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Foreclosure filings surged 21% this year. Here are the states where they are rising fastest.
Foreclosures across the U.S. ballooned in the first half of the year, a sign of the increasing financial strain facing the nation’s homeowners.
Foreclosure filings reached nearly 228,000 from January to June, up 21% from a year ago and 28% from two years ago, according to data released Thursday from real estate data company ATTOM.
Rising foreclosure rates indicate that more homeowners are in financial distress, Rob Barber, CEO of ATTOM, said in a statement. Homes go into foreclosure when the owner falls behind on mortgage payments, often due to extenuating life circumstances such as a job loss. ATTOM defines foreclosures as default notices, scheduled auctions or bank repossessions.
The states with the biggest jumps in foreclosure activity in the first half of the year were:
- Idaho, where filings increased 59% compared to the same period in 2025
- Colorado, where filings increased 57%
- Georgia, where filings were up 52%.
When it comes to the highest overall foreclosure rates, Florida dominates. In June alone, one in every 2,106 housing units in the state had a foreclosure filing.
Foreclosures, which totaled 640,864 in 2019, dipped during the pandemic but are now creeping back up, per ATTOM data.
With the data showing that foreclosure rates are returning to their pre-pandemic levels, “the increases also suggest that some homeowners may be facing greater financial strain than they were a year ago,” Barber said.
In another sign of strain for American homeowners, new data from Realtor.com reveals that short sales — when a homeowner sells a home for less than what they owe on their mortgage often to avoid foreclosure — are climbing.
While the measure is less drastic than a foreclosure, it indicates the homeowner is in some sort of financial crunch. Short sales rose 16% in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the same time last year, according to Realtor.com.
The truth about cats chewing that vets and behaviorists want owners to know
Cats are curious by nature. They climb and chew their way through their homes, constantly looking for new places to lounge and ways to play.
But when does chewing become less playful and more worrisome?
A handful of veterinarians and pet behaviorists have weighed in on the topic, offering cat owners practical advice on when to sound the alarm on their cat’s chewing habits.
For starters, Purina’s Pet Expert Team — comprised of vets and pet behavior specialists — said kittens are most likely to chew on anything and everything to ease the pain of teething. Just like a human baby who grabs and gnaws on anything in sight, cats are the same in that way. But older cats might take up chewing due to stress or boredom.
Pet parents are advised to keep potentially hazardous objects, such as wires and chargers, tucked away and out of sight, as chewing on them can lead to electrocution. Ribbons and similar stringy items, plastic bags, hair ties, and anything sharp should also be kept out of reach.
There are a slew of houseplants that can also be harmful to cats, especially if chewed, as the team at PetMD points out. Those include:
- Caladium
- Dumb cane
- English ivy
- Lilies
- Mistletoe
- Oleander
- Philodendron
- Poinsettia
Instead, guide kittens and older cats toward chew toys, scratchers or puzzles. The Purina Pet Expert Team said that chewing is vital to a cat’s mental stimulation. There are even chew toys and treats aimed at boosting dental health! And if a cat keeps sniffing around the houseplants, experts recommend ordering cat grass to steer them toward that instead.
“Cat grass is safer than outdoor grass which may have been chemically treated with pesticides,” animal behaviorist Carlo Siracusa told PetMD. “It also gives your cat a healthy alternative to nibbling on houseplants and flowers, many of which are toxic to cats.”
However, in some cases, cat chewing could be a sign of a more serious medical condition.
Certified cat behaviorist Stephen Quandt explained to Woman’s World that some cats can develop pica, a condition where they repeatedly ingest non-food items. A 2016 study showed that pica was prevalent in cats that weren’t given as much food as those with constant access. But pica can also stem from nutritional deficiencies, neurological diseases, and mental health issues.
“If one suspects pica in their cat, a vet visit is highly recommended,” Quandt told the publication. “Early intervention is important in preventing it from becoming a chronic behavior.”
What happens if Mitch McConnell is unable to finish his US Senate term?
It was a Capitol Hill mystery. For nearly a month, United States Senator Mitch McConnell was not seen or heard from in public.
Little was known about the 84-year-old’s condition, other than that he was hospitalised on June 14. Conspiracy theories began to bubble online. One prominent right-wing influencer, Laura Loomer, even spread rumours that the Republican leader was brain-dead.
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But after weeks of silence, McConnell confirmed on Sunday that he was on the mend after suffering a fall.
Still, the Kentucky Republican has increasingly appeared frail on Capitol Hill, freezing in front of cameras and walking unsteadily when not in a wheelchair.
