The Washington Post - Breaking news and latest headlines, U.S. news, world news, and video

(Nathan Jones)

U.S. downs suspected Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic coast

U.S. fighter aircraft, acting on an order from President Biden, shot down the balloon off the South Carolina coast on Saturday.

By Ellen Nakashima, Alex Horton, Dan Lamothe and Rosalind S. Helderman1 hour ago

MORE COVERAGE

RECORD COLD

‘Historic Arctic outbreak’ crushes records in New England

By Matthew Cappucci, Joel Achenbach and Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff

MORE COVERAGE

(Illustration by Emily Sabens/The Washington Post; iStock)

Can’t replace your gas stove? Here’s what you can do to protect your health.

Using other kitchen appliances, improving ventilation and experimenting with induction could help curb your exposure to pollutants.

By Allyson Chiu

Analysis

House GOP embraces mainstream media after years of bashing ‘fake news’

By Paul Kane

Beyond the hopeful bubble of a papal visit in South Sudan, scenes of despair

By Chico Harlan

Only from The Post

D.C.’s skyline is low — by law. The mayor wants to reshape it.

The prospect of amending the Height Act has taken on new urgency as city officials seek to build consensus around a vision for reinventing an emptier downtown.

By Paul Schwartzman

Perel's story was dramatized in the 1990 film “Europa Europa.” (Getty Images)

Solomon Perel, Jew who posed as Hitler Youth to survive war, dies at 97

Only in retirement did he begin to publicly tell his story — one that even in the bottomless depths of Holocaust sagas stands out as remarkable. “To this day I have a tangle of two souls in one body,” he said in 1992.

By Emily Langer

(Luis Velarde/The Post)

The Grammys ignored Latin music for years. Bad Bunny made them listen.

On Sunday, his "Un Verano Sin Ti" would be the first excusively Spanish-language record to win album of the year.

By Bethonie Butler

TikTok’s secret menus are driving food-service workers nuts

By Linda Chong

Voraciously

10 chicken soup recipes to warm your body and soul

By Becky Krystal

LATEST HEADLINES

Virginia Tech takes down No. 6 Virginia for a much-needed résumé boost

30 minutes ago

U.S. military downs Chinese balloon over Atlantic Ocean

1 hour ago

Train derails, hazardous chemicals burn as Ohio town evacuates

40 minutes ago

Beyond the hopeful pope bubble in South Sudan, scenes of despair

DNC approves Biden plan to remake 2024 calendar but hurdles remain

Attacking Vuhledar, Russia previews new push to seize southeast Ukraine

Two JMU students remain hospitalized after crash that killed 3

Perspective

Meet Nimbee, the mascot who scorns bike lanes, development and change

U.S. military downs Chinese balloon over Atlantic Ocean

As the balloon approached the Atlantic Ocean, the FAA, announced ground stops for all commercial flights in and out of Wilmington, N.C., Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Mount Washington wind chill hits minus-108, snapping U.S. record

‘Historic Arctic outbreak’ crushes records in New England

Analysis

House GOP embraces mainstream media after years of bashing ‘fake news’

Opinion

Ye olde Supreme Court? Your originalism is making America unsafe.

Politics

People gather to protest the Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe on June 24 in Raleigh, N.C. (Getty Images)

Republicans aim to decimate abortion access in post-Roe haven states

GOP hard-liners seek new restrictions in states including North Carolina, Florida and Nebraska.

By Caroline Kitchener and Rachel Roubein

Democrats approve Biden plan to make South Carolina the first primary in 2024

By Dylan Wells and Tyler Pager

The longtime Biden aide at the center of classified documents furor

By Matt Viser, Carol D. Leonnig and Tyler Pager

The FixAnalysis

Trump’s poll problem in early states like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina

By Aaron Blake

RetropolisThe Past, Rediscovered

Presidential papers have long been turning up in unexpected places

By Ronald G. Shafer

Advice

Carolyn Hax: Stepparent is off the wedding guest list, per ex’s orders

By Carolyn HaxFebruary 4

How to repair gaps between vinyl flooring planks

By Jeanne HuberFebruary 3

Friend or fraud: Seven ways to spot a Ponzi scheme, and other scams

By Michelle SingletaryFebruary 3

We still use appliances like it’s 1970. There’s a better way.

