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The Dynasty Shopping Center in the Chinatown neighborhood of Los Angeles. (Lauren Justice for The Post)

Football participation is declining across America. Race, politics and economics are shaping which kids abandon the sport and which keep risking its toll.

By Dave Sheinin and Emily Giambalvo

Why reindeer eyes shine blue in the winter

Rudolph’s red nose may have gone down in history, but wait until you hear about the reindeer’s powerful vision.

By Allyson Chiu1 hour ago

Daily Mix

TSA self-screening is the next big step for airport security

By Andrea Sachs

Analysis

Why do Americans keep getting shorter (and heavier)?

By Andrew Van Dam

Advice

Ask a Doctor: Our 10 best tips to help you live better

By Trisha Pasricha, MD

A $3.99 Goodwill vase sold for $107,000: ‘Gift from the thrifting gods’

By Timothy Bella

Latest from The Post

Photos: The late Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to serve as a U.S. Supreme Court justice, lies in repose at the Supreme Court.

42 minutes ago

Tom Brady calls out Colts QB after Steelers safety gets huge suspension

1 hour ago

Defamed Georgia poll workers who won $148M from Giuliani sue him again

1 hour ago

Judge halts removal of Confederate memorial at Arlington National Cemetery

1 hour ago

Iceland volcano eruption underway, meteorological office reports

Updated 4 minutes ago

How reindeer eyes evolved to survive dark winters

1 hour ago

Meadows’s bid to move Georgia election case to federal court rejected

Harvard, big-tech money, and the whistleblower

On the Record

One quote. Three chances.

Mini Meta Crossword

5x5 bitesized crossword.

Sudoku

Number. Order. Logic.

Keyword

One word to spell them all.

Marvel parts ways with Jonathan Majors after actor found guilty of assault and harassment

By Washington Post staffUpdated 1 hour ago

Judge halts removal of Confederate memorial at Arlington National Cemetery

By Gregory S. Schneider and Tom Jackman1 hour ago

Israel-Gaza War

Defense Secretary Austin presses Israel on civilian deaths as more hospitals are attacked

U.S. officials are trying to convince Israel to wind down the bloodiest phase of its war in Gaza, with the death toll approaching 20,000.

By Miriam Berger and Louisa Loveluck

LIVE

As hunger grows in Gaza, Palestinians wait in line for hours to eat

By Loay Ayyoub and Louisa Loveluck

A volcano in Iceland erupted following weeks of intense seismic activity. (Reuters)

Iceland volcano eruption underway, meteorological office reports

Magma breached the surface just north of the town of Grindavik, Iceland’s meteorological office said.

By Karla Adam, Matthew Cappucci and Ben BraschUpdated 4 minutes ago

Record-setting storm wallops East Coast with flooding, high winds

By Matthew Cappucci, Jason Samenow and Brady Dennis

Vatican says priests can bless same-sex couples

By Anthony Faiola and Stefano Pitrelli

Election 2024

Nikki Haley attracts non-Republicans — and accusations of playing both sides

By Hannah Knowles and Meryl Kornfield

FOR YOURecommended stories

The call of Tokitae

By Caitlin Gibson

Harvard, big-tech money, and the whistleblower

December 18

UPCOMING LIVE EVENTS

Live Chat

Chat with Alexandra Petri and tell her your jokes

Tuesday, December 19, at 11:00 a.m. EST

Live Chat

Accountability in elder care: What questions do you have on assisted living?

Tuesday, December 19, at 12:00 p.m. EST

The changing face of America’s favorite sport

Football participation is declining across America. How race, politics and economics are shaping which kids abandon the sport and which keep risking its toll.

Iceland volcano eruption underway, meteorological office reports

Defamed Georgia poll workers who won $148M from Giuliani sue him again

Meadows’s bid to move Georgia election case to federal court rejected

Advice

Ask a Doctor: Our 10 best tips to help you live better

What’s your reader type? Find out in your Newsprint.

Your year in news

Holiday Season

Holiday RecipesWhat do you want to cook today?

Biden said to be increasingly frustrated by dismal poll numbers

President Biden said in a recent meeting that poll numbers were unacceptably low and he wanted to know what his team and his campaign were doing about it.

By Tyler Pager

The Early 202Analysis

Messy primaries could upend Senate races

By Leigh Ann Caldwell, Theodoric Meyer and Tobi Raji

The FixAnalysis

‘Poisoning the blood’: Trump’s ugliest moments on immigrants

By Aaron Blake

Analysis

Americans trust friends and family more than media for election information

By Philip Bump

Politics

Democrats ramp up pressure on Clarence Thomas to recuse himself in Trump case

By Tobi Raji and Maegan Vazquez

Senate confirms Martin O’Malley as head of Social Security Administration

By Azi Paybarah and Lisa Rein1 hour ago

Analysis

The issue isn’t Hitler. The issue is the right’s shift since 2015.

By Philip Bump

James Biden’s dealmaking caught on FBI tapes in unrelated bribery probe

By Michael Kranish

Advice

(Nick Galifianakis/For The Washington Post)

Carolyn Hax: Most-read columns of 2023

A roundup of the most-read Carolyn Hax columns of 2023.

December 18

Ask Amy: Readers should put ‘A Book on Every Bed’ this holiday season

December 18

Miss Manners: How do I get guests to use the correct towels in the bathroom?

December 18

Ask Sahaj: I was ready to leave my husband. Then he got brain cancer.

