Days after Russia launched an unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with missiles and artillery rounds raining down on Kyiv and other cities, former Democratic lawmaker Tulsi Gabbard posted a perplexing video message. “It’s time to put geopolitics aside and embrace the spirit of aloha, respect and love, for the Ukrainian people by coming to an agreement that Ukraine will be a neutral country—i.e. no military alliance with NATO or Russia,” the former Hawaii congresswoman wrote on social media. Such an arrangement would “allow the Ukrainian people to live in peace. Aloha.” Unlike her former colleagues in Congress and the leaders of Western democratic countries, Gabbard offered no condemnation of Russia and no reference to the unprovoked nature of the a...

The U.S. on Saturday reported its first case of a more aggressive strain of mpox : an individual in California who had recently traveled from eastern Africa. The case was confirmed by the California Department of Public Health and reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The person was treated in San Mateo County based on their travel history and symptoms and is now isolating at home and recovering, the state's health department said in a press release. Public health workers are contacting people who had close contact with the patient, "but there is no concern or evidence" that the strain is currently spreading in California or the U.S., the statement said. The U.S. is the sixth country outside of Africa to have detected the strain, according t...

The late, beloved "Golden Girls" actor Betty White will be memorialized on a new postage stamp next year. The U.S. Postal Service announced Friday that one of its 2025 Forever Stamp offerings will include an illustration of White. White died in 2021 , weeks shy of her 100th birthday. Besides "Golden Girls," she was known for roles in "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "Boston Legal." In a release featuring a sneak peek of the stamp, the Postal Service called White an "icon of American television" who "shared her wit and warmth with viewers for seven decades." "The comedic actor, who gained younger generations of fans as she entered her 90s, was also revered as a compassionate advocate for animals," it wrote. The stamp features a 2010 photo taken by Kwaku Alston th...

The election showed voters are increasingly split by education level and angry about the economy even as college costs ease. This “diploma divide” is now a defining feature of American politics . It comes at a time when earning a degree remains among the surest paths toward a higher income and when the costs of embarking on it are falling. But many don’t seem to notice. The net costs students pay for four-year degrees have been declining for years, College Board data shows. When adjusted for inflation, in-state students now pay an average of $2,480 in tuition and fees at public four-year colleges this academic year, down 43% from a peak of $4,340 in 2012-13. At pricier four-year private institutions, the net tuition and fees students pay has declined a more modest 15%, ...

The legendary “doom fish” has returned to California. A long, ribbon-shaped oarfish, rarely seen and believed to signal disaster, has washed up on California’s shores for the second time this year. PhD candidate Alison Laferriere from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego discovered the nearly 10-foot-long oarfish on a beach in Encinitas, in southern California , last week. Oarfish are elusive creatures that dwell in the deep ocean — often as far as 3,300 feet below the surface — in the mesopelagic zone, a dark region beyond the reach of sunlight. These mysterious fish, which can grow up to 20 feet long, remain largely unstudied by scientists, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Rare, monstr...

As the dust settles from Vice President Kamala Harris’ defeat at the hands of President-elect Donald Trump, Democrats are already jockeying to emerge as the party’s next leader — looking to shape the opposition response to Trump’s second term and position themselves in the party’s 2028 presidential primary. Democrats who spoke with NBC News are keeping their eyes on roughly two dozen party figures, including a number of governors and a handful of lawmakers who have carved out unique brands and attracted national followings, to see who may lead the party out of the coming wilderness. In particular, the deep bench of Democratic governors elected in 2018 and 2022 has the benefit of distance from President Joe Biden’s administration and the ability to take on Trump with state executive a...

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea ’s entry into Russia’s war against Ukraine is a major escalation in the grinding conflict, but Moscow may find it’s more trouble than it’s worth. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has sent thousands of soldiers to Russia, the U.S. and others say, stepping up his assistance against Ukraine as he and Russian President Vladimir Putin strengthen security ties. With victory still elusive as the war nears the end of its third year, Putin welcomes more help from North Korea, which has already been providing weapons, experts say. But the inexperience of the North Korean soldiers as well as the language barrier between them and their Russian counterparts are likely to minimize their impact on the battlefield, military analysts told NB...

More than half of Senate Republicans, including some in senior leadership positions, privately say they don’t see a path for former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., to be confirmed as attorney general and would not support him to lead the Department of Justice, according to multiple people who spoke to NBC News on condition of anonymity. While Gaetz’s ability to be confirmed appears on the rocks among Senate Republicans, President-elect Donald Trump’s team remains confident he will eventually be confirmed, even if it’s after an ugly battle. NBC News spoke to more than 15 additional Republican sources who agreed that there are not enough votes in the Senate to confirm Gaetz, and some estimated that closer to 30 Republicans consider him unqualified. Gaetz and Trump attorney Todd Blanche are...

Federal prosecutors have accused Sean “Diddy” Combs of breaking jail rules in an attempt to manipulate witness testimony and taint the potential jury pool in his case, according to a court document filed Friday. Combs, 55, is currently in custody in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center as he faces charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. The music mogul entered a not guilty plea and has been denied bail in the case . His legal team is fighting the decision to keep Combs in federal custody and has requested a new bail hearing. Prosecutors filed an opposition to the motion in the Southern District of New York, accusing Combs of engaging in obstruction even while he sits behind bars. Combs has allegedly “continued...