Members of Congress are typically on the older side. The average age for a US senator is around 65.
McConnell’s poor health — and the sudden passing of his Senate colleague Lindsey Graham, 71, on Sunday — have reignited the question: What would happen if McConnell were unable to serve the remainder of his term?
The answer is the subject of intense scrutiny, as Republicans seek to preserve their majority in the Senate.
Who is Mitch McConnell?
A seven-term senator from Kentucky, McConnell is the longest-serving party leader in the history of the Senate.
He first entered the Senate in 1985, and in 2007, he became the head of the Republican Party in the chamber, a position he held until 2025.
He continues to serve as a senator, though he is not seeking re-election in November’s midterm elections. His term ends in January.
What is wrong with McConnell’s health?
On Sunday, McConnell said in a statement that a fall on June 14 rendered him “briefly unconscious” and landed him in the hospital. The senator also said he had dealt with a mild case of pneumonia.
But McConnell has long struggled with health and mobility challenges. As a toddler, he survived a severe bout of polio, though it left one of his legs partially paralysed.
McConnell indicated his condition was improving, but that he would not return to the Senate yet.
“With signs of continued progress, I’ve been able to move from hospital care to a rehabilitation center where I’ll keep regaining my strength,” he wrote.
His statement was accompanied by a smiling photo of the senator in a hospital bed, with what appeared to be a copy of Sunday’s Washington Post newspaper.
Has McConnell been hospitalised before?
This is not the first time the senior senator’s health has been a source of concern in recent years.
As recently as February, the veteran lawmaker was hospitalised for flu-like symptoms.
Also, in 2019, McConnell tripped and fell in his Louisville home, fracturing his shoulder.
According to reporting from the Louisville Courier Journal, he also collapsed three times in 2023, suffering a concussion and a broken rib that ultimately led to him using a wheelchair.
It was during that period that McConnell had several instances where he inexplicably appeared to freeze while speaking in public, prompting questions about his fitness to serve.
Why does his presence in the Senate matter?
Republicans have a controlling majority in the Senate — but only by a few seats.
With McConnell absent, the number of Republicans available to vote shrinks from 53 to 52 in the 100-seat Senate.
That could influence the outcome of divisive bills, when every Republican vote matters.
McConnell’s absence has already helped Democrats pass a resolution against President Donald Trump’s war on Iran, with four Republicans crossing party lines to vote for it.
McConnell also sits on the all-important Senate Appropriations Committee, which helps decide discretionary government spending.
The US government has a looming funding deadline on September 30, and McConnell’s continued hospitalisation could muddle efforts to pass funding measures.
What does McConnell’s absence reveal about Republican Party unity?
The Republican majority in the Senate has weakened over time, according to Stephen Voss, a political science professor at the University of Kentucky.
Moderates like Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski — alongside wild cards like Rand Paul — have shown willingness in the past to join with Democrats during critical votes.
But that small proportion of “swing” Republicans has grown during the midterm primary season.
A number of lame-duck Republicans have lost their re-election bids to party rivals, backed by President Trump. That makes them more willing to buck their party leadership from time to time.
“McConnell’s absence could become inconvenient depending on what sort of policy battles we see in coming months,” said Voss.
What has been the reaction to McConnell’s absence?
News of McConnell’s hospitalisation sent alarm rippling through the US political sphere.
Republican leaders attempted to reassure the public that the senator would soon return to his post. But as the weeks stretched on, questions about McConnell’s condition mounted.
Ultimately, on July 8, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear sent a letter to McConnell’s office, requesting an update on the senator’s health status.
Beshear has since called McConnell’s written statement on Sunday a “step in the right direction”, but he continues to push for more transparency, suggesting the Republican senator release a video update instead.
Some critics have called on McConnell to step down altogether, questioning his fitness for office. They include Democrat Charles Booker, who is running to succeed McConnell in the midterm elections.
Tres Watson, a Republican strategist and host of the Kentucky Politics Weekly podcast, sees no reason to doubt McConnell’s ability to serve, despite the recent health scares.
“I’ve been around the senator several times in the last year. His brain is functioning fine, his wit is there, his intellect is there, but the body is failing him, and he made the understandable decision not to run for another term,” Watson said.
What happens if Mitch McConnell is unable to serve the rest of his term?
If McConnell were to vacate his senate seat before his term ends, it may be tempting for Democrats to think Beshear, the Democratic governor of Kentucky, could appoint someone from his own party.
That’s not the case, however, because of a recent change in state law. Kentucky is now one of four US states where the governor does not have authority to fill Senate vacancies.
