AP

By Associated Press SAO PAULO | For decades, they have scrounged for food on streets across the country — undesired, abandoned and overlooked. But today, the caramel-colored mutts of Brazil are having a major moment. The “vira-lata caramelo” (literally: caramel trashcan-tipper) is being exalted in memes, videos, petitions, an upcoming Netflix film, a Carnival parade

By Metro Creative Holiday hosts recognize it’s not always so easy to feed a crowd. That pressure may be even more notable come the holiday season, when food is such an integral component of gatherings with family and friends. It may be impossible to please everyone all of the time, but few can resist a

By Associated Press SEATTLE | The world’s largest hornet, an invasive breed dubbed the “murder hornet” for its dangerous sting and ability to slaughter a honey bee hive in a matter of hours, has been declared eradicated in the U.S., five years after being spotted for the first time in Washington state near the Canadian

By Associated Press MAMOUDZOU, Mayotte | They clustered around water taps, rare sources of electricity and each other. Four days after the strongest cyclone in nearly a century ripped through the French island territory of Mayotte off the coast of Africa, survivors recalled the horror of the storm that caught many by surprise. Associated Press

By Associated Press The Justice Department unsealed a civil complaint Wednesday alleging CVS Pharmacy Inc. and various subsidiaries filled “unlawful” prescriptions in violation of the federal Controlled Substances Act. The complaint also says CVS sought reimbursement from federal health care programs for such prescriptions in violation of the False Claims Act. CVS is the largest

By Associated Press BRUSSELS — NATO’s secretary-general said he wants to discuss ways to put Ukraine in a position of strength for any future peace talks with Russia during a meeting Wednesday with Ukraine’s president and a small number of European leaders. But Mark Rutte appeared frustrated at growing speculation in NATO capitals about when

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — The federal judge who presided over the seditious conspiracy case against Oath Keepers members said Wednesday that it would be “frightening” if the anti-government group’s founder, Stewart Rhodes, is pardoned for orchestrating a violent plot to keep Donald Trump in the White House after he lost the 2020 presidential election.

By Associated Press There might by more intrigue in the race for the No. 1 pick than in the race to make the playoffs in the final three weeks. There’s already a record number of teams that have clinched a playoff spot with three weeks to play in the NFL season and a record number

By Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Former NFL quarterback Nick Foles still remembers when he was launching his new apparel company with retired punter Pat O’Donnell, and they decided to send some “Dad SZN” merch to some of their old pals in various locker rooms. The package he sent to Kansas City ended up

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court said Wednesday it will consider South Carolina’s move to cut off Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood, the latest abortion-related case since the justices overturned Roe v. Wade. The court agreed to take up the state’s appeal of a lower-court ruling focused on whether Medicaid patients can sue

By Associated Press MADISON, Wis. — The shooter at a religious school in Wisconsin had two handguns with her but used only one in the attack that killed a teacher and a student and wounded six others, the city’s police chief said in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday. Police were still investigating

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — China is expanding its nuclear force, has increased military pressure against Taiwan and has strengthened its ties with Russia over the past year, according to a Pentagon report Wednesday that details actions accelerating key areas of conflict with the United States. The report, however, also notes that the recent rash

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense is expected to face his first public questioning from U.S. senators on Jan. 14. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., told reporters Wednesday that the committee is planning to hold Pete Hegseth’s hearing in mid-January as the former Fox News

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee voted in secret to release the long-awaited ethics report into ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz, raising the possibility that the allegations against the Florida Republican who was President-elect Donald Trump’s first choice for attorney general could be made public in the coming days. The decision by the bipartisan

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Senate passed a defense bill Wednesday that authorizes significant pay raises for junior enlisted service members, aims to counter China’s growing power and boosts overall military spending to $895 billion while also stripping coverage of transgender medical treatments for children of military members. The annual defense authorization bill usually

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump abruptly rejected a bipartisan plan Wednesday to prevent a Christmastime government shutdown, instead telling House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republicans to essentially renegotiate — days before a deadline when federal funding runs out. Trump’s sudden entrance into the debate and new demands sent Congress spiraling as lawmakers

By Associated Press NEW YORK — U.S. stocks tumbled to one of their worst days of the year after the Federal Reserve hinted Wednesday it may deliver fewer shots of adrenaline for the U.S. economy in 2025 than earlier thought. The S&P 500 fell 2.9%, just shy of its biggest loss for the year, to

By Associated Press NEW YORK — There’s only one Roxie Hart. And yet — stay with us here — there are many Roxie Harts. The murderous, washed-up chorus girl is the beating, biting heart of Broadway’s mainstay musical “Chicago,” but no single actor owns her. She instead belongs to a revolving sisterhood of performers who,

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it will hear arguments next month over the constitutionality of the federal law that could ban TikTok in the United States if its Chinese parent company doesn’t sell it. The justices will hear arguments Jan. 10 about whether the law impermissibly restricts speech in

By Associated Press It’s been a very long time since vendors sold the American chestnut on city sidewalks. It’s no longer the variety whose smell some people associate with Christmastime as it wafts from street carts. Because it’s virtually extinct. But memories of the American chestnut’s legacy keep resurfacing for the researchers who want to

By Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Jacob Elordi is suddenly everywhere in Hollywood — so much so that he thinks he must be dreaming. Amid a remarkable streak of high-profile projects with respected filmmakers — Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla,” Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming adaptation of “Frankenstein” and, in theaters now, Paul Schrader’s “Oh, Canada” — the

By Associated Press NEW YORK — Over the four years he’s spent working on “Mufasa: The Lion King,” Barry Jenkins estimates that he’s been asked why he wanted to make it at least 400 times. The question of why Jenkins, the filmmaker of “Moonlight” and “If Beale Street Could Talk” and “The Underground Railroad,” would

By Associated Press TORONTO — The premier of Canada’s most populous province said Tuesday President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to impose sweeping 25% tariffs on all Canadian products would be a “disaster” that would hurt U.S. stock markets. Ontario Premier Doug Ford also said in an interview with The Associated Press that he’s “extremely worried” about