As fires ravaged the town of Paradise, Calif., last year, killing 86 people and destroying 15,000 homes in Northern California, smoke seeped south into the city of Davis. Face masks were distributed, but they were not impenetrable, and smoke inhalation began to overwhelm many, including Alexandria Villasenor, whose asthma was triggered.

"I ...Read more

UNITED NATIONS -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday announced the formation of a constitutional committee for Syria, in an effort to advance a peace process and resolve political disputes in the country after nearly eight years of war.

"I strongly believe that the launch of the Syrian-owned and Syrian-led ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- California's attorney general Monday asked the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to revoke a Trump administration rule that expands fast-track deportations for unauthorized immigrants who cannot prove that they have been in the country for at least two years.

Under these deportations, officially known as ...Read more

Federal judge hears arguments to halt Georgia's new anti-abortion law

ATLANTA -- A federal judge said Monday that he hoped to determine soon whether the court should block Georgia's new anti-abortion law from going into effect, but he hinted at the potential long road ahead for the case.

It's unclear when U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones ...Read more

MIAMI -- A South Florida eighth grader was arrested on a felony charge after he sent messages threatening to kill minorities and members of the LGBTQ+ community in a group chat, the Miami-Dade Police Department said.

Police picked up the 13-year-old Leewood K-8 Center student at his school, located on the corner of Southwest 124th Street and ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal appeals court appeared divided along party lines Monday on whether to uphold a new Trump administration rule that denies federal family planning money to clinics that refer patients for abortions.

During a hearing in San Francisco, an 11-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals considered whether to ...Read more

WASHINGTON -- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday the Senate Intelligence Committee will look into a whistleblower's complaint that reportedly alleges President Donald Trump pressured the Ukrainian leader to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, a possible Trump opponent in the 2020 presidential race.

But only a handful of...Read more

WASHINGTON -- Donald Trump asked Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Monday to explain why the administration requested that a Chinese trade delegation cancel its plans to visit U.S. farms and indicated that he disagreed with the decision.

The visits to farms in Montana and Nebraska were abruptly canceled Friday after Chinese officials met ...Read more

ATLANTA -- A federal judge said Monday that he hoped to determine soon whether the court should block Georgia's new anti-abortion law from going into effect, but he hinted at the potential long road ahead for the case.

It's unclear when U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones will rule on the request from the American Civil Liberties Union of ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- Critical fire weather is threatening California, as high winds, low humidity and dry conditions combine to form a sometimes lethal mix, the National Weather Service warned Monday.

A red flag warning is in effect for more than 3.8 million Northern Californians for the next three days, as wind gusts blow through the region.

In ...Read more

UNITED NATIONS -- Iran's key European allies distanced themselves from Tehran amid rising tension with the U.S., saying the Islamic Republic was responsible for attacks on Saudi oil facilities this month and calling for an expanded deal to constrain the country's nuclear and missile programs.

In a joint statement Monday, France and Germany ...Read more

CHICAGO -- Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke came to Chicago on Sunday night.

He was hungry. And thirsty. So he stopped into Haymarket Pub & Brewery for dinner and a beer.

Haymarket used the unexpected opportunity to post a photo of O'Rourke with brewery co-founder John Neurauter to Facebook, along with a nod to the reason O'...Read more

A photojournalist with The Associated Press was among two people wounded Monday in Haiti when a senator opened fire in the yard of the Haitian Senate amid a chaotic scene involving another foiled vote to confirm the new prime minister.

Journalist Dieu-Nalio Chery was covering Monday morning's Senate ratification vote, along with other ...Read more

BOGOTA, Colombia -- Ex-commanders from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, movement have asked forgiveness for the kidnapping of thousands of people during Colombia's decades of conflict that left more than 260,000 dead.

"There were unfortunate incidents, such as the kidnappings of civilians. We ask everyone who was a victim of...Read more

WASHINGTON -- Donald Trump found himself drawn deeper into a decadeslong dispute between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir region on Monday, as Pakistan's prime minister expressed frustration about a rally his Indian counterpart staged with the U.S. president a day earlier.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said that he intended to privately...Read more

HARTFORD, Conn. -- A Superior Court judge Monday warned Fotis Dulos, the estranged husband of missing New Canaan mother Jennifer Farber Dulos, that he could end up back in jail facing higher bail if Dulos continues to have issues charging his court-ordered GPS monitoring system device.

"There are two doors to this courtroom, the one in front ...Read more

UNITED NATIONS -- At U.S. urging, leaders from numerous South American countries convened Monday, prepared to step up pressure on Venezuela's socialist government by taking the rare action of invoking a regional mutual-defense treaty.

More than a dozen foreign ministers led by Colombia were scheduled to attend the meeting at the margins of the ...Read more

WASHINGTON -- Some Democratic lawmakers who have been reluctant to push for an impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump appeared to warm to the idea after Trump admitted to a July conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart about investigating a company linked to the son of Joe Biden.

House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff of California ...Read more