Camila Domonoske

Demonstrators in Chicago are gathering in a high-end shopping district to disrupt last-minute Christmas purchases and raise attention to a 2014 police shooting.

"Protests have been continuing almost daily since the release last month of dashcam video showing a white Chicago police officer firing 16 shots into 17-year old Laquan ...

Folk costumes, gifts, carol-singing and a visit from the man in red himself: a celebration in Romania last week was rich in Christmas cheer.

But it had a serious element as well. The gathering — featuring more than 50 children with Down syndrome and their families — was part of ...

The holidays are usually a busy time on the slopes, but unseasonably warm weather this month is wreaking havoc on ski resorts — and skiers' plans — in the Midwest and Northeast.

Ski resorts in New York and Pennsylvania are assuring would-be visitors that they're ready to make snow "in ...

Human rights and women's rights advocates are criticizing the Polish government — and raising concerns about the country's future — after the new ruling party moved to change the nation's system of checks and balances.

The conservative Law and Justice party, which came into power in November, controls both houses ...

Earlier this month, the Las Vegas Review-Journal was purchased under mysterious circumstances. When the buyer's name wasn't revealed, the paper's reporters did some digging and revealed that the Adelson family was behind the deal.

The next day, the family of conservative billionaire Sheldon Adelson publicly confirmed the purchase. The ...

Jeremy Carter, the grandson of former President Jimmy Carter, has died at 28.

Jimmy Carter broke the news at his Sunday school class at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Ga. At the same church, just two weeks ago, Carter announced he was cancer-free after treatments for brain cancer.

This week ...

President Obama wrapped up 2015 by taking another round of questions from the press.

At the traditional end-of-year news conference Friday afternoon, Obama began with a list of achievements, including the legalization of same-sex marriage across America and progress made toward addressing global climate change.

He also thanked Congress for ...

Dennis Hastert, the former speaker of the House who is embroiled in a hush money scandal and pleaded guilty to federal charges this fall, has been hospitalized since the first week of November, his lawyer says.

"Mr. Hastert has suffered a stroke and has been treated for sepsis," attorney Tom ...

Enrique Marquez, the man who purchased the guns used in the San Bernardino, Calif., mass shooting this month, is facing criminal charges, the Department of Justice has announced.

Marquez has been charged with conspiring to commit acts of terrorism — for aborted plans authorities say he hatched with Syed Farook, ...

Commercial airline flights are due to resume between the United States and Cuba — a step in the ongoing thaw in relations between the two countries.

State Department officials announced the aviation deal Thursday, a year after President Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro began the process of restoring diplomatic ...

Forget the debate over participation trophies. The starkest divides in American parenting have less to do with warring philosophies and more to do with money, according to a new survey conducted by the Pew Research Center.

The poll of more than 1,807 parents finds that income and family structure ...

A massive tax and spending bill, designed to keep the U.S. government running for months, doesn't include any direct debt relief for struggling Puerto Rico.

The unincorporated U.S. territory is struggling to make payments on $72 billion of debt. There are serious concerns that the island may default on ...

Tonight Earth gets a free show, courtesy of a trail of dust and debris through space.

The Geminid meteor shower, the strongest meteor shower of the year, lasts about two weeks each December. This year, it reaches its peak late Sunday night.

The shower is the result of a ...

After striking gains in the first round of elections, France's far-right National Front, or FN, has fallen short in the second round.

The anti-immigration party failed to win any regions, according to exit polls..

The FN had taken the lead in six of France's 13 regions during the first round ...

Alabama running back Derrick Henry has taken home this year's Heisman Trophy.

Henry led the nation in rushing yards and rushing attempts, among other noteworthy stats, the Heisman Web site notes:

"The 6-3, 242-pounder from Yulee, Fla., set an SEC single-season-record in 2015 with 1,986 rushing yards. He also ...

Representatives from 196 nations made a historic pact Saturday, agreeing to adopt green energy sources, cut down on climate change emissions and limit the rise of global temperatures — while also cooperating to cope with the impact of unavoidable climate change.

The deal still needs to be adopted by individual ...

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that his forces are helping factions of the Free Syrian Army, a statement that could signal a shift in Russia's policy in Syria.

In a speech to his top military commanders, Putin said the Russian military has provided weapons, supplies and air support to ...

With a historic, planetwide pact on the line, hundreds of diplomats in Paris are preparing to extend the U.N. climate change conference into Saturday.

The deadline to reach consensus on a climate deal was supposed to be midnight Friday. But conference leader Laurent Fabius, the French foreign minister, said ...

It's got a place in the Guinness book of world records, but good luck finding a chimney that can hold it: The world's largest Christmas stocking weighs in at 1,600 pounds.

The patchwork stocking, presented by yarn manufacturer Caron United, is 139 feet tall and 74 1/5 feet wide — ...

Wal-Mart is launching a new mobile pay system, allowing customers to use their smartphones to pay for purchases with credit, debit, prepaid or gift cards.

The service will be available in select stores this month, and across the country next year, the retail giant says.

With Wal-Mart Pay, the company ...