School lunch fees are taking a toll on parents, U.S. consumer watchdog finds

Submit your questions for Jennifer Rubin’s mail bag newsletter and live chat.

Tia Mowry revealed a shocking rift in her relationship with sister Tia in a preview for her new reality show.

The following is a transcript of an interview with Isaac Herzog, president of Israel, on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" that aired on Sept. 22, 2024.

We leave you this Sunday among the towering rock formations of Monument Valley along the Arizona-Utah border. Videographer: Brad Markel.

Shota Imanaga will lead the host Cubs past Jake Irvin and the Nationals on Sunday afternoon.

"Should is a useless word, almost as useless as hope."

Zelenskyy is gambling that his surprise attack into Russia can convince Putin to negotiate an end to the 2½-year-old war which has produced an estimated one million casualties. But Putin continues to rely on the sheer weight of numbers to grind Ukraine down.

Annie Knight had a goal in 2023 to sleep with 365 people, and in 2024, she decided to “level up” and sleep with 600 people throughout the year.

Taylor Swift looked every bit ready for fall on Saturday, the same day boyfriend Travis Kelce arrived in Atlanta for Sunday's Chiefs-Falcons game.

A heat wave struck Southern California earlier this month. Soon after, large swaths of the region began to burn. All three fires, the Line Fire, the Bridge Fire, and the Airport Fire, are still going.So far, they’ve engulfed almost 200 square miles, forcing evacuations in four counties and destroying dozens of homes. Southern Californians should know by now that natural disasters threaten our region more than most places in the United States. But time and again, we seem to forget fire season as soon as it ends, and we’re unready for nature’s fury when it inevitably returns.In June, Claim Guard, an organization that educates consumers about insurance, published a report on natural-disaster preparedness that analyzed data from all counties in the United States. It sought to measure “community resilience,” which it defined as “the ability of a community to anticipate hazards, adapt to changing conditions, and recover rapidly.” It gave Los Angeles County “an exceedingly low score,” among the worst of all large counties. In terms of overall risk of economic loss due to natural disasters, “Los Angeles County scores 100 out of 100, making it the riskiest locale in the nation,” the report noted. Four of its five most at-risk counties in America are in California. Three are in Southern California.The Public Policy Institute of California surveyed Golden State residents in July about disaster preparedness. Only 35 percent said that they were prepared for a natural disaster. Some aspired to do better: “23% intend to prepare in the next six months and 22% plan to do so in the next year,” the survey found. “The rest—20%—have no plans to prepare in the next year.” What’s more, “worries about wildfires do not appear to spur disaster preparedness,” the report continued, with “minimal differences in preparation” among Californians who view the threat of wildfires as “a big problem” or “not a problem” in their part of the state. Preparation levels were also similar “no matter how serious a personal or economic threat Californians rate wildfires.”This is a confounding portrait of a region that is unusually vulnerable to natural disasters and unusually unprepared for them, despite being aware of that lack when reminded of it. I’ve tried to make sense of this since my earliest days as a reporter, when I saw the terrifying power of wildfires, floods, and mudslides up close; spent time in communities that they devastated; and saw how neighboring communities did not seem alarmed or altered even when luck alone kept them safe. I’ve come to understand that life is typically so good in Southern California, a place spared seasonal challenges frequent in other regions, that simply ignoring nature is possible for long stretches, with inattentiveness often going unpunished.[Read: The line to fire is too close to L.A. for comfort]Two decades ago, during the 2003 Grand Prix and Old Fires, I was driving around Claremont, Rancho Cucamonga, and Fontanna, watching the San Gabriel Mountains as Santa Ana winds began to blow, stoking an ominous orange glow that appeared to pulse on the far side of the range. What I saw next, while reporting for the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, will always shape my attitude. Gusts pushed flames up onto ridges and scattered embers down into foothill housing tracts. Soon the whole mountain was on fire. I watched people flee in pickup trucks towing horse trailers, kids packed into cabs, loose picture frames tossed onto dashboards. I watched as a windrow of eucalyptus trees caught fire, the oil-rich leaves fueling the flames.That night, I went to bed covered in soot, woke up with burning lungs, and stepped outside to a car covered in ash. Days later, I stood with devastated homeowners on lots reduced to smoldering ruins. I also remember driving a few miles away for lunch and recognizing that, just a bit farther from the mountain, most people were unaffected by the biggest fire in a generation. While the air was thick with smoke, they noticed, but soon the smoke just drifted away. Seeing what I had seen, I was jarred by the speed with which they felt incuriosity and indifference toward the fire. But they hadn’t seen what I had seen, so what had been wrought on their neighbors didn’t penetrate their experience, as if the nice, sunny days that followed rendered it unimaginable. I didn’t need to imagine. And I’ve never again gone to sleep in a house or hotel in a wildfire zone without thinking about how I’d get out if awoken by a surprise blaze.At the same time, born and raised in Southern California, I can understand the out-of-sight, out-of-mind reaction to the region’s many natural threats. In lots of ways, they are rooted in the experience of life here. On the Pacific Coast, the climate is so temperate and stable for so much of the year, it is easy to go months without checking a forecast, let