Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he plans to meet his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump “in the coming days,” signaling optimism about reaching a peace deal to end Russia’s almost four-year war.

Separately, the Kremlin said its representatives had made contact with the U.S. at President Vladimir Putin’s direction.

“A lot ...Read more

Thailand claimed that Cambodia fired heavy weaponry into its territory on Friday as talks on a possible ceasefire between the two countries continued.

The Cambodian action early Friday “forced the Thai side to take necessary self-defense measures,” according to a statement published at a daily press briefing. One Thai soldier was also “...Read more

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Republicans in the Florida House are quickly moving forward on a smorgasbord of ballot initiatives that would ask voters to dramatically overhaul the state’s property taxes — deepening the anxiety for local officials who rely on those funds for their budgets.

When the Legislature convenes January 13 for its regular 60-...Read more

CHICAGO — Illinois is a top agricultural state, generating billions of dollars annually, but even where stalks of corn and acres of soybean vastly outnumber its 400,000 head of cattle, cows raised for beef and dairy account for an outsize portion of the industry’s methane emissions.

A single cow raised for meat produces between 154 and 264 ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Leon Harris, 35, is intimately familiar with the devastation guns can inflict. Robbers shot him in the back nearly two decades ago, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. The bullet remains lodged in his spine.

“When you get shot,” he said, “you stop thinking about the future.”

He is anchored by his wife and child ...Read more

Lawmakers in several states are working to expand medical debt protections for patients, even after the Trump administration reversed course and told states they don’t have authority to take action on credit reporting.

In Alaska and Michigan, legislators are nonetheless advancing bills to keep medical debt off consumer credit reports.

The ...Read more

The U.S. launched a military strike in Nigeria against Islamic State targets, President Donald Trump said, citing what he said was the persecution of the country’s Christian population by the militant group.

In a social media post, Trump said he directed American forces to carry out “a powerful and deadly strike” against ISIS. U.S. Africa...Read more

Coastal communities in Southern California braced for more rain and flash floods even as a powerful Christmas storm began to ease on Thursday evening, with a state of emergency still in place for Los Angeles and neighboring counties.

The potential for flooding will be high through Friday, as more showers and thunderstorms pass through the area,...Read more

A victim of last month’s UPS plane crash in Louisville died Christmas morning, bringing the death toll to 15.

Alain Rodriguez Colina suffered severe injuries in the crash and died Thursday, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said in a social media post.

“May Alain’s memory be a blessing,” Greenberg wrote.

“Let’s pray for these ...Read more

The U.S. launched a military strike in Nigeria against Islamic State targets, President Donald Trump said.

In a social media post, Trump said he directed American forces to carry out “a powerful and deadly strike” against ISIS. U.S. Africa Command said in a subsequent statement that the attack came “at the request of Nigerian authorities�...Read more

A federal judge in San Francisco on Wednesday barred Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its Justice Department counterpart from "sweeping" civil arrests at immigration courthouses across Northern California, teeing up an appellate challenge to one of the Trump administration's most controversial deportation tactics.

"This circumstance ...Read more

Suspected Boko Haram insurgents detonated an explosive device at a mosque in Maiduguri, the capital of Nigeria’s northeastern Borno state, killing at least five people, police said.

About 35 people were wounded in the blast at the Juma’at mosque, which occurred during prayers late on Wednesday, state police spokesman, Nahum Daso told Lagos-...Read more

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on Cambodia and Thailand to end violence as the two countries continue talks to end weeks of deadly clashes.

Rubio reiterated President Donald Trump’s desire for peace in a call with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, according to a statement from the U.S. on Thursday.

“Secretary Rubio further ...Read more

A bald eagle is recovering after being rescued in Mansfield on Monday after striking power lines, officials said.

In a Facebook post by Connecticut State Police, early Monday morning a bald eagle was seen in the area of Ravine Road and Route 32 in Mansfield, when witnesses say that it flew into power lines and fell straight to the ground.

...Read more

Tatum Dale, a longtime campaign manager and former chief of staff to Kentucky Rep. Andy Barr, died Dec. 24.

The Republican congressman who represents the Lexington area in the U.S. House of Representatives and is running to take the seat of retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell shared news of her passing Thursday.

In a news release and statement ...Read more

President Trump wished a Merry Christmas to all, including “Radical Left Scum.”

“Merry Christmas to all, including the Radical Left Scum that is doing everything possible to destroy our Country, but are failing badly,” the President posted Wednesday on his Truth Social media platform and Elon Musk’s X.

Some of the President’s ...Read more

A winter storm rocked the Sacramento region on Wednesday night and Thursday morning, bringing high winds, rain and power outages.

Here’s a roundup of what occurred and the weather outlook.

Outages around the Sacramento region

Numerous outages were reported around the greater Sacramento region during the storm.

One outage affected 3,947 PG&...Read more

From their cozy homes in suburban Burlington, children curiously watch their new neighbors through windows and brainstorm nicknames.

Earlier this month, with their distinctive brown fur, big heads, short horns and back hump, a small herd of six American buffalo — the largest land mammals in the country — exited a trailer and took their ...Read more

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement summoned Afghans residing in the U.S. to present their documents during the holiday season, marking the latest effort by the Trump administration to crack down on migrants from the Asian nation.

ICE is seeking appointments for a “scheduled report check-in,” with one requesting such a meeting on ...Read more

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday he had “a very good conversation” with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, with an aim toward ending Russia’s war against Ukraine.

“We discussed certain substantive details of the ongoing work,” Ukraine’s president said Thursday in a post on X. “There are good ideas that can work toward ...Read more