United States

A man wearing a black hat and coat smiles while holding a groundhog during a Groundhog Day event.

Holidays

Six More Weeks?!

February 5, 2026

A groundhog saw the future on February 2. Punxsutawney Phil is the mascot of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania. His handlers declared his “prediction” in front of a crowd of thousands: six more weeks of wintry weather…

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A group of NASA astronauts in blue flight suits pose together behind large red letters spelling “NASA.”

Space

Space School

February 5, 2026

If you traveled to space tomorrow, what skills would you need? You’d need to know how to operate your spacecraft. You’d need to know how to stay healthy in orbit. You’d need to know how to conduct a spacewalk. NASA…

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Spanish
A person uses a wide shovel to clear snow from a sidewalk during a heavy snowfall in a small town.

Weather

Wintry Weather

January 23, 2026

Heavy snow and dangerous cold blasted the United States earlier this month. The chill impacted states as far south as Georgia and Florida. In the Midwest, heavy snow affected travel. Beginning January 17, parts of Ohio saw a series of…

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A tall rocket stands upright on a launch pad beside a metal tower under a blue sky.

Space

Ready to Launch

January 22, 2026

NASA’s Artemis II Space Launch System rocket arrives at its launch pad on Merritt Island, Florida, on January 17. The rocket is expected to take off for the moo…

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Four astronauts wearing white space suits sit strapped into seats inside a spacecraft cabin.

Space

Space Evacuation

January 22, 2026

On January 15, NASA completed its first medical evacuation from space. Its SpaceX Crew-11 mission ended early when an astronaut had a medical issue that couldn’t be treated at the International Space Station. At a press conference, NASA administrator Jared…

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A girl adds flowers to a colorful scene decorated with big sunflowers.

News

After the Fires

January 9, 2026

One year ago, the Palisades and Eaton Fires devastated Los Angeles, California. Since then, community members have been working to rebuild. The fires began on January 7, 2025, and were propelled by dry conditions and wind speeds as high…

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Close-up of a pile of shiny copper pennies, showing the heads and tails of U.S. one-cent coins.

Government

No More Pennies

November 25, 2025

The penny has died. At the age of 232, the coin’s final batch was minted in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on November 12. There are an estimated 250 billion pennies still in circulation. These will continue to be accepted as legal tender.…

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Two hands hold up colorful wooden numbers 6 and 7, with a child and an older adult smiling in the blurred background.

Culture

Magic Number

November 12, 2025

Lock in, chat: Dictionary.com’s word of the year is 67. The online dictionary announced its pick on October 28. Last year, the site chose demure, a word that means “reserved, shy, or modest.” That choice was made after a TikTok…

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A volunteer organizes bags of fresh produce on metal shelves in a food pantry.

Government

Shutdown Update

November 6, 2025

At press time, the United States government has been shut down for 37 days: the longest shutdown in U.S. history. The previous record was 35 days, set in 2019. The shutdown began on October 1 (see “TFK Explains: Government Shutdown”).…

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Baseball players wearing “Dodgers 2025 World Champions” shirts cheer and lift a trophy during a World Series celebration.

Sports

Victory Cry

November 6, 2025

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto hoists the Most Valuable Player trophy on November 1, in Toronto, in Canada. The Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blu…

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