“On Friday, 27 Americans, including 18 children, joined the casualties making up the highest gun-related death rate in the developed world. Those who died Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary School are, statistically speaking, a drop in the bucket. So was the .223-caliber rifle that killed them. The United States of …

Less than twelve hours after a gunman took the lives of 20 schoolchildren in the tiny, picturesque community of Newtown, Conn., locals gathered outside a Methodist Church for a healing vigil. Nearly all were in shock, hardly able to articulate their bewilderment. But many were in agreement on one point: …

“Thirteen years ago, the shooting rampage at Columbine High School in Colorado briefly increased support for stricter gun laws, a rise in public favor that soon gave way to a sustained long-term decline. The mass shooting Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., which led President Barack Obama …

“Now: The U.S. government brings its highest profile case yet of international money laundering against one of the world’s biggest banks. For years, American officials have sought and sometimes struggled to crack down on the practices. Today, the Departments of Justice and Treasury announced a settlement with HSBC. The bank …

Big cats are quickly disappearing. Now is the time to act. ➡ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/NatGeoSubscribe About National Geographic: National Geographic is the world’s premium destination for science, exploration, and adventure. Through their world-class scientists, photographers, journalists, and filmmakers, Nat Geo gets you closer to the stories that matter and past the …

Hey dol! merry dol! ring a dong dillo! Ring a dong! hop along! fal lal the willow! Tom Bom, jolly Tom, Tom Bombadillo! More from The Verge: Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=theverge Check out our full video catalog: http://www.youtube.com/theverge/videos Visit our playlists: http://www.youtube.com/theverge/playlists Like The Verge on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/verge Follow on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/verge …

You’ve got to strike a delicate balance when you’re a leopard lugging prey two times your own weight up a tree. ➡ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/NatGeoSubscribe About National Geographic: National Geographic is the world’s premium destination for science, exploration, and adventure. Through their world-class scientists, photographers, journalists, and filmmakers, Nat Geo gets …

“The outlook for Syria’s embattled president darkened considerably on Thursday when his most powerful foreign ally, Russia, acknowledged that he was losing the struggle against an increasingly coordinated insurgency and for the first time said it was making contingency plans to evacuate its citizens from the country, the Kremlin’s last …

Fishing is a hard life, and harder with bluefin stocks depleted. In Gloucester, Massachusetts, there’s a special breed of fishermen. For generations they’ve used rod and reel to catch the elusive bluefin tuna. They depend on these fish for their livelihood, and the competition is brutal. The most skilled fishermen …

Matt Ufford breaks down the games to watch, or not watch, of Week 15 in the NFL. The marquee games are Patriots vs. 49ers, Colts vs. Texans, and Packers vs. Bears.