alone worrying about the weather doing you harm. Friends going skiing would say, “We’re driving to the snow this weekend,” because snow wasn’t something that fell here; it was something you drove to over there in the mountains. Here, April days were T-shirt weather. In drought years, rain was scarce, yet the tap never ran dry. And near the beach, onshore breezes kept us cool all summer.There were occasional heat waves back then. They tended to arrive in early autumn, when we kids were newly stuck in stifling classrooms, and last a week or so. Teachers would curse the heat, and parents who lived happily all year without air-conditioning would open windows and lie in bed, slick with sweat, promising spouses, “Before next year, we’ll get AC.” Each year, some acted, but many others put it off, as one does when the problem you’re solving is months away, and soon enough forgot, as one does when bad consequences are so infrequent.Today, Southern California weather, like weather worldwide, is a bit hotter than it once was. Yet heat waves here are easier to bear. More houses, businesses, and classrooms got air-conditioning as the actors accumulated over time, and new construction came with more amenities. Cars have improved too. Gone are the days when many of us drove 1980s sedans that overheated going up hills unless you blasted the heat to move hot air away from the engine. And like everywhere else––perhaps even more so––Californians have adopted the digital technologies that mediate more of life through screens.When this autumn’s heat wave began, lots of Californians simply spent more time in climate-controlled spaces. Amid sprawl, where cities merge in uninterrupted stretches of pavement, dry riverbeds are hidden away in concrete channels, and one struggles to remember the last rainy day, it is easy to set the thermostat to 70, order UberEats, log on to Netflix, and forget about nature, even during a heat wave … unless your own community catches fire.That tends to get even our attention.The Airport Fire came to my attention late one night as I put on headphones, cued up a podcast, and stepped outside for a walk. I couldn’t see much in the dark or hear anything of the outside world, but I hadn’t walked far when a slight breeze brought a hint of smoke to my nose. I thought, Where is the wildfire?––I’ve lived in California long enough to get reasonably skilled at distinguishing smoke from a joint versus a chimney versus a beach bonfire versus a wildfire. I rerouted my walk to the top of a nearby hill to see whether I was in sight of any flames.[Annie Lowrey: What the camp fired reveal]I saw only darkness. But online, I determined that I was smelling the Airport Fire, 25 miles away. It had started just east of Rancho Santa Margarita, where I’d attended high school. The next day, as the Airport Fire spread, I watched on TV as it consumed a house near Lake Elsinore. I’d always thought of my high school as far away from Lake Elsinore—to get from one to the other, you take the 241 toll road to the 91 freeway to the 15 freeway, which takes about an hour if you avoid rush hour.But large as they loom in day-to-day life here, wildfires don’t travel by freeway routes. An eagle in Rancho Santa Margarita would reach Lake Elsinore by flying over the Santa Ana Mountains. Upon hearing about a fire in Rancho Santa Margarita, Lake Elsinore residents must start worrying immediately, because flames can climb rugged ridges, summit peaks, and drop into valleys at astonishing speeds, depending on the wind. Tracking the wildfire reminded me to stop mistaking the MapQuest route for the territory. It was reorienting me to reality.Days later, I was back in Claremont, wondering whether the smoke I saw rising ominously above Mount Baldy portended a dramatic night for the Inland Empire. But many of the communities that were hit hardest during the wildfires of 2003 were spared any damage at all this year. This month’s wildfires have destroyed a small number of houses and forced many thousands of residents to temporarily evacuate. Yet on the whole, locals feel lucky, knowing that the wind has been mild and that, given different weather, such as the gusty Santa Anas that occasionally sweep across the L.A. basin, fires that caused local tragedies could have been regionally catastrophic.If the weather holds until this year’s fires are fully contained, fewer evacuees will confront the nightmare of returning home to a void. But even fleeing and returning to an intact house renews a person’s understanding of the scale of wildfires and the limits of the tools we use to fight them. Certain communities accustomed to the comforts of modernity now realize that their fate, or at least the fate of their homes, turn on the interplay of fire, air, water, and earth, elements so basic that the ancients thought they composed the whole universe.The terrible coda of Southern California wildfires is that the worst may be yet to come, because mountains and hillsides denuded of brush are less able than they were to hold rocks and soil in place. Fall wildfires often portend winter or spring mudslides and debris flows––think boulders the size of cars dislodging from the mountains and ending up in the foothills, perhaps in a living room. Now, while hillsides still smolder, is the time to clear brush, trim trees, replace old shingled roofs, retrofit attic vents, fill sandbags, order supplies, plan for how you’d evacuate your family and pets if forced to flee home, and learn about your local government’s disaster plans. But it is hard to think of errant boulders as autumn fires are extinguished, smoke fades from the air, and deadlines to find a Halloween costume assert themselves. Amid Thanksgiving obligations, few people find time to prepare for tons of mud that won’t arrive for weeks or months or years––and that won’t ever threaten most streets. Soon, all but those hardest hit by these fires will cease to think about them. The region’s pleasantness will lull most of us who haven’t yet been burned into forgetting the several imminent perils that confront our region. I nearly forgot to note that among them are earthquakes.

