In 2020, COVID-19 began spreading rapidly across the U.S., leading to major shutdowns and radically altering the lives of millions. Now, five years later, most Americans think the country could be plagued by a new pandemic, according to recent polling.

In a YouGov survey published in early May, 69% of respondents said it is somewhat or very ...Read more

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump dug in on his threat to impose a 50% tariff on the European Union and said a potential 25% charge on smartphones would apply to all foreign-made devices, in the latest escalation of a trade war that is rattling markets and confusing businesses.

Trump on Friday reiterated his complaints about the EU, ...Read more

The chief judge of Maryland’s federal district court issued a standing order this week prohibiting the Trump administration from deporting people in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody who request to have their detention reviewed by a judge.

The standing order, signed by Chief Judge George Levi Russell III, only automatically applies ...Read more

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday signed orders meant to accelerate the construction of nuclear power plants, including small, untested designs that offer the promise of rapid deployment but have yet to be built in the U.S.

The effort is a bid to meet a coming surge in electricity demand and help the U.S. reclaim its edge in ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked a lower-court order that would force Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to turn over documents to a watchdog group and make a top official available to testify.

The order on Friday, in a fight over whether the office is covered by U.S. public records laws, is a preliminary...Read more

MIAMI — Florida residents seeking legal counsel on their immigration cases — including undocumented immigrants the federal government wants to deport — will soon have more state-level protections against common scams that target them.

And they have Gov. Ron DeSantis to thank for it.

On Thursday, DeSantis signed a bill aimed at curbing so...Read more

MIAMI — Florida residents seeking legal counsel on their immigration cases — including undocumented immigrants the federal government wants to deport — will soon have more state-level protections against common scams that target them.

And they have Gov. Ron DeSantis to thank for it.

On Thursday, DeSantis signed a bill aimed at curbing so...Read more

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump moved to dramatically downsize the National Security Council, part of a restructuring that could see the group responsible for coordinating and implementing foreign policy at the White House cut in half.

The restructuring effort was described Friday by a White House official on the condition of anonymity. ...Read more

Black Americans’ perceptions about police have grown slightly more favorable in recent years, though they remain below the national average, according to new polling.

In a Gallup survey released on May 23, Black respondents expressed more positive views about local police — including on satisfaction in community relations and expectations ...Read more

Having seen positive uses of artificial intelligence in classrooms, a top education leader in Pennsylvania was baffled to learn Thursday that federal lawmakers want to block states from acting against AI's negative possibilities.

Sherri Smith, executive director of Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators, reacted to language put in ...Read more

BOSTON — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has ordered an independent investigation of the public school district’s contracts with its transportation provider, Transdev, after a bus driver with lapsed credentials and a spotty driving record killed a 5-year-old boy.

Wu and Superintendent of Schools Mary Skipper said Friday that Mintz attorney ...Read more

CHICAGO — Jewish organization leaders and allies on Friday called for local elected officials and civic heads to “stop tolerating hate in the guise of activism” following the fatal shooting this week of two Israeli Embassy employees, allegedly at the hands of a Chicago man.

Flanked by officials from the American Jewish committee’s ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A growing coalition of HIV prevention organizations, health experts and Democrats in Congress are sounding the alarm over sweeping Trump administration cuts to HIV/AIDS prevention and surveillance programs nationally, warning they will reverse years of progress combating the disease and cause spikes in new cases — especially in...Read more

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has selected Miami private-equity entrepreneur Bernie Navarro to serve as U.S. ambassador to Peru.

The president described Navarro as a “highly respected leader” in real estate and economic recovery, noting his degrees from the University of Miami and Harvard University.

“Bernie’s expertise in ...Read more

Throughout his 2024 campaign for president, Donald Trump strongly and repeatedly denied any connection to Project 2025, the political platform document authored by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C.

“I have nothing to do with Project 2025,” Trump said during a debate with former Vice President ...Read more

The murder heard around the world marks its fifth anniversary Sunday.

On May 25, 2020, Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin put his knee on the neck of George Floyd and held it there for nine minutes. The incident was filmed by 17-year-old Darnella Frazier and went viral. Chauvin was eventually found guilty of second-degree murder, third-...Read more

LOS ANGELES — In a major post-fire milestone Friday, Pacific Coast Highway reopened to traffic for the first time since the Palisades fire incinerated homes and businesses along the oceanfront in January.

The reopening of an 11-mile stretch of PCH will offer greater access to Malibu and Pacific Palisades and may ease commutes for those trying...Read more

The Nicolás Maduro regime arrested opposition leader Juan Pablo Guanipa — a close ally of opposition figure María Corina Machado — early Friday morning, accusing him of orchestrating a terrorist network allegedly planning to sabotage regional elections scheduled for Sunday.

Maduro’s Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello announced the ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Six people are presumed dead after a jet airplane crashed into a residential neighborhood in San Diego County on Thursday morning amid dense fog, but investigators have yet to release the names of those aboard.

The investigation into what led to the fiery crash in the Tierrasanta neighborhood is still underway, according to the ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Southern California Edison has agreed to pay $82.5 million to cover costs and damages from the 2020 Bobcat fire, what federal officials are calling a record settlement for one of the largest blazes in Los Angeles County.

Federal officials allege that the Bobcat fire, which burned more than 114,000 acres in 2020, ignited when ...Read more