Lucy Perkins

Julie Hamp, the former Toyota executive arrested for allegedly mailing oxycodone pills to herself in Japan, was released from custody on Wednesday.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Tokyo prosecutors thought they had enough evidence to charge Hamp but didn't because they deemed justice had already been served:

...

Burt Shavitz, the man whose face is on your minty Burt's Bees lip balm and body wash, died on Sunday in Bangor, Maine. He was 80.

NPR's Elizabeth Blair reports that Shavitz's death resulted from respiratory complications.

"We remember him as a wild-bearded and free-spirited Maine man, a beekeeper, a ...

Donald Trump's controversial remarks dispagaging Mexican immigrants led to a series of organizations cutting ties with the Republican presidential candidate. After Univision and NBC, dropped TV broadcasts of Miss USA and Miss Universe – pageants which Trump co-owns – a different network will broadcast the programs, according to ...

Investigators say weather caused a predominantly black church in Greeleyville, S.C., to burn down, according to The Associated Press. A statement from the State Law Enforcement Division says there was no evidence of criminal intent in the blaze at the Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church.

As NPR's Maanvi Singh ...

For the last 44 years, you could ask Maria how to get to Sesame Street, but not any more. Sonia Manzano, the actress who has played the character since 1971, is retiring and won't be part of the next season.

Manzano, 65, announced the news earlier this week at the ...

If you were about to talk to President Obama and suggest that he try adding fresh peas to guacamole, don't. The Twitterverse learned this when someone asked Obama what he thought about a recipe The New York Times published that suggested adding fresh peas. The recipe drew a lot ...

Cities in drought-plagued California took water conservation seriously in May. Residential water use went down by 28.9 percent in May, according to a press release from the State Water Resources Control Board.

"The numbers tell us that more Californians are stepping up to help make their communities more water ...

Recreational marijuana is legal in Oregon as of today.

People 21 and older can now possess up to an ounce of pot when away from home and up to 8 ounces at home. It's also legal to grow up to four plants per household.

However, there's no way to legally ...

The Harvard men's swim team will have a new swimmer on their team this fall: Schuyler Bailar of McLean, Va. He will be the first openly transgender swimmer in NCAA Division I history, according to The Harvard Crimson.

Bailar swam with a club team while he was at Georgetown ...

Donald Trump, a Republican presidential candidate, is suing Univision. The Spanish-language TV network dropped its coverage of Miss USA and Miss Universe — two beauty pageants that Trump co-owns — because of Trump's remarks about Mexican immigrants during his presidential campaign announcement on June 16. NBCUniversal also dropped

A White House administration official confirms that the United States and Cuba have come to an agreement to formally re-establish diplomatic relations and open embassies in Havana and Washington.

The Obama administration will announce the agreement on Wednesday.

As NPR's Krishnadev Calamur has explained, the U.S. imposed sanctions and ...

California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed off on one of the strictest school vaccination laws in the country a day after the state Legislature gave the measure final approval.

"The science is clear that vaccines dramatically protect against a number of infectious and dangerous diseases," Brown said in a ...

If you're worried about finishing everything on your to-do list, you'll get an extra second today to cram it all in.

The extra second is called a "leap second." At the very end of the day, the clock will read 11:59:60 Universal Time (the official time that international timekeepers use) ...

Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla said Monday that international creditors need to lighten Puerto Rico's nearly $73 billion public debt burden.

In a televised speech, Garcia said, given the state of its economy, Puerto Rico's public debt is unpayable. He cited a report by a former chief economist of the World ...

A bill that would make vaccinations a requirement for nearly every schoolchild passed the California Legislature. The bill, SB 277, is now on its way to Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown's desk. It's one of the toughest vaccination bills in the country, according to the Los Angeles Times.

"Under ...

Updated at 3:45 p.m. ET

NBCUniversal is ending its business relationship with Donald Trump following comments Trump made about Mexican immigrants. Trump's controversial remarks came as he was announcing his bid for the Republican Party's presidential nomination.

NBC said in a statement that:

"At NBC, respect and ...

A calico cat in southeastern Japan has left some big paw prints to fill. Tama, who served as "stationmaster" of the Kishi train station near Wakayama City, died Monday from acute heart failure, according to CNN. She was 16 (about 80 in cat years), the network reports.

Tama is

If you're searching for a place that has a big backyard for the kids, look no further.

The largest cattle ranch in the world, Anna Creek, is on the market in Australia. For context, the ranch is about the size of New Hampshire, according to Time magazine.

This ranch is ...

If you've got a plastic pink flamingo on your lawn, give it a pat on the back. The man who designed the lawn art, Donald Featherstone, has died. He was 79.

His wife, Nancy, tells The Associated Press that Featherstone died Monday and that he had battled Lewy body ...

People who love to craft sparkly holiday décor and make their own milk carton citrus soaps have looked to Martha Stewart for more than 20 years. And today, the upscale DIY queen's company is at the center of what Stewart calls "a transformational merger."

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia says ...