MIAMI — The “Skittles Man” — nicknamed for his huge supply of rainbow-colored fentanyl pills — is one of seven members and associates of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel sent to prison in recent months by a federal judge in South Florida.

The Skittles Man, whose real name is Roque Bustamante, supplied thousands of deadly Mexican-made ...Read more

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday vetoed a wide-ranging package of tax cuts passed with bipartisan support and said she will call the Legislature into special session, a move certain to anger Republicans and potentially some Democrats who had embraced the measure.

The Democratic governor said she would announce the date of the special session...Read more

BALTIMORE — The crew of the Dali, the ill-fated vessel that slammed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing its collapse, are still onboard nearly two months after the deadly disaster.

The crew, made up of 20 men from India and one from Sri Lanka, were manning the ship when it collided with one of the bridge’s support pillars ...Read more

NEW YORK — Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s longtime fixer-turned-foe, faced a contentious cross-examination Thursday as the former president’s legal team sought to undermine his credibility and motives as the historic hush money trial centered on an alleged payment to porn star Stormy Daniels nears its conclusion.

After a meandering line ...Read more

NEW YORK — Arts and sciences faculty at Columbia University passed a vote of no confidence in embattled college President Minouche Shafik, whose congressional testimony and handling of pro-Palestinian protests created a bitter divide on campus, according to results announced Thursday.

Hundreds of Columbia faculty have also signed onto a ...Read more

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration announced that the estimated cost of building a tunnel to transport water beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta has risen to $20.1 billion.

The estimate is part of a new cost-benefit analysis by the California Department of Water Resources, which concluded that the projected benefits of constructing...Read more

The president of Sonoma State University was placed on leave Wednesday, a day after he released a controversial campuswide message on the Israel-Hamas war that said the university would pursue "divestment strategies" and endorsed an academic boycott of Israeli universities.

California State University Chancellor Mildred García​ announced the...Read more

The Boston teenager who died the same day he ate a Paqui One Chip Challenge tortilla chip died from the effects of consuming a large amount of chile pepper extract and also had a congenital heart defect, an autopsy report obtained by The Associated Press said.

The One Chip Challenge tortilla chip, an intensely hot chip made with Carolina ...Read more

NEW YORK — A large group of Republican members of Congress showed up Thursday in a lower Manhattan court to show support for former President Trump in his criminal trial for covering up hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.

Led by Trump loyalists Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., 11 GOP lawmakers trooped ...Read more

VATICAN CITY — Gov. Gavin Newsom accused former President Donald Trump of “open corruption” in a speech Thursday at a climate summit of Catholic officials and international leaders, elevating his criticism of the Republican leader in the hallowed halls of the Vatican.

The California governor referenced news stories alleging that Trump ...Read more

Sex, money and power – all three subjects got an airing over the three days of testimony and cross-examination of Michael Cohen in the criminal trial of former President Donald Trump. Trump is accused of illegally covering up a hush-money payment to a woman claiming she had a sexual encounter with Trump; Cohen, known as Trump’s former “...Read more

ATLANTA — Georgia Supreme Court candidate John Barrow could face formal charges for judicial misconduct, which could lead to his removal from the bench if elected, following a federal judge’s ruling regarding Barrow’s campaign focus on abortion rights.

Barrow, a former Democratic U.S. Congressman, is challenging Justice Andrew Pinson, who...Read more

BERKELEY — More wooden pallets and tarps went up around the Anna Head Alumnae Hall on Thursday, creating a makeshift barricade around protesters occupying the dilapidated UC Berkeley building for a second day, while about a dozen tents were erected on the front lawn of the hall.

It was a quiet second day for pro-Palestine demonstration, with ...Read more

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul visited Vatican City on Thursday to hear a climate address from Pope Francis and deliver one of her own.

Hochul, who is Catholic, sat in the first row as Francis spoke in the Clementine Hall, a luminous chamber with walls adorned by intricate Renaissance frescoes, and was invited to greet the pope after his speech.

...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — A group of Jewish students, faculty, parents and alumni at Haverford College have sued the school, alleging it’s discriminating against Jews by tolerating antisemitic speech and failing to support Jewish students amid an anti-Israel climate on campus.

In a federal lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Sen. John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat, is not up for reelection, but he’s frequently in the headlines for his boldly casual political style and staunch support for Israel.

The senator isn’t afraid to make waves, and voters seem split on how they feel about that.

Fetterman’s overall favorability rating was at 48%, ...Read more

WASHINGTON — A White House move to withhold audio recordings Thursday did not derail a push from House Republicans to recommend holding Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in contempt of Congress.

President Joe Biden invoked executive privilege over audio recordings of former special counsel Robert K. Hur’s interviews with the president and...Read more