HOLIDAYS WEEKENDS

How do we understand the music of the early 20th Century if we consider Bessie Smith — seriously — as an actress?

Where does the term nappy come from and why does it have such negative connotations? Is it possible to reclaim a word that has been used as a slur for so long?

That’s the new rule in Ferozepur, a district in India’s Punjab state. As proof you have to submit a photo of yourself with your saplings.

Opponents of President Trump are increasing public pressure on those who contribute to the Trump reelection campaign. One major Trump donor faces a call for a boycott of a business he owns, SoulCycle.

Critics worry the administration’s delays come at a steep cost: Medicare is continuing to pay for millions of unnecessary exams and patients are being subjected to radiation for no medical benefit.

Courts have permanently blocked the Trump administration from adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census. But the Census Bureau is continuing to send surveys that ask about citizenship status.

The longest-running public service campaign is tied to a reduction in wildfires, but in some ways Smokey’s message may have worked too well. Here’s how he’s changed.

The storm, currently categorized as a super typhoon with sustained winds of 130 mph, is expected to make landfall near the city of Ningbo early Saturday.

In a statement Thursday, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi said detainees were asked whether they had children and were provided with cellphones to arrange for their care.

President Trump named Joseph Maguire shortly after the deputy director of national intelligence resigned. Maguire is currently director of the National Counterterrorism Center.

“What we can’t do is fail to pass something,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told WHAS radio. “The urgency of this is not lost on any of us.”

John Gore, the main Justice Department official behind the Trump administration’s failed push for a citizenship question, is set to leave the department, a person familiar with the matter tells NPR.

“It’s crazy to know that he died alone in a country he’d never been in,” Jimmy Aldaoud’s sister told NPR. He had arrived in the U.S. with his Iraqi family when he was a very young child.

Researchers in the U.K. found that making eye contact with the hungry gulls may deter them from swiping your food.

A federal court said Facebook users in Illinois can sue the company over face recognition technology. Facebook said users can choose to turn off the feature. It plans to seek a review of the ruling.

For one night, big leaguers will play baseball at the Iowa farm that was made famous in the beloved film Field of Dreams.

The gun used in Dayton has the same core component as an AR-15-style rifle. It also has a 100-bullet magazine. But it’s legally considered a pistol.

The former No. 2 leader of the FBI argues that his dismissal last year was groundless and that he was defamed by people in the Trump administration. He may still face criminal charges.

Indian-administered Kashmir is now in its fourth day of a communications blackout, following the government’s decision to revoke its special status. Pakistan has downgraded diplomatic ties.

Andrew Yang crossed the threshold Thursday, and two other candidates are on the cusp of qualifying. That means there could again be two debate nights next month instead of just one.

Veterans are warning that the Department of Veterans Affairs has not resolved serious flaws in the way the program is administered.

Pittsburgh International Airport has opened a 1,500-square-foot “sensory space” to help people on the autism spectrum decompress during travel. Soothing colors and private, soundproof rooms are a hit.

Over the past two weeks alone, seven House Republicans have announced they won’t run again, including two of just 13 GOP women in the House and the chamber’s lone African American Republican.

The snakebite antivenin CroFab, on the U.S. market since 2000, now faces competition from a drug called Anavip. But both are expensive. “Perverse incentives” keep prices high, says one legal scholar.

Will the latest U.S. victory in the Women’s World Cup lead to a surge of popularity in other women’s pro sports leagues? Executives and players hope so.

The way we produce food and manage land must change radically if humans hope to avoid catastrophic global temperature rise, according to a new report by the United Nations panel on climate change.

Security forces were initially met with a hail of bullets from former President Almazbek Atambayev’s residence, as political supporters barricaded themselves inside. At least one soldier was killed.

The master lyricist and poet leaves behind a catalog of oblique indie rock that inspired a cult following.

The flightless bird weighed 15 pounds, was about 3 feet tall and probably feasted on other parrots. Study lead Trevor Worthy made the discovery after examining two 19 million-year-old leg bones.

An engineer has invented a new way to test for the presence of cholera bacterium in water. The test could be useful in remote areas, because it’s lightweight and self-contained.

Vázquez assumed the governor’s chair after previously saying she wasn’t interested. Now she says the island deserves “certainty and stability.”

The bomb attack outside a police center came as talks continue between the U.S. and the Taliban, and sparked fresh security concerns in the lead-up to Afghanistan’s presidential elections next month.

Tennessee’s innovative Medicaid program is offering bonuses to mental health providers who help make sure their Medicaid patients get preventive help and treatment for physical ailments too.

In the West African nation of Gambia, people are tuning in — on TV, radios and cellphones — to testimony about alleged abuses by former president Yahya Jammeh.