How often do things line up this nicely? Those sticksyou gathered from the yard to spare the mowerand piled behind the barn I let dry and used all summerfor kindling. The rate at which you acquired and I burnedthem: nearly perfect. I loved this, the way our tiny flamesmerged and conspired while we stood watch. Restless,prodding. How we let them grow from our little stone basin—standing up, straightening out as if startled from bed.They got taller, sometimes your height, sometimeseven mine. Like that we could linger for hours,ignoring those chairs I built for us. We’d migrate,misremembered buffalo, in silence or something like itas we circled the fire, shelteringalways on the smokeless side.This was the before. We knew it at the time.We would go extinct the same way dinosaurs did,becoming birds. Get smaller, yes, and more afraid.Night would end. I would ferry kettlefuls of water upthe hill from the house to quiet it for good, return inthe morning to toss whatever slurry remainedto the woods. I was happy like that, alonein new undergrowth, thick and primeval. Alonewith the gentle insults of the mockingbird.

Hezbollah launched more than 100 rockets early Sunday across a wider and deeper area of northern Israel, with some landing near the city of Haifa, as Israel launched hundreds of strikes on Lebanon.

In her new film, the actress plays an aging TV star who finds a sinister potion that can give her a younger, more perfect version of herself, but at a horrifying price. Moore, now 61, talks about having suffered due to the entertainment industry's toxic expectations of beauty.

She's only the second player to win the award unanimously, joining Cynthia Cooper of the Houston Comets, who did it in the league's inaugural 1997 season.

Demi Moore was a troubled member of the "Brat Pack," who overcame esteem issues and became the highest-paid actress in Hollywood, starring in such films as "Indecent Proposal," "Charlie's Angels" and "Striptease." Her latest, "The Substance," is about an aging TV star who finds a sinister potion that can give her a younger, more perfect version of herself, but at a horrifying price. Moore, now 61, talks with correspondent Tracy Smith about how she had suffered to comply with the entertainment industry's toxic expectations of beauty for female actresses; and how today she is trying to focus on what really brings her joy.

NBC/screengrabVice President Kamala Harris got some very welcome news on Sunday in the form of a new NBC News poll that found her leading Donald Trump by five points nationally. But perhaps the most significant finding in the survey of 1,000 likely voters conducted from Sept. 13-17 is her massive increase in popularity since taking over for Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee in July.Compared to July, when Harris had a 32% approval and 50% disapproval rating (nearly identical to Biden), the new poll finds 48% of respondents view her positively and 45% negatively. The three point net positive approval stands in sharp contrast to Trump’s net negative 13 point result that has remained static over the same period. As NBC News National Political Correspondent—and data geek—Steve Kornacki and Meet the Press host Kristen Welker explained on Sunday, that 16 point turnaround is the largest favorability increase for any politician NBC has measured since George W. Bush after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Read more at The Daily Beast.

Garrett Hedlund is having the time of his life in the Taylor Sheridan universe.

A deal that's sure to get you charged up!

You can sign up at bet365 Sportsbook using the bet365 bonus code POSTNEWS to get $200 in bonus bets or a $1,000 First Bet Safety Net.

When this game appeared on the schedule, it figured to be a matchup between two of the top teams in the NFL.