In 2024, Kentucky’s Republican-controlled legislature passed a law requiring Senate vacancies to be filled by a special election, which must be called by the governor.
But experts say holding a special election this year would be fraught with challenges, one of which is timing.
The new law says the governor must give 63 days’ notice before the special election. Senate hopefuls would have to file their candidacy no later than 56 days prior to the vote.
Even if McConnell’s Senate seat were vacated immediately, the earliest a special election could occur is September.
But experts say that cobbling together a special election would not make sense, since November’s midterm elections are barely three and a half months away. McConnell’s Senate seat is up for grabs in that race.
“Setting up the process would take time, so we wouldn’t get a senator in office very quickly, even if this process kicked off soon,” said Voss, the political science professor. “The probability that we’d get a replacement ahead of time is pretty low.”
Watson, the Republican strategist, agrees. He questions the efficiency of rushing to hold a special election, when the midterms are on November 3.
“We’re getting pretty close to Election Day,” Watson said. “They’re not going to put the commonwealth through the expense of having another special election just so someone could be a US senator for effectively one month.”
Could there be challenges to filling McConnell’s seat?
Yes, a significant challenge could be litigation. Kentucky’s 2024 law is largely untested, and it would almost certainly attract legal challenges.
“I think there’s a decent chance the issue could end up in the courts,” said Joshua Douglas, a University of Kentucky law professor who teaches election law.
Douglas believes there may be a contradiction between the new law and parts of the Kentucky Constitution.
“The 17th Amendment says the legislature may authorise the governor to appoint a temporary replacement, Section 152 of the Kentucky Constitution says the governor appoints one, and the Kentucky legislature now says there must be a special election after the new law,” Douglas said.
Voss explained that the legal challenges could delay any special election to fill McConnell’s seat.
“This is the sort of thing that lawyers know how to tie up in litigation,” Voss said. “There would be people involved who know how to slow walk the process.”
Why can’t the governor pick McConnell’s replacement?
The 2024 law stripped the governor’s authority to select a temporary replacement for a US Senate seat.
Governor Beshear vetoed the bill, but the state legislature, which has a Republican supermajority, overrode his opposition.
The measure is part of a broader strategy of Republican lawmakers to shift powers away from the governor since Beshear’s election in 2019.
“We’ve seen an overall attempt by the Kentucky General Assembly to shift power from the executive to the legislative branch,” Voss said.
But the 2024 law was not the legislature’s first attempt at limiting the governor’s ability to fill Senate vacancies.
Initially, in 2021, Republican lawmakers passed a bill that required the governor to choose a temporary replacement from a list of three provided by the executive committee of the former senator’s party. After filling the vacancy, a special election would be held.
According to Watson, Republicans passed a new version because they were concerned about legal challenges to the 2021 law.
Republicans in the state argue that the 2024 update is more democratic and aligns with the process for filling other vacancies.
Beshear is the only Democrat to hold a statewide office in Kentucky. The state has not elected a Democrat to the US Senate since 1992.
Who is running to replace McConnell in the midterms?
In the general election, Democrat Charles Booker, a former state legislator, is running against Republican Representative Andy Barr to succeed McConnell.
Why are people putting a metal spoon in their window? The science behind the viral trick
Condensation on windows is a common problem in many homes, especially during colder months when warm indoor air meets cold glass. While it may seem like nothing more than a nuisance, excess moisture can encourage mould growth, damage window frames and affect indoor air quality over time. In recent months, an unusual home hack has been attracting attention online: placing a metal spoon on the windowsill overnight. At first glance, it sounds like another old wives’ tale, but the idea is actually based on a simple scientific principle. The metal spoon can act as a cooler surface that attracts condensation before it forms across the glass. Although it isn’t a permanent solution, the trick has sparked curiosity for its simplicity and the science behind how it works.
Why do people put a metal spoon in the window
It is quite easy to understand. You just place a stainless-steel spoon near the edge of the window frame such that the handle end faces indoors while the bowl portion faces outdoors. The reason is that metal is a better conductor of heat than glass.As warm, humid indoor air comes into contact with the colder spoon, water vapour condenses on the metal first instead of forming droplets across the glass. Gravity then causes much of that moisture to drip away, leaving less condensation on the window itself. According to Tom’s Guide, this can help reduce the damp patches that often appear around windows during winter, although it is not a complete solution for humidity problems.
