The Washington Post stories, Page 12

Your major appliances work hard for you. So why not pay some attention to your washer, dryer, dishwasher, fridge and stove? “Lots of people think that the function of the washing machine or the dishwasher is to clean, so it must just clean itself,” says Melissa Maker, who runs a...

Question: Our chimney is badly stained from weather. A chimney sweep told us chemicals and power washing would not guarantee removing these stains, and a heavy power wash could even damage the brick. How can we safely remove the stains? Answer: The stains could be mold, dirt, algae or soot,...

Question: I want to thread a 12-foot pipe through a hole in a large rock and into the ground to support a birdhouse. The rock would remain on top of the ground, but it would anchor the pipe better and more attractively than my current arrangement. I can take the...

WASHINGTON — James McCord, a retired CIA employee who was convicted as a conspirator in the Watergate burglary and later linked the 1972 break-in to the White House in revelations that helped end the presidency of Richard Nixon, died June 15, 2017, at his home in Douglassville, Pennsylvania. He was...

New York health officials issued summonses to parents of three children Thursday for not vaccinating their children against measles, a violation of the city’s emergency order mandating immunizations to control a surging outbreak. The adults face civil penalties of $1,000 if an officer upholds the summons at a hearing. Health...

BOSTON - Despite all the familiar political rally trappings - the phalanx of TV news cameras, the anti-Trump words in his remarks and the handheld signs encouraging him to run for president - Joe Biden insisted that the plight of the people picketing behind the stage was more important than...

Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke came to northern Virginia on Wednesday to whip up enthusiasm for Virginia’s General Assembly elections, hoping to re-energize blue voters buffeted by scandals in Richmond. During the final leg of a two-day state tour, the former congressman from Texas said a Democratic takeover this fall...

TOKYO — Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un may finally be ready to meet for the first time, as Russia seeks to extend its influence and North Korea tries to hedge its bets after the failed summit with President Trump. The potential of closer ties between Putin and Kim carries...

WASHINGTON — A noticeable shift has taken place on Wall Street and among many economists and business leaders in recent weeks: Fears of an imminent recession have faded and been replaced with cautious optimism, especially about 2020, a trend that bodes well for President Donald Trump as he seeks re-election....

The canine had been inked in black and white, with wild eyes and jagged teeth that gave it the look of a snarling wolf. “Sheepdog,” a banner below said in block letters. The cryptic tattoo was one of the only clues police had to work with. On April 7, 2018,...

Listen, lamb-leery cooks: Don’t be intimidated by the myth of a “too gamy taste,” true of the bygone mutton- eating generation. Today in America, what was once known as “spring lamb,” is offered to market between 6 and 12 months old, which yields a fresh, meaty flavor no more pungent than...

Migrants who come to the United States seeking asylum may instead wind up jailed indefinitely while they wait for their claims to be processed, the Trump administration ruled Tuesday in its latest crackdown at the border. Attorney General William Barr’s written decision, a policy reversal, applies to migrants who have...

WASHINGTON — Attorneys general from 14 states and the District of Columbia on Tuesday vehemently opposed the Trump administration’s proposal to roll back a regulation known as Waters of the United States, a move they said would end federal oversight of 15% of streams and more than half of the...

Emily Meade felt uneasy. The actress, who plays a porn star on HBO’s “The Deuce,” was about to film one of the most vulnerable scenes of her career — a graphic sequence in which she had to simulate oral sex. At one point in the lengthy scene, she was supposed...

In “FDT,” his hit song with rapper YG, Nipsey Hussle made his feelings clear about Donald Trump. In the music video for one of the most popular protest anthems of 2016, Hussle walked the streets of Crenshaw in South Los Angeles with throngs of friends, fans and neighbors flashing expletive-laden...

Marvel fans beware. With less than two weeks before “Avengers: Endgame” hits theaters nationwide, “spoiler heavy” footage has leaked online, spreading on Reddit and Twitter. Social media users posting video clips and still images from the movie, which has shattered Fandango’s pre-sale tickets record, have already seen their content disabled...

PARIS – France on Tuesday was confronting the scorched remains of Notre Dame Cathedral as officials announced they had extinguished the inferno that partly damaged a symbol of the nation. Authorities said their first investigations suggested that the fire started by accident, perhaps in connection with much-needed renovations that left...

A man accused of throwing a 5-year-old boy from a balcony at the Mall of America on Friday had been “looking for someone to kill,” authorities say. Emmanuel Aranda, 24, has been charged with attempted premeditated first-degree murder and is set to make his first court appearance on Tuesday afternoon....

The recipe will remain the same. But the name of Milk Bar’s signature dessert is getting a change that some critics say is long overdue. Crack Pie — the trademarked name for the chain’s buttery, sugary pie — will now become Milk Bar Pie. The name was a reference to...

Pete Buttigieg, 37, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who has become the buzziest candidate of late in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, offered his own take Tuesday on his rapid rise. “I think I’ve gone from being viewed as, you know, adorable six weeks ago to now...

Micah Herndon’s head hung between his shoulders as he crouched on all fours. Staring down at the pavement before him, he placed one hand in front of the other and painstakingly inched toward his goal: the Boston Marathon finish line. Despite suffering from severe cramps that had rendered his legs...

It’s frustrating when nutrition studies seem to contradict earlier ones: “Are Eggs Good or Bad For You? New Research Rekindles Debate,” the Associated Press groused in mid-March. Though it may seem that dietary science is changing every day, that’s not really the case. I’m here to explain how nutritional research...