In southern Italy's Basilicata region, caves snake through the hillside town of Matera – the remains of neolithic villages that date back more than 6,000 years. Correspondent Seth Doane visits a town reborn as some of its cliffside caves have been re-envisioned as restaurants, bars and luxury hotels.

"Sunday Morning" remembers some of the notable figures who left us this week, including former Wall Street Journal writer Neil King Jr., whose 330-mile walk from Washington, D.C., to New York City after having survived esophageal cancer formed the basis of his book, "American Ramble: A Walk of Memory and Renewal."

This past week's attacks in Lebanon involving electronic devices used by Hezbollah (a group designated by the U.S. as a terrorist organization) has led to thousands injured, dozens fatally. Correspondent Lee Cowan looks at how the detonations of pagers and walkie-talkies, reportedly triggered by Israel in response to daily rocket attacks by Hezbollah, may rewrite the rules of war; and talks with former defense secretary and former CIA director Leon Panetta about what he fears will become "the battlefield of the future."

White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby said the U.S. is doing “everything we can" to prevent an "all-out war" between Israel and Hezbollah.

Since their debut nearly 35 years, Pearl Jam has been one of the world's most popular and influential rock groups. Lead singer Eddie Vedder and bassist Jeff Ament talk about success, friendship, creativity, and giving back to their loyal fans.

"no, im not engaged its a David Yurman ring with no rocks in it," the "Paint the Town Red" singer tweeted and deleted early Sunday morning.

Since their debut nearly 35 years ago, Pearl Jam has been one of the world's most popular and influential rock groups. They've produced 12 studio albums (including their latest, "Dark Matter"), while also fighting with their label, refusing to make videos, and suing Ticketmaster. In a rare interview, lead singer Eddie Vedder and bassist Jeff Ament talk with correspondent Anthony Mason about success, friendship, creativity, and giving back to their loyal fans.

Kate and Prince William were seen Sunday attending church with King Charles II and Queen Camilla near their royal Balmoral estate in Scotland.

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani reached rarefied air Thursday in becoming baseball's first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in one season in a sport that dates back to 1876.

Hollywood star Robert Davi pointed to Teamster support for former President Trump compared to Vice President Harris' backing from stars, saying celebrities are not the "rank-and-file."

"Sunday Morning" looks ahead to the latest entertainment offerings, from screens to stage, from music to page.

The humor magazine that began in 1952 as a comic book making fun of other comic books soon became an institution for mocking authority in all spheres of life, from TV, movies and advertising, to politicians and parents. Now its art is in a museum.

Mad Magazine began in 1952 as a comic book that made fun of other comic books – and soon became an institution for mocking authority in all spheres of life, from TV, movies and advertising, to politicians and parents. Correspondent David Pogue visits a new museum exhibition celebrating the humor of Mad, as created by the artists and writers who called themselves "the usual gang of idiots."

"Sunday Morning" looks back at historical events on this date, including the 1994 premiere of the sitcom "Friends."

It's time to bond outside the Zoom room with your co-workers. No, really. Slack is great and all, but a best friendship it does not make.

The blast struck a coal mine in Tabas, about 335 miles southeast of the capital, Tehran.

An overnight barrage included around 150 rockets, cruise missiles and drones, Israel’s military said. Air defenses intercepted most, but the town of Kiryat Bialik suffered a direct hit.

The injury-riddled Browns host the Giants on Sunday.

CEO Mary Barra talks about GM's expanding electric vehicle lineup, as "Sunday Morning" takes a high-speed tour of General Motors' Milford Proving Ground, which has been a hub for automotive innovation for a century.

Correspondent Kris Van Cleave talks with Mary Barra, General Motors' second-longest-serving CEO, about the company's expanding electric vehicle lineup. He also takes a "high-speed" tour of GM's Milford Proving Ground in Michigan, which has been a hub for automotive innovation for a century, and gets behind the wheel of GM's soon-to-be-released electric Cadillac Escalade IQ.

The American Culture Quiz is a weekly test of our unique national traits, trends, history and people. This time, test your knowledge of U.S. presidents, tasty foods and much more.

San Francisco is known as a reliably liberal city to most of America, but a Los Angeles Times editor believes there are signs that the City by the Bay has swung to the center.

Kathryn Crosby passed away at her home in Hillsborough, California.

Trump voters approve of his comments about immigrants, but most voters do not approve.

A meta puzzle featuring some letter carriers.

Let the wisdom of the crowd help you cook.

Enjoy slashed prices on high-quality chef's knives!

Cohen, who currently stars in "The Penguin" on Max, and his wife were unwittingly involved in a high-speed car chase over the summer that left both of them injured.