Eight candidates will appear onstage for the first Republican debate on Wednesday.... But much of the focus will be on one person who won’t be there, Donald Trump. The dynamic has left his opponents preparing for an unusual scenario: debating among themselves while the front-runner with a commanding lead is entirely absent. Still, for Trump’s rivals, the debate provides the biggest audience of the race to date, and their first chance to not only make an impression but to make the race a true co

Some species were as much as 14 times more numerous during the lockdowns than before pandemic restrictions were imposed.“ I am shocked at the fact we saw so many changes in bird behavior," said Nicola Koper, a conservation scientist at the university and senior author of the study.... The sightings covered 82 species during the 2020 spring migration season, which coincided with large declines in human activity tied to the lockdowns.... “ For nature, it has been a little bit of a reprieve....

Much of the attention will be on Virginia and New Jersey, where voters are casting ballots for governor and other statewide races.... But a requirement for a witness signature on absentee ballots that was waived last year is back, and officials have been working to contact voters who have been turning in ballots without them.... Those voters will have until Friday to fix the issue, or their ballots will not be counted....

Mark A. Milley, the chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters.... “ I don’t have the capability to go out and extend operations currently into Kabul.” General Milley said the State Department was in communication with the Taliban to ensure that passengers could make their way to the airport.... But there have been numerous reports of Taliban fighters beating and harassing Afghans trying to get there, despite the Pentagon’s warnings not to interfere with the evacuation. Neither Mr....

SciencePfizer asks U.S.to allow fourth COVID vaccine dose for seniors The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control would have to approve the request for an additional COVID-19 booster dose for seniors.In doing so, Pfizer cited the results of two unpublished Israeli studies.... In addition, the likelihood of developing severe COVID-19 was four times lower in the group that got a second booster, the company said.... Pfizer’s FDA application also included results of an uns

Be ready to wait in line at least an hour — assuming the gas station is open, that is. Need medication?... Something as basic as aspirin could set you on a daylong hunt from pharmacy to pharmacy.... At the official exchange rate, that would have been$ 66....

Gavin Newsom on Thursday signed two bills meant to make it easier to build more housing in California.... Here’s an explanation of the concepts and the new laws. What is single-family zoning?... Let’s break the term down into two parts, starting with zoning....

ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine— It had taken 11 hours of driving, bargaining for passage through 20 checkpoints manned by stern-faced Russian soldiers, along with the knowledge that every mile took you farther away from home, probably for good.... Lizza Onufrieva, 14, and her dog, Businka, escaped Mariupol, Ukraine, with her family in a van with 10 other people Monday.... But in the days that followed, the bombardment intensified; they would hide in darkness, waiting — hoping — for the sounds to subsid

It was previously deployed in the Mediterranean off the coast of Syria, where Russia has aided the government of Bashar Assad against Western-backed rebels. The Moskva was also involved in one of the signature confrontations in the early stages of the war.... The Ukrainians are said to have answered the Russians with a defiant refusal punctuated with profanity. Snake Island’s defenders were taken captive by the Russians but later released in a prisoner exchange.... Meanwhile, Dmitry Medvedev,

Her grandson, who is about to start college, has been coming since he was a little kid. Advertisement TODAY'S TOP VIDEOS As invasive carp have advanced on Lake Michigan, Illinoisans, frustrated with the pace of state and federal deterrent plans, have taken matters into their own hands.... Some efforts include fishing tournaments like the one in Bath earlier this month; others involve attempts to create a market for the fish as a food source.... I think we still have a good opportunity to stop