BISHOP, Calif. (AP) — Strong winds on Monday drove an out-of-control wildfire through a remote area of eastern California, prompting evacuations for hundreds of homes. The Silver Fire erupted Sunday afternoon along Route 6 in Inyo County, about 5 miles (8 km) northeast of Bishop in the Owens Valley. By Monday morning, it had grown to nearly 2 square miles (5 square km), according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. There was no containment. The for 65...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court appeared Monday to be leaning toward a Catholic charitable organization pushing back against the state of Wisconsin in the latest religious rights case to come before the court. In a case that could have wide-ranging effects, the justices suggested the Catholic Charities Bureau should not have to pay unemployment taxes because the work of the social services agency is motivated by religious beliefs, and the state exempts religious groups from the tax. it a...

Scientists have developed a device that can translate thoughts about speech into spoken words in real time. Although it’s still experimental, they hope the brain-computer interface could someday help give voice to those unable to speak. A new study described testing the device on a 47-year-old woman with quadriplegia who couldn’t speak for 18 years after a stroke. Doctors implanted it in her brain during surgery as part of a clinical trial. It “converts her intent to speak into fluent a...