Does the spoon trick really reduce window condensation
The science behind the trick is genuine, but its effect is limited. Condensation forms whenever warm, moisture-laden air touches a cold surface. Since metal has much higher thermal conductivity than glass, the spoon becomes a convenient “cold spot” where some of the water vapour condenses first.However, experts stress that the spoon does not eliminate excess humidity inside a home. If indoor moisture levels remain high because of poor ventilation, cooking, drying clothes indoors or hot showers, condensation will continue forming elsewhere. The spoon simply redirects a small portion of the moisture rather than removing it altogether.
Why controlling window condensation matters
Excessive condensation is much more than a mere nuisance, as excess water vapour leads to the formation of mould and mildew that cause respiratory disorders as well as allergic reactions.Moisture control is considered the best way of stopping the occurrence of moulds, but the World Health Organisation (WHO) has associated dampness in the home environment with respiratory symptoms and allergic reactions as well. Instead of depending only on the spoon test, one should adopt good ventilation, use extractor fans while cooking or bathing, and repair leaks if necessary.
Should you try the metal spoon window trick
For homes that experience only light condensation, placing a metal spoon on the windowsill is an inexpensive experiment that may slightly reduce moisture collecting on the glass. It requires no special equipment and is based on a real physical principle.However, it should not be viewed as a cure for persistent dampness. If windows regularly stream with water or mould continues to appear, the underlying source of excess humidity needs to be addressed. In that sense, the spoon is best thought of as a simple condensation indicator rather than a long-term fix, a small kitchen utensil offering a practical reminder that indoor moisture deserves attention.
Algeria fire: Eleven people die at children’s care home
Eleven people have died in a fire at a foster care facility in Algiers, Algeria’s capital city.
The country’s civil protection department said 19 others were injured in the blaze, which firefighters began to tackle at 03:30 local time (04:30 GMT) on Thursday.
They were still attempting to extinguish the fire just over three hours later, when the authorities released an update on the situation.
The civil protection department’s statement did not specify the cause of the fire, nor the ages of those killed or injured.
Ten fire engines and 16 ambulances were deployed to the facility in Mohammadia, an eastern suburb of Algiers.
Algeria has been experiencing a heatwave for several days, and nearly 1,000 fires have been recorded in the space of a week, the AFP news agency has reported.
On Thursday morning, the civil protection department said it had recorded 115 wildfires over the past 24 hours.
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune expressed his condolences following the fire at the children’s home, calling the incident a “tragic loss”.
Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb travelled to two hospitals in Algiers to visit individuals injured in Thursday’s fire, state media reported.
The report was accompanied by a picture of Ghrieb next to a child in a hospital bed.
Amid the fire, five people with special needs were “taken into care and transported to a safe location”, the authorities said.
Euro Car Parks being investigated over petrol forecourt parking tickets
One of the UK’s largest private parking providers is being investigated by the competition regulator over whether parking tickets for drivers queuing at petrol forecourts are fair.
Euro Car Parks’ broader appeals process relating to petrol stations and car parks is also being looked into, to determine if it breaches consumer protection law.
The investigation forms part of a wider crackdown by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) into potentially unfair practices by private parking operators.
Research by the RAC has suggested the number of tickets issued in places like gyms, supermarkets, restaurants and retail parks more than doubled in six years, to 14.4 million.
Motorists have complained about these parking issues, the CMA said, highlighting problems including unclear signage, faulty apps and broken ticket machines.
The regulator said it wanted to make sure drivers are being treated fairly following complaints from motorists who feel they’ve been unjustly issued with parking tickets.
The CMA says it has its own concerns about the way some operators are handling appeals, or attempting to make motorists pay additional fees on top of parking charges.
It has written to the sector as a whole, and issued warnings to some individual operators about their practices.
The CMA’s executive director of consumer protection Emma Cochrane said receiving a parking ticket could be a stressful experience.
“Costs are high and often unexpected which is difficult when people are budgeting carefully,” she said.
“Parking companies must treat motorists fairly at all stages – and a clear and consistent appeals process must be at the heart of this.
“It’s time for all private parking operators to comply with consumer law or risk action from the CMA.”
In the open letter to private parking operators, the CMA warned they should review their terms and conditions and make changes if necessary to ensure they are complying with consumer law.
The CMA’s investigation into Euro Car Parks is focusing on whether it is fair for drivers to receive parking charges while queuing for, or using, petrol pumps and other forecourt services such as car washes, plus its wider appeals process.
It is in the evidence gathering stage, and is set to run until Spring 2027.
Euro Car Parks has more than 3,000 facilities across the UK and Ireland, according to the company’s website, with more than two million cars parking in their spots every day.
The BBC has contacted Euro Car Parks for comment.
