SAN DIEGO — Six hundred firefighters, aided by helicopters and air tankers, were battling a stubborn brush fire along the U.S.-Mexico border Wednesday that so far has charred more than 2,600 acres of vegetation on both sides of the border.

The blaze, which sparked Monday afternoon in Mexico before crossing into the U.S., south of Dulzura, ...Read more

HARTFORD, Conn. — Two state agencies disclosed Wednesday they are investigating a charity operated by former New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart, who has been criticized recently for benefiting personally from spending decisions she made while in office.

Consumer Protection Commissioner Bryan Cafferelli and Attorney General William Tong said they...Read more

WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security secretary confirmed this week that Customs & Border Protection staff are "good to go" to facilitate trade and travel across the newly built Gordie Howe International Bridge, once negotiations between Canada and the United States are resolved.

"We have the personnel dedicated, ready to move," ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — With many races still very tight and millions of ballots yet to be counted, political experts said Democrats are likely to hold — or even gain — the edge as results of the primary election come into focus.

Republicans appear to have over-performed in early vote counts, but for a variety of reasons, experts believe the ...Read more

NEW YORK — A New York University student has been arrested for raising a flag with swastikas and a Star of David atop a school building during a graduation week event, police said Wednesday.

Alexander Stepnowsky, 23, is charged with criminal trespass as a hate crime, as well as aggravated harassment and burglary charges. He is accused of ...Read more

Space Florida continues to hold things close to the vest with several ongoing projects as it tries to attract aerospace business to the state — but did reveal the company behind what they had dubbed “Project Manta” to be Seagate Space, for which the state agency will help fund an offshore launch platform.

The state’s aerospace finance ...Read more

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis built his political brand by railing against illegal immigration, “woke” ideology and progressive tax reforms. Now, as he campaigns to slash property taxes, the term-limited Republican is selling a new message more commonly associated with the political left: Let the rich pay more.

DeSantis has ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County prosecutors are reviewing two separate sex assault cases against Sean “Diddy” Combs, officials confirmed Wednesday.

Investigators from the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department presented two separate cases, both related to the same victim, to prosecutors in ...Read more

NEW YORK — Luigi Mangione, the accused killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, appeared for a virtual hearing in his homicide case in Manhattan state court Tuesday, with the proceeding sealed from the public at the request of his defense.

State Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro did not acknowledge letters from the press objecting to ...Read more

NEW YORK — Disgraced ex-Rep. George Santos is facing a federal probe of insider trading over successful bets on a prediction market that he would not attend President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address.

The convicted fraudster, who was pardoned by Trump and freed from prison, allegedly used the Kalshi prediction site to bet against ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Sen. John Cornyn’s loss to Trump-backed Ken Paxton in a primary last week means the Senate Judiciary Committee will have two Republican members who may feel less obligated to stick with President Donald Trump.

Cornyn, R-Texas, joins Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., as Judiciary Committee members no longer facing reelection. Tillis ...Read more

DENVER — The U.S. Department of Justice wants to join a local lawsuit challenging a 2021 Colorado law that sought to streamline the process for crime victims who are not U.S. citizens to apply for legal status within the country.

Attorneys with the Office of the Attorney General filed a motion Tuesday to join with Douglas County Sheriff ...Read more

A Venezuelan human-rights organization is challenging claims that the notorious El Helicoide detention center in Caracas has been shut down, saying at least 25 political prisoners remain inside despite government promises to close the facility and convert it into a social center.

The statement by Justicia, Encuentro y Perdón casts doubt on one...Read more

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The St. Paul City Attorney’s Office says it does not have sufficient evidence to file charges against protesters who interrupted a church service during Operation Metro Surge last winter.

Federal charges against more than 30 people arrested following an anti-ICE protest at Cities Church on Jan. 18 continue.

Among those ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The United States and Iran clashed again overnight, with Kuwait and Bahrain caught in the crossfire of the most serious flare-up since a ceasefire went into effect in early April.

The developments follow days of rising tension, including over Israeli operations against Tehran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, that threaten ...Read more

Kenya will continue work on an isolation and treatment unit at an airbase in the East African nation that can be used to house U.S. servicemen exposed to the Ebola virus, its health secretary said.

“We will not stop it,” Aden Duale told lawmakers in the capital, Nairobi, on Wednesday. “Let’s not politicize the health of our citizens.”...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota Republicans entered their state convention in Duluth hoping to avoid a bruising August primary by narrowing down what was effectively a three-way race for governor and U.S. Senate.

The party emerged from the weekend, however, with a three-way race for both offices. Republicans also collected fresh political baggage ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The beacon atop a lighthouse that guides vessels in the waters off Superior, Wis., was stolen, and the U.S. Coast Guard wants the public’s helping tracking down whoever pulled off this “reckless act.”

Coast Guard investigators said one or more people broke into the privately owned Superior Entry Lighthouse on Wisconsin ...Read more

Donald Trump said he swore at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a call this week as the U.S. president tried to deescalate fighting in Lebanon and keep peace talks with Iran on track.

“I did,” Trump said in an interview with the Pod Force One podcast, responding to a question about whether he directed expletives toward Netanyahu,...Read more