At a ceremony in New York on Thursday, one of America’s most celebrated writers had a new reason to celebrate. Louise Erdrich won the 2017 National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction for her novel LaRose, the story of an accidental shooting — and the fraught tale of family and reparation that follows. Erdrich, who

President Donald Trump, accompanied by Vice President Mike Pence, speaks during a meeting with the Republican Study Committee. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption toggle caption Evan Vucci/AP President Donald Trump, accompanied by Vice President Mike Pence, speaks during a meeting with the Republican Study Committee. Evan Vucci/AP Republican leaders plan to bring the American Health Care

They had the right idea: During the worldwide flu epidemic that began in 1918, women in this U.S. office wore cloth masks. Bettmann/Bettmann Archive hide caption toggle caption Bettmann/Bettmann Archive They had the right idea: During the worldwide flu epidemic that began in 1918, women in this U.S. office wore cloth masks. Bettmann/Bettmann Archive No

A food distribution center in Ethiopia. Under Trump’s plan, there would be far fewer dollars for aid efforts abroad. Eric Lafforgue/Art in All of Us/Corbis via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Eric Lafforgue/Art in All of Us/Corbis via Getty Images A food distribution center in Ethiopia. Under Trump’s plan, there would be far fewer

Trading Races, a new game by Kenyatta Forbes, asks players to talk about what it means to be black. Courtesy of Kenyatta Forbes hide caption toggle caption Courtesy of Kenyatta Forbes Trading Races, a new game by Kenyatta Forbes, asks players to talk about what it means to be black. Courtesy of Kenyatta Forbes If

The little mark at the heart of it all. Uqbar is back/Flickr hide caption toggle caption Uqbar is back/Flickr The little mark at the heart of it all. Uqbar is back/Flickr Surely, Oakhurst Dairy would have done well to heed the immortal words of the ’80s hair band Cinderella: “Don’t know what you got (till

A colored magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the brain of a 76-year-old patient with dementia shows the brain has atrophied and the dark brown fluid-filled spaces have become enlarged. Zephyr/Science Source Scientists are hoping that a single drug can treat two devastating brain diseases: Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. The drug is nilotinib, which is approved

The FBI issued a series of “wanted” posters for Russians accused of cyber crimes Wednesday, including Igor Anatolyevich Suschin, who is alleged to be a Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officer. Courtesy of FBI hide caption toggle caption Courtesy of FBI The FBI issued a series of “wanted” posters for Russians accused of cyber crimes

Syrian security forces gather under a portrait of President Bashar Assad at the Palace of Justice in Damascus following a suicide bombing on Wednesday. Louai Beshara/AFP/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Louai Beshara/AFP/Getty Images Syrian security forces gather under a portrait of President Bashar Assad at the Palace of Justice in Damascus following a suicide

The Somali coast, as seen from an airplane nearing the airport in Mogadishu in 2015. Andrew Harnik/AP hide caption toggle caption Andrew Harnik/AP The Somali coast, as seen from an airplane nearing the airport in Mogadishu in 2015. Andrew Harnik/AP An oil tanker with eight Sri Lankan crew members aboard appears to have been hijacked

Candidate Donald Trump and media magnate Rupert Murdoch (center) at Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeen, Scotland, last June. Michal Wachucik/AFP/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Michal Wachucik/AFP/Getty Images Candidate Donald Trump and media magnate Rupert Murdoch (center) at Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeen, Scotland, last June. Michal Wachucik/AFP/Getty Images The Trump era has

According to the Congressional Budget Office, repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act would lead to 24 million people losing insurance. But that could depend on how you define insurance. Getty Images/iStockphoto hide caption toggle caption Getty Images/iStockphoto According to the Congressional Budget Office, repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act would lead to 24