By Michael J. CorenFebruary 2

Miss Manners: They ask, I say no. Suddenly, they’re ‘just joking.’

February 4

Ask Amy: My friend is taking advantage of our offer to give her rides

February 4

For YouRecommended stories

Well+BeingNews and advice to live well every day

(iStock)

A quicker return to school may help kids with concussions, study says

By Erin Blakemore

Advice

3 ways to stop waking up frequently during the night and improve sleep

By Lisa Strauss

How exercise can help you build resilience at any age

By Kelyn Soong

Should you be worried about infection from eye drops?

By Marlene Cimons

Fallopian tube removal advised for more women to prevent ovarian cancer

By Teddy Amenabar, Amy Goldstein and Lindsey Bever

The Home You Own

(The Washington Post/José L. Soto/The Washington Post; iStock)

These everyday items endanger the environment. Here’s how to handle them.

By Melanie D.G. Kaplan

Shop for bargains at HomeGoods like an interior designer

By Michelle Brunner

Perspective

9 home-maintenance tasks for your February to-do list

By Jeanne Huber

7 inexpensive (or free!) ways to create a more organized closet

By Hannah Holland

How to do the laundry better, according to a TikTok cleaning queen

By Jandra Sutton

BOOK WORLDNews, reviews and big ideas for all things fiction and nonfiction

Review

He faked his way into the art world. Now Tony Tetro is explaining how.

By Kelsey Ables

Review

Two books capture the messy, monumental life of Ted Kennedy

By David Greenberg

Review

The moon falls to Earth in a 1939 novel that remains chillingly relevant

By Michael Dirda

Review

The strange link between a forgotten sex cult and a president’s murder

By Joy Lanzendorfer

10 noteworthy books for February

By Becky Meloan

Help Desk

Perspective

Is TikTok really giving your data to China? Our tech columnist separates facts from fears.

By Geoffrey A. Fowler

We keep trying to make AI therapists. It’s not working.

By Shira Ovide

A study examines who is using dating apps — and what they’re really looking for

By Heather Kelly

Technology

Biden’s State of the Union address to take aim at Silicon Valley

By Cat Zakrzewski and Tyler Pager

Elon Musk found not liable in federal trial over ‘Funding secured’ tweet

By Faiz Siddiqui

Analysis

Twitter curbs researcher access, sparking backlash in Washington

By Cristiano Lima

WORLD

Ukrainian soldiers fire anti-tank grenades toward Russian positions near Vuhledar on Saturday. (Heidi Levine for The Post)

Attacking Vuhledar, Russia previews new push to seize southeast Ukraine

By Steve Hendrix and Serhii Korolchuk

Live Briefing: War in Ukraine

More than 170 freed in prisoner swap; new U.S.-made bombs will double Ukraine’s reach

By Niha Masih, Ellen Francis, Natalia Abbakumova and Nick Parker1 hour ago

‘Guns are everywhere’ in Israel, occupied territories as violence spikes

By William Booth and Sufian Taha

She skied alone through Antarctica for 70 days, covering 922 miles

By Daniel Wu

She lost her partner in the protests. Then her twins. She’s still at it.

By Samantha Schmidt

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

National

(Melissa Smith/AP)

Train derails, hazardous chemicals burn as Ohio town evacuates

By Andrea Salcedo and Joel Achenbach40 minutes ago

Sixth Memphis police officer fired after death of Tyre Nichols

By Helier Cheung, Maham Javaid and Andrea Salcedo

A student needed medical care and a home. His teachers adopted him.

By Sydney Page

N.Y. prosecutors group says former Trump investigator violated ethics with book

By Shayna Jacobs

Austin faces power outages, downed trees after debilitating ice storm

By Derek Hawkins

ClimateExpanded coverage of a changing planet

(Tim Meko/The Washington Post)

From snowy West to snow-starved East, a map of winter winners and losers

In this odd winter for U.S. snowfall, western peaks are loaded but New York and D.C. are nearly bare.

By Tim Meko and Bonnie Berkowitz

Essential insects in East Asia have declined massively, study finds

Insects that play a key role in East Asia's ecosystems declined sharply over the past two decades, according to new research — a trend also seen elsewhere.

By Meaghan Tobin

The Climate 202Analysis