Suspects arrested in the Philippines over killing of US marine biologist
MANILA, Philippines — Three suspects have been arrested in connection with the killing of a distinguished American marine biologist at his home in the central Philippines, police said Thursday.
Three men broke into the house of Kent Carpenter, 73, in the coastal town of Sibulan in Negros Oriental province during a suspected robbery on Sunday. One of them is alleged to have shot the scientist in the head with a handgun as he sat on a sofa, police officials said. Another suspect forced Carpenter’s Filipino companion into a room and raped her.
The suspects took a laptop, an unspecified amount of cash and a backpack before fleeing, national police spokesperson Col. Allen Rae Co said. The third man is being hunted, Co told a news conference, adding that investigators were trying to determine why the suspects shot Carpenter.
A fourth suspect, who acted as a lookout outside the property, was arrested after surrendering to police and allegedly provided crucial details of the crime.
One of those arrested had previously been hired by Carpenter to do some carpentry work in his house, Co said, adding that the arrested suspects include the alleged gunman.
“All indicators as of now point to the fact that the attack was not connected to (the American’s) work,” Co told reporters. “It was really a planned robbery. So, we are still verifying why they killed the American marine biologist.”
Several U.S. and Philippine environment and biodiversity centers and universities have expressed shock over Carpenter’s violent death.
Carpenter had testified for the Philippine government when it took China to international arbitration over longstanding disputes in the South China Sea. His testimony as a biodiversity expert centered on the environmental impact of China’s island-building and fishing activities in the disputed waters, according to former Philippine officials who had knowledge of his contribution.
The arbitration panel in The Hague invalidated China’s expansive claims and pointed out the environmental damage caused by China’s construction of islands in the disputed waters in a July 2016 decision. China, however, questioned the panel’s jurisdiction, refused to participate in the arbitration and rejected its ruling as a sham.
Carpenter had been a longtime lecturer and researcher at the Silliman University in Negros Oriental. He had also been a biological sciences professor at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, since 1996.
His research — which focused on the Philippines and the Coral Triangle between the Indian and Pacific oceans — shaped conservation efforts around the world, officials of the American university said. They said he was on an extended research assignment in the Philippines and planned to retire in September.
“He dedicated his career to expanding our understanding of the world’s bodies of water and protecting some of its most vulnerable ecosystems,” Old Dominion President Brian Hemphill said in a statement.
RTS switch-off completed successfully, says minister
The switch-off of the Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) has been carried out successfully, a UK Government minister has declared.
Martin McCluskey said while there are still a “small number” of RTS meters in homes across the UK, people are no longer reliant on them.
He was speaking some two weeks after the RTS, which was used by older electricity meters to control heating and hot water, was switched off for good at the end of June.
The Government last year delayed the switch-off by 12 months amid concerns there could be disruption to hundreds of thousands of households.
Industry regulator Ofgem warned at the time that any households left without a functioning meter could have their heating and hot water systems left continually on or off, have electric storage heaters charging at the wrong time of day, possibly leading to higher bills, while suppliers would be unable to confirm if electricity was used during peak or off-peak times.
Mr McCluskey, the UK energy consumers minister, said on Thursday he could now “say with confidence the switchover has worked”.
While he added that “on paper there are still meters that need replaced” with more modern smart meters, the minister said: “All the people who have RTS meters have been contacted, in some cases a dozen times.
“Where there are maybe some people we haven’t reached, I think they will be very small in number.”
The minister also said the remaining RTS meters “are largely in places where they have not been reliant on RTS for a number of years”.
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Speaking to journalists, Mr McCluskey said: “In some cases we have had energy suppliers knocking on doors and the people didn’t even realise they had got an RTS meter and they hadn’t been using it for a number of years.
“So we’re confident that even though there are a small number of outstanding meters, they are not households that are reliant on RTS.”
He added that if there are still households with RTS meters, “the energy suppliers have systems in place to address that very quickly”, saying meters had been “replaced rapidly” after the June 30 switch-off.
Mr McCluskey stressed however: “If there are people who continue to face issues we want to hear about that and they should contact their energy supplier in the first instance, but should also reach out to their Member of Parliament as well.
“Now we have a situation where those people who were reliant on old and vulnerable technology are now being served in large part by smart meters that give them access to the latest technology and the latest tariffs.
“In some cases the technology people were relying on goes right back to the 1930s, so this is really dealing with an issue that has been around for a very long time.
“I’m very pleased we have managed to get to a point where we have switched it off.
“Having inherited something which should have been done years ago, having inherited it in 2024 to get to a point now in 2026 where we have successfully done it, I would count as an achievement for the Government.”