WASHINGTON — Lee Zeldin, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to run the Environmental Protection Agency, has been a consultant to a wide swath of conservative organizations, including one of Elon Musk’s preferred dark money advocacy groups, according to new ethics disclosures.

Zeldin’s work for the Musk-backed group and others, ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The head of Southern California Edison said Wednesday that winds blowing in Eaton Canyon on Jan. 7 were not strong enough to merit de-energizing a powerful transmission electrical line that is now being investigated as a possible ignition point for a fire that devastated a large swath of Altadena.

Residents who live near Eaton ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — As winds began to die down Wednesday, there was growing despair and frustration in the vast fire zones among residents who were demanding to get back into their neighborhoods.

A brigade of firefighters spent the day reinforcing containment lines and cooling hot spots in the Palisades and Eaton fires to lessen the risk that ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Representative Mike Turner, a longtime defense hawk, has been removed as chairman of the powerful House Intelligence Committee, House Speaker Mike Johnson said.

The abrupt demotion, particularly so close to an inauguration, was highly unusual. Johnson said he had nothing bad to say about the veteran Ohio congressman. “It’s ...Read more

ATLANTA — A Cobb County student is in critical condition after she suffered an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound at Lindley Middle School in Mableton, Ga., on Wednesday afternoon, officials said.

“This afternoon, a student at Lindley Middle School tragically used a firearm to commit self-harm, prompting a code red,” the Cobb County ...Read more

Washington has a new governor for the first time in a dozen years. And Gov. Bob Ferguson made clear in his inaugural address on Wednesday that he’s ready to bolster bipartisanship and buck the status quo.

His speech came during a joint legislative session in the House chamber just after noon Wednesday, Jan. 15, the day after predecessor Jay ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats are gearing up for a fight against Scott Bessent, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Treasury secretary, with questions about his fitness to hold the office based on a review of his tax returns.

The billionaire hedge fund manager has largely flown under the radar among a field of more controversial ...Read more

President Joe Biden’s farewell speech Wednesday night came too late for many Americans, including members of his Democratic Party who wanted him to step aside before the primary.

The doggedness that marked Biden’s early congressional career, with him becoming known as a widowed dad traveling home every night on Amtrak to be with his sons, ...Read more

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden warned Americans of a “dangerous concentration of power” in the hands of a “very few ultrawealthy people” and the impact he feared it would have on the country’s democracy as he delivered a farewell address Wednesday from the Oval Office.

“Today an oligarchy is taking shape in America — of ...Read more

RICHMOND, Va. — For the fourth year in a row, Virginia Republicans have introduced legislation in the General Assembly that would ban transgender athletes from participating on sports teams that align with their gender.

The bills, proposed by Sen. Tammy Brankley Mulchi, R-Clarksville, and Del. Delores Oates, R-Front Royal, would require ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s choice to head the CIA called for the agency to heighten its focus on threats from China, and his nominee for attorney general stood by a call to investigate “bad” prosecutors as the Senate picked up the pace of Cabinet confirmation hearings.

Trump nominees Marco Rubio for secretary of State, John Ratcliffe ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California withdrew plans for pioneering clean-air regulations targeting diesel trucks and trains Tuesday, citing challenges posed by the incoming Trump administration. The state rules faced an uncertain future with federal approval in jeopardy.

The state’s Advanced Clean Fleet rule sought to end sales of new fossil-...Read more

SANTA ANA, Calif. — The Orange County District Attorney’s Office has reached an agreement with the U.S. Justice Department, ending a federal investigation into the violation of the rights of criminal defendants through the systematic misuse of jailhouse informants to garner incriminating evidence, authorities said Wednesday.

The lengthy ...Read more

SpaceX is ready to send up its first test flight of the year for its Starship and Super Heavy rocket from Texas, but delayed it one day to Thursday, when the company will once again go for a booster catch back at the launch site.

The seventh test flight overall for the 396-foot-tall combined rocket is aiming for liftoff from SpaceX’s Starbase...Read more

Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal that calls for releasing dozens of hostages and bringing a temporary halt to the war in the Gaza Strip that has killed tens of thousands of people in the last 15 months and touched off broader turmoil across the Middle East.

The ceasefire will start Sunday and last six weeks, Qatari and US officials ...Read more

Subfreezing temperatures are expected for President-elect Donald Trump’s upcoming inauguration in Washington, D.C.

The Weather Channel predicts a high of just 26 degrees on Monday, with low temperatures dropping into the single digits. Clear skies and daytime winds of up to 20 mph could add to the chill.

It’s set to be the coldest ...Read more

ATLANTA — A far-right Republican state senator said he plans to ignore his banishment from the state House and attend Thursday’s State of the State address by Gov. Brian Kemp.

State Sen. Colton Moore, a Trenton Republican and former House member, called House Speaker Jon Burns a “tyrant” in a social media post and pledged that he will �...Read more

A San Luis Obispo, California, firefighter got a shout-out in a viral Instagram post after he left a note for the owner of home he was working to protect while battling the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles.

Before leaving the house, San Luis Obispo City Fire Department Capt. Alec Flatos apparently left the note sharing an apology and his best ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Democratic senators got some support from Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Rand Paul as they quizzed Russ Vought, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for budget director, about lawmakers’ “power of the purse.”

Paul, R-Ky., said he was “sympathetic” to Democrats’ arguments about the ...Read more