LOS ANGELES — Tami Roman swore she was done with reality TV.

In 1993, the 22-year-old aspiring singer was cast in the second season of "The Real World" and was central to its most memorable moments — including an abortion documented by MTV cameras and a physical altercation with her roommate, David Edwards, that led to his departure from ...Read more

Though Californians voted to legalize adult use marijuana in 2016, it remains largely unavailable in some of the biggest cities in the state.

Out of the 482 cities in California, 174 of them allow some form of licensed cannabis business, says Hirsh Jain of Ananda Strategy.

Many of those cities allow only non-retail cannabis operations, such as...Read more

When Greta Christina fell into a deep depression five years ago, she called up her therapist in San Francisco. She’d had a great connection with the provider when she needed therapy in the past. She was delighted to learn that he was now “in network” with her insurance company, meaning she wouldn’t have to pay out-of-pocket anymore to ...Read more

NEW YORK — COVID-19 is apparently no match for an ex-cop.

Mayor-elect Eric Adams confirmed Monday that he’s bound for Africa — and declared that his time as a police officer has rendered him unafraid of traveling to the continent despite international concern over a new coronavirus variant first detected there.

“I’m not afraid of ...Read more

BOISE, Idaho — An Idaho death row inmate nearing his end from cancer will soon learn whether he will be killed by lethal injection, which would mark the state’s first execution in nearly a decade.

Idaho’s pardons and parole board on Tuesday will consider whether to amend the sentence of Gerald Pizzuto, convicted of murdering two people in...Read more

CHICAGO — After years of controversy and roller-coaster twists and turns, the trial of Jussie Smollett began Monday with prosecutors alleging the actor faked a hate crime that grabbed the nation’s attention and the defense calling that a “fantasy.”

In his opening statement, special prosecutor Dan Webb said that Smollett’s fakery was ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — Thousands of active-duty Marines remain unvaccinated against COVID-19 as of Monday, one day after the service's Nov. 28 deadline, the Corps said in a statement. Most of them will find themselves booted from the military if the service follows-through with its current vaccine policy.

The service did not specify how many Marines ...Read more

As the great Yogi Berra would say, it’s like déjà vu all over again.

New York finds itself in a wait-and-see scenario, as health officials now face the almost certain possibility that the heavily mutated coronavirus variant called omicron will arrive within days.

From Dr. Anthony Fauci, the chief medical adviser to President Biden, to Dr. ...Read more

NEW YORK — The much-anticipated trial of accused sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell began Monday as federal prosecutors in New York laid out their case against the British socialite charged with recruiting girls and young women and trafficking them to have sex with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Epstein and Maxwell were “partners in ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The U.S. will proceed with its plan to release 50 million barrels of oil from its strategic reserves despite a new coronavirus variant triggering a sharp drop in crude prices.

“We are not reconsidering,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Monday at a briefing.

The Biden administration announced a release ...Read more

NEW YORK — Blood, apparently, is thicker than water.

Newly released testimony from CNN anchor Chris Cuomo reveals he shared information from “sources” with a top aide to his brother, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, as part of their effort to perform damage control in response to sexual harassment allegations.

In sworn testimony, Chris Cuomo ...Read more

Botswana’s highest court ruled to legalize homosexuality, ending a years-long court dispute and making the southern African nation one of the few on the continent to end discrimination against same-sex relationships.

The Court of Appeal on Monday threw out a challenge by the government against a 2019 high court ruling to strike down sections ...Read more

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday strengthened its recommendations on who should get boosters.

In a statement, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said that all vaccinated adults should get a booster as long as they received their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna shot at least six months ago or they received their...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, a Republican who has used his pulpit to make numerous anti-LGBTQ comments, confronted a Democratic lawmaker Monday night after she gave a speech responding to Robinson’s remarks.

Robinson “berated” state Sen. Julie Mayfield, a Democrat from Asheville, after her speech and wagged his...Read more

Honduras’ electoral authority paused in the publication of preliminary results from Sunday’s presidential election, with a partial tally showing leftist opposition candidate Xiomara Castro on track for a landslide.

Castro had 54% support, compared with 34% for the ruling party’s Nasry Asfura, with 51% of ballots tallied, according to the...Read more

SAN DIEGO — The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Sunday temporarily blocked San Diego Unified’s student COVID-19 vaccine mandate from going into effect — one day before the school district’s deadline for students to get their first dose.

However San Diego Unified’s attorney said Monday he expects the mandate will be restored soon, ...Read more

A 17-year-old boy was dead and four other teenagers were injured after a Sunday evening shooting on Green Bay Road in Evanston, according to police.

Evanston police received calls of multiple shots fired at 7:17 p.m. Sunday night in the 1900 block of Green Bay Road, police said.

Officers located five teenagers who had been shot, police said. ...Read more

NEW YORK — New York City’s top health official predicted Monday it’s “a matter of days” before the omicron variant of COVID hits the city — and to prepare, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced child care workers will now be required to get the vaccine by mid-December.

“We definitely believe we will see this variant soon,” de Blasio ...Read more

COLUMBIA, Mo. — A federal judge in St. Louis halted enforcement Monday of the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for most health care workers in Kansas and Missouri, a week before the deadline for staff to get their first shot under the rules.

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, ...Read more