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Wildfire smoke caused unhealthy levels of air pollution across Washington, D.C., in mid-July as fires raged across Ontario, Canada. A new study examining years between 2003 and 2019 found that the primary pollutant affecting pregnancies was wildfire smoke. (Photo by Finn Gomez/Getty Images) A new study examining pollution levels across a 16-year span found that while general pollution levels from sources such as cars and industry have significantly declined, recent increases in wildfire smoke air pollution have offset those gains and could be contributing to negative outcomes for pregnant women and babies such as low birth weight and preterm births.   Published by Frontiers in Environmental Health, the study included data from about 64.5 million pregnancies between 2003 and 2019, covering more than 2,800 counties in 48 states. Even in regions that are not strongly associated with wildfire, such as the southeast region of the U.S., wildfire pollution rates grew substantially during ...

Construction work at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on May 5, 2026. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON — U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro moved Friday to dismiss charges against a former Olympian canoeist alleged to have damaged part of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Pirro had charged David Hearn, of Bethesda, Maryland, with destruction of property of more than $1,000 for allegedly vandalizing the newly refinished Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on June 19. President Donald Trump, who has overseen the multi-million-dollar renovation of the Reflecting Pool, blamed vandals for damage to it. But in  a 20-page motion  to dismiss filed by the U.S. attorney’s office, Pirro said her office wouldn’t have sought charges if the Interior Department, which manages the Lincoln Memorial, had initially shared more information about repair work on the Reflecting Pool. Instead, the department only recently disclosed findings that Pirro said “st...

An employee at Cubby’s Childcare Center in Bridgeport, West Virginia, plays with two infants in July. A bipartisan group of state lawmakers say it’s time to rethink the nation’s fragile childcare system. (Photo by Amelia Ferrell Knisely/West Virginia Watch) CHICAGO — A bipartisan group of state lawmakers is calling for an overhaul of the nation’s childcare system, which they say is failing children, parents and providers.  The group of 13 Republican and Democratic lawmakers, who have spent the last year studying childcare access and affordability problems, offered an array of policy recommendations during the National Conference of State Legislatures annual summit in Chicago this week. During a panel discussion Monday, lawmakers underscored the persisting challenge with childcare that costs families too much and pays providers too little. That has led to vast access gaps in many parts of the country as demand for childcare far outstrips supply.   “Every state is experiencing a chil...