WASHINGTON — American forces carried out “self-defense strikes” against Iran on Tuesday, hours after President Donald Trump blamed Tehran for shooting down an American military helicopter off the coast of Oman.

“The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression,” U.S. Central Command said in a brief statement on...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Ana Cruz was 13 when she arrived to the U.S. from Mexico with her family. But after 23 years of living in Los Angeles, raising two children and working as a community organizer, she has never been able to vote in any elections because of her status as a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipient, which doesn't offer a ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The financial health of Social Security and Medicare has worsened over the past year, with the programs’ trust funds expected to run dry three months sooner than anticipated, according to reports issued Tuesday by the programs’ trustees.

Without any changes, the main Social Security trust fund would be depleted in the fourth ...Read more

CHICAGO — Aldermen advanced a proposed ordinance Tuesday that stiffens penalties for marijuana-related offenses near Chicago schools and parks — and could include sharp punishments for smoking cannabis in public.

The measure would expand the city’s long-standing “safe passage” laws that already place steep minimum fines and jail ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Trump administration is investigating the City University of New York over allegations of racial discrimination, the U.S. Justice Department announced Tuesday.

The agency’s civil rights arm said it received reports alleging CUNY’s Black Male Initiative gives preference to some students over others on the basis of race.

“...Read more

Nick Reiner, who is accused of killing his parents — acclaimed director Rob Reiner and film producer Michele Reiner — is asking a Los Angeles court to release funds from a trust his parents established for him, to pay for his legal defense.

A petition filed by Reiner’s civil attorneys in a Los Angeles County court on Monday says that ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military launched fresh airstrikes against Iran hours after President Donald Trump vowed to retaliate for the shooting down of a U.S. Army helicopter.

Forces under U.S. Central Command “began launching self-defense strikes against Iran, at 5 pm ET today at the Commander in Chief’s direction, in response to yesterday�...Read more

The National Mall is being transformed for almost daily events in the weeks leading up to the nation’s 250th birthday on July 4, with unprecedented security and a request that those planning to participate in some of the main activities register in advance.

Events kick off Friday evening near the Capitol with a watch party for the U.S. men’...Read more

CHICAGO — Property tax bills will be roughly two months late this year, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said Tuesday, confirming the county’s long-running tax debacle will continue to stress homeowners and the public agencies like schools and libraries that rely on the money.

In an attempt to head off further uproar from ...Read more

The Cherry Hill school board made national headlines when it became the first New Jersey school system to require students to take a course on African American history to graduate.

Five years later, the board debated whether the course should be dropped as a requirement in light of budget problems in South Jersey’s largest school system.

And...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The Justice Department has opened an investigation into whether the Philadelphia Police Department has been improperly revoking people’s gun permits, officials announced Tuesday — a remarkable development that puts one of the nation’s largest police forces under the scrutiny of federal law enforcement.

In a letter ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — He called himself “the Beast,” and he killed six people in six months.

Several of his victims were retail store workers who gave up cash or goods during robberies, and he decided to shoot them anyway. One of the victims was his mother — he shot her at her office because he wanted the payout from her life insurance policy....Read more

CHICAGO — After failing to secure an indictment in the “Broadview Six” case last October, federal prosecutors tried again a week later but ran into immediate skepticism from some members of the panel, according to transcripts of the proceedings made public Tuesday.

One grand juror repeatedly pressed prosecutors on whether they could keep ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Vice President JD Vance is asking the Department of Justice to launch a criminal investigation into Minnesota leaders accused of failing to stop fraud in the state’s social services programs.

A report from the Republican-led House Oversight Committee this week alleged that senior officials in Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General...Read more

LOS ANGELES — California’s slow vote counting process — still underway and causing friction after last week’s primary — may be forced to change before November’s midterm elections, as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to rule on whether mail ballots must be received by election day to count.

Whether those changes will speed things up ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The federal government announced it is seeking to strip U.S. citizenship from 17 foreign-born residents accused of serious offenses, among them a Minnesotan charged in the Feeding Our Future fraud scandal.

The U.S. Department of Justice said on Monday that the Immigration and Nationality Act allows for naturalized citizenship to...Read more

LIMA, Peru — Peru’s presidential election is so tight that it’ll likely be citizens abroad, rather than those from within the country, who will break the tie.

Leftist candidate Roberto Sánchez is leading the race with 50.06% of the votes, while three-time runner-up Keiko Fujimori has 49.94%. That’s a difference of just over 20,000 ...Read more