

President Trump holds a campaign rally in Florida on Wednesday — the first of 11 he is planning in the next six days. His immigration message may help GOP Senate candidates but hurt in House races.

He’s been called China’s Tolkien, its Martin, its Rowling — all in one. With his adventure stories rooted in ancient China, Louis Cha gave life to decades’ worth of martial arts films.

Top Trump administration officials said they’re seeking a halt to hostilities in the war-torn country — and that they’d like to see it within 30 days, to open the door for more permanent peace talks.

As many as 75 Palestinians have needed a leg amputation after suffering Israeli gunshot wounds at Gaza border protests, according to the Artificial Limbs and Polio Center in Gaza City.