Smile Politely

Talking AI and digital humanities with librarian Mary Ton

Mary Ton is an assistant professor and digital humanities librarian at the University of Illinois. In her own research and ...

How many humans does it take to measure a huge Burmese python? Three.

Carl Jackson caught a nearly 17-ft long Burmese python weighing over 200lbs as part of an effort to rid Florida of the invasive snake.

How far north are Burmese pythons found? What Floridians should know

Burmese pythons are spreading across south Florida but will we start to see them slither up north? What to know ...
Time

‘Safe and sound’: How a U.S. Airman Shot Down in Iran Was Rescued From a Mountain Crevice

A United States Air Force member who was missing behind enemy lines for more than 24 hours after his F-15E fighter jet was shot down in Iran on Friday has been rescued, President Donald Trump ...
Wall Street Journal

How the U.S. Navy Is Blockading the Strait of Hormuz to Choke Off Iran’s Ports

The U.S. has more than 15 warships in place to help enforce President Trump’s blockade of Iran. WSJ’s Shelby Holliday explains how those ships could play a role in stopping vessels that visit Iran’s ...
Wall Street Journal

How the U.S. Is Uniting Libyan Rivals to Squeeze Out Russia

SIRTE, Libya—The twin-turboprop plane carved a line down through the sky and touched down at a desert airstrip here near Libya’s Mediterranean coast. Out stepped a visitor whose arrival would have ...
CBS News

Raising a child now costs over $300,000 in the U.S., study finds. See how your state compares.

Raising a child comes with a long list of expenses, from child care to additional groceries. But how much does that add up to over 18 years? A new estimate from LendingTree puts the price tag at ...
The New York Times

One Rescued From U.S. Jet Shot Down in Iran, U.S. Officials Say

The fate of the plane’s crew was unclear, as American officials scrambled to mount a search and rescue operation. By Eric Schmitt Helene Cooper Ronen Bergman and Thomas Gibbons-Neff Eric Schmitt and ...
The New York Times

How the C.I.A. Helped Locate a U.S. Airman Hiding on an Iranian Ridgeline

The intelligence agency also executed a deception campaign aimed at drawing Iranian forces away from where the missing Air Force officer was hiding. By Julian E. Barnes Julian E. Barnes covers ...
Time

How Businesses Can Apply for Tariff Refunds Through New Portal

Businesses will soon be able to apply for refunds to some of the tariffs they have paid through a new portal set to launch next week. The online portal, called Consolidated Administration and ...
PBS

What to know about the daring rescue of two U.S. aviators shot down in Iran

The United States pulled off a daring rescue of two aviators whose fighter jet was shot down by Iran, plucking the pilot from behind enemy lines before setting off a complicated extraction of the ...
NBC News

As U.S. and Iran agree to a ceasefire, what's actually in the deal — and will it last?

President Donald Trump pulled back from his threats to destroy the Iranian civilization, Tehran celebrated what it framed as a victory and markets soared on news that the Strait of Hormuz could reopen ...