December 14

Work Advice looks back on 2023

December 14

More Advice

More advice

Your Questions Answered

Recent

Why are the Republicans against funding Ukraine? David Ignatius answered your questions.

Carolyn Hax chat: My friend is talking me out of a divorce, says to be ‘realistic’

Featured

What happens to Capital One Arena next? We answered your questions.

More live chats

Well+BeingNews and advice to live well every day

(iStock)

Perspective

Tech hasn’t removed all workplace roadblocks for those with low vision

By Michele McDonnall

Want to avoid salt? Try these lower-sodium seasoning ideas instead.

By Sharon Liao

My MS diagnosis freed me to finally love my body as it is

By Lindsay Karp

Fewer young adults smoke today than in 2011. That’s not true of seniors.

By Linda Searing

‘It’s not about willpower.’ Oprah reveals her use of weight loss drug.

By Amber Ferguson

ClimateExpanded coverage of a changing planet

How to make holiday gift wrapping less wasteful

By Allyson Chiu

VW spent $2B to build America a charging network. It’s ranked dead last.

By Shannon Osaka

Perspective

This photographer is exploring climate change’s effects in Hungary

By Kenneth Dickerman

Analysis

U.N. climate talks chart a complex course away from fossil fuels

By Ishaan Tharoor

(Picture Alliance/Getty Images)

With few easy solutions to their climate problem, airlines rethink contrails

By Nicolás Rivero

Massive floods in Australia strands hundreds, prompts crocodile warnings

By Scott Dance

What happened when the solar ‘wind’ suddenly stopped blowing around Earth

By Kasha Patel

The biggest solar flare since 2017 just launched off the sun

By Matthew Cappucci

El Niño is nearing historic strength. What this means and when it will end.

By Scott Dance

For the lonely, tech offers friendship – at a price

By Tatum Hunter

How Discord became a perfect conduit for a leak of government secrets

By Shira Ovide

Google is rolling out new protections for our location data

By Chris Velazco

Technology

OpenAI lays out plan for dealing with dangers of AI

By Gerrit De Vynck

How does falling into a black hole feel? A new song imagines the sensation.

By Kyle Melnick

Grimes is working on an interactive AI toy for kids. Meet Grok.

By Taylor Lorenz

National

WORLD

Yemeni coast guard members patrol in the Red Sea off the government-held town of Mokha. (AFP/Getty Images)

BP suspends Red Sea shipping amid attacks by Yemen’s Houthi militants

By Evan Halper, Cate Brown and Missy RyanUpdated 1 hour ago

Germany’s far-right party wins mayoral election, showing group’s rising appeal

By Kate Brady

AI is powering a revolution in policing, at the Olympics and beyond

By Anthony Faiola

Listening devices found in office of Ukraine’s top general, Valery Zaluzhny

By David L. Stern and Kostiantyn Khudov

Egypt’s Sisi wins reelection. Now he faces an economic crisis and a war raging next door.

By Claire Parker

ISRAEL-GAZA WAR

StyleNews from the front lines of culture

(YouTube)

George Santos talked to Ziwe. He had a lot to say.

Santos spoke to The Post about his interview with the comedian and talk show host known for her stone-cold interview style.

By Herb Scribner and Anne Branigin1 hour ago

Letterboxd feels like vintage internet. Can it stay that way?

By Jessica M. Goldstein1 hour ago

Bob the Drag Queen’s latest role: Madonna hype diva

By Olivia McCormack

Max Beckmann painted the aftermath of an idiotic war. Pay attention.

By Philip Kennicott

Movie Review

‘The Boys in the Boat’: Handsome but familiar sports docudrama

By Michael O'Sullivan

Art Review

At the Kreeger Museum, art about hope in times of despair

By Mark Jenkins

Dakota Johnson wants to talk about sex. With all of us.

By Ann Hornaday

D.C., MD. & VA.

Health

Girls bear the brunt of new HIV infections, assessment suggests

By Erin Blakemore

50 years ago, psychiatrists stopped calling homosexuality a mental illness

By Donald Beaulieu

What is Trisomy 18, the fetal condition central to the Texas abortion case?

By Kelsey Ables

Science

Chimps and bonobos can remember each other after decades apart, research finds

By Dino Grandoni

A remote desert ecosystem may hold clues to Earth’s earliest days

By Erin Blakemore

How does falling into a black hole feel? A new song imagines the sensation.

By Kyle Melnick

SPORTS

(Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)

Analysis

The Commanders’ big bets on offense have officially gone bust

By Sam Fortier

Commanders cut long snapper Camaron Cheeseman after multiple botched snaps

By Nicki Jhabvala

Analysis

What to know from NFL Week 15: Ignore the Bills’ record. They’re a powerhouse.

By Adam Kilgore

In football’s epicenter, a shifting landscape

By Dave Sheinin

Track and field ban on Russian athletes will remain at Paris Olympics

By Adam Kilgore

Business

(Kevin Dietsch/AP)

Everyone expected a recession. The Fed and White House found a way out.

By Rachel Siegel and Jeff Stein

With VHS and video stores, ‘tapeheads’ are fueling an analog revival

By Reis Thebault

US Steel will be acquired by Japan’s Nippon in $14.1 billion deal

By Eli Tan

Transportation Department fines Southwest $140 million for Christmas meltdown

By Ian Duncan

Inside the mad dash to buy your Walmart and Amazon returns

By Caroline O'Donovan

Food