Pope Francis has strongly criticized both U.S. presidential candidates over what he calls anti-life policies on abortion and migration. Francis on Friday advised American Catholics to choose the “lesser evil” in the upcoming U.S. elections. He says that when deciding between a candidate who supports abortion rights and one planning to deport migrants that “both are against life.” The Argentine Jesuit was asked to provide counsel to American Catholics on the airplane home from Asia. He stressed that he isn’t an American and won't be voting in the U.S. election, but that Catholics should use their conscience to vote and choose the “lesser evil.”

An Associated Press analysis has found that hospitals are rarely fined for violating a federal law that is supposed to guarantee that patients with medical emergencies get the treatment they need. Only a dozen hospitals have been penalized over the last two years for violations of that law. That's despite more than 100 hospitals turning away pregnant patients in that time, leaving some to miscarry in restrooms, deliver babies in cars or develop risky infections. Some hospitals have repeatedly violated the law without consequence.

Health officials say they don’t know how a Missouri person caught bird flu, but they believe it may be a rare instance of a “one-off,” stand-alone illness. In a call with reporters Thursday, officials said they have not yet determined how to the person caught the virus. They also have not been able to confirm the exact strain of flu. The case raised questions about the possibility of human-to-human transmission, but they say there is no evidence of that. Unusual flu strains that come from animals are occasionally found in people. This year alone, health officials identified seven human cases of swine flu in the U.S.

Fentanyl overdoses have become a leading cause of death for minors in the last 5 years or so — and social media, where tainted, fake prescription drugs can be obtained with just a few clicks, is part of the problem. Experts say companies like Snap, Telegram and Meta, which owns Instagram, are not doing enough to keep children safe. As recently as a decade ago, people looking to buy illicit drugs online would visit the dark web. But since then, using popular social media sites, encrypted chat platforms, legitimate payment platforms and shipping services, dealers moved into the light.

Kate, the princess of Wales, says she has completed chemotherapy and will return to some public duties in the coming months. The 42-year-old wife of Prince William is expected to undertake a light program of engagements until the end of the year. Kate announced in March that she was being treated for an undisclosed type of cancer. Kate attended a ceremonial birthday parade for her father-in-law King Charles III in June, and the following month presented the men’s winner’s trophy at the Wimbledon tennis championships.

The European climate service Copernicus says Earth just sweltered to its hottest summer on record. That makes it even more likely that this year will end up as the warmest humanity has measured. And if this sound familiar, that’s because the records the globe shattered were set just last year. Scientists say human-caused climate change, with a temporary boost from El Nino, keeps dialing up temperatures and extreme weather. And they say the fact that heat records keep coming even after El Nino has now faded shows that climate change is the main culprit. Copernicus scientists calculate that the northern meteorological summer — June, July and August — averaged 16.8 degrees Celsius (62.2 Fahrenheit). That inched past the old record set in 2023.

A new study finds that every year people create 57 million tons of plastic pollution. The material winds up everywhere from the deepest oceans to the highest peak of Mount Everest to inside people's body. More than two-thirds of it is in the Global South. Researchers at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom examined waste produced at the local level in more than 50,000 cities and towns for the work published in Wednesday's journal Nature. They looked at waste that gets into the open environment, rather than plastic that goes into landfills or gets burned properly. Outside experts worried that the study's focus on pollution, rather than growing plastic production, lets the plastics industry off the hook.

Products with delta-8 THC, so-called “magic mushrooms," and other legal but less-regulated compounds are easy for consumers to get their hands on. But just because it's on a store shelf doesn't mean it's safe — or that the ingredients are clear. Many states have banned or tried to ban delta-8. Experts say its important to do careful research and talk to a doctor before taking any substances. The best option is to only take drugs from a legal and licensed source to avoid getting sick or worse.