WASHINGTON — The United States will arm Australia with nuclear submarine technology as part of a new defense partnership announced Wednesday, one of many steps President Joe Biden is taking to strengthen alliances as a bulwark against China.

The agreement includes the United Kingdom, and it will also involve closer cooperation on ...Read more

The Ahmaud Arbery murder trial is still set to begin on Oct. 18, a judge decided Wednesday.

During a conference call, Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley, who is presiding over the case, said the trial will proceed as scheduled unless COVID-19 levels soar once again in Glynn County, Georgia, said defense attorney Bob Rubin, who participated ...Read more

Residents over the age of 50 and other vulnerable people in the United Kingdom will be able to get a COVID-19 booster shot as soon as next week.

The U.K. on Tuesday announced a third dose of the coronavirus vaccine will be made available to those over a certain age, a day after the Conservative government also backed plans to roll out a single ...Read more

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri Republicans are clamoring to thwart President Joe Biden's COVID-19 vaccination plan, with legislators weighing proposals that echo the new state law prohibiting local enforcement of federal gun laws.

The president's announcement last week that the federal government will require most workplaces with more than ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to take up a case that could toss a Minneapolis policing proposal from the November election, just two days before early voting is set to begin.

The measure clearing the way for Minneapolis to replace its Police Department with a new agency has become the dominant issue in the ...Read more

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A new era of space travel blasted off from Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday night with the launch of the all-civilian crew aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon.

The four members of the Inspiration4 mission rode in what is only the fourth trip for a Crew Dragon with humans on board after its first three missions ferrying ...Read more

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Hampton lawyer Alex Murdaugh plans to turn himself in to law enforcement Thursday after police obtained an arrest warrant to charge him with conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, his lawyer said.

Murdaugh is expected to leave an out-of-state drug rehabilitation clinic Thursday and voluntarily surrender in Hampton, according ...Read more

ATLANTA — Georgia’s government is soon launching radio ads, local newspaper announcements and print brochures to promote free ID cards for voters who need them to cast a ballot.

The marketing campaign is funded by $250,000 budgeted by the Georgia General Assembly last spring along with the state’s new voting law, which requires state ID ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — At least four more Los Angeles police officers are suspected by prosecutors of putting false gang information on field interview cards, according to an internal record from the L.A. County district attorney’s office.

The claims bring the total number of Metropolitan Division officers suspected of inputting false information on...Read more

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser has called for state oversight of Aurora's department Wednesday after investigators found police there exhibited a pattern of racial bias, used excessive force and broke a law requiring them to document stops.

The investigation, which stemmed from the death of 23-year-old Elijah ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The rules governing recall elections in California will be subject to new scrutiny and possible changes, as two state legislators said Wednesday that the failed effort to remove Gov. Gavin Newsom from office was too costly and needlessly confusing.

Although election returns remained incomplete following Tuesday’s ...Read more

Despite a pandemic-fueled recession, the number of uninsured Americans has increased only slightly since 2018, according to Census Bureau health insurance data released this week.

Twenty-eight million people, or 8.6% of Americans, were uninsured for all of 2020. In 2019, 8% of people were uninsured during the full year; in 2018, it was 8.5%.

...Read more

WASHINGTON — Democrats are sharply divided over whether to require drugmakers to negotiate prices with the federal government, a rift threatening key parts of President Joe Biden's $3.5-trillion social safety net bill — including the possible expansion of Medicare or Obamacare — and one that could put the entire effort at risk.

Three ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — PG&E Corp. is being sued by more than 200 victims of the Dixie fire, adding to the potential wildfire liabilities confronting a utility that barely a year ago emerged from a bankruptcy case sparked by earlier fire damages.

The Singleton Schreiber McKenzie Scott law firm of San Diego, which has tangled with PG&E for years ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — More nursing home residents and staff died of COVID-19 in Florida during a four-week period ending Aug. 22 than in any other state in the country, according to an AARP analysis released today.

Florida accounted for 21% of all nursing home resident deaths due to the virus nationwide. The data shows the state with 17% of staff ...Read more

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — On the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month, Broward County, a county that is home to over 600,000 Hispanics, posted a racially insensitive tweet marking the start of the month meant to honor and recognize Hispanic culture and history.

The county government’s official Twitter account posted a GIF of a dancing taco ...Read more

A suspect was killed and a police officer was seriously wounded in a shooting Wednesday in Independence, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Officers responded to the shooting before 12 p.m. in the 2400 block of South Northern Boulevard. The officer who was shot was critically injured and taken to a hospital.

Sgt. Andrew Bell, a ...Read more

NEW YORK — The still-silent boyfriend of a missing Long Island woman was declared a “person of interest” Wednesday in her disappearance as police said his refusal to cooperate was hampering the investigation.

A national FBI tip hotline was also launched as Brian Laundrie, who was traveling cross-country with his girlfriend Gabby Petito ...Read more

Active-duty members of the U.S. Army are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by mid-December.

The Army announced Tuesday that all active-duty units are expected to be fully vaccinated by Dec. 15 while Reserve and National Guard units are expected to be fully vaccinated by June 30, 2022.

Soldiers will be able to request an ...Read more