BARRON, Wis. -- After the grim news of what happened at the Closs place last month, some of the children here wonder if it's OK to be happy anymore.

Adults who never thought twice about locking their doors are now double-checking deadbolts and installing security systems.

Even the local sheriff admits that the gruesome details of what happened...Read more

NEW YORK -- A federal judge in New York chastised the Justice Department for seeking an emergency halt to a trial over the Trump administration's plan to add a question about citizenship to the 2020 census, saying its efforts were "puzzling, if not sanctionable."

U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman, who heard testimony in the case in Manhattan ...Read more

WASHINGTON -- The only Democrat publicly considering a challenge to Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi for the House speakership abruptly announced Tuesday that she would support the California Democrat instead, after being given a new committee chairmanship.

It was a setback for the Democratic rebellion trying to block Pelosi from regaining the ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- Alex Villanueva, the retired cop who has commanded a startling lead in the election for Los Angeles County sheriff, edged closer to triumph Tuesday, stretching his margin to nearly 87,000 votes ahead of incumbent Jim McDonnell.

Almost 261,000 ballots still need to be counted in a race that -- no matter who wins -- has already ...Read more

Marcia Fudge forgoes speaker bid, will support Pelosi

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Marcia Fudge has decided not to run for speaker and agreed to back Nancy Pelosi for the gavel after securing some concessions from the longtime Democratic leader.

"My consideration was due in large part to the lack of sustained efforts that ensure diversity, equity and ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- The 24-year-old actress who accused Michael Avenatti of domestic violence last week claims he had been abusive to her before, according to court records made public Tuesday.

Mareli Miniutti claimed Avenatti had "a history of being verbally abusive and financially controlling" during their yearlong relationship, according to a ...Read more

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- A Broward sheriff's captain resigned and a sergeant was placed on administrative duty Tuesday for their roles in responding to the Parkland school shooting.

Jan Jordan, the captain formerly in charge of the Parkland division, resigned several days after she was widely criticized by a state commission for her role ...Read more

WASHINGTON -- Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker was paid more than $900,000 by a conservative nonprofit in the 21 months before joining the Justice Department, according to his financial disclosure form released Tuesday.

The documents make clear that Whitaker's main income in the years immediately before Trump's election came from his ...Read more

ATLANTA -- Like many girls her age, Sonja "Star" Harrison loved music and fashion and styling her hair, but the 14-year-old also had more serious cares: She was eight months' pregnant.

She was expecting to deliver a baby girl just before New Year's Day. Monday night she was babysitting her sister's three little boys at her sister's Southwest ...Read more

WASHINGTON -- Democrat Ben McAdams defeated Republican Rep. Mia Love in Utah's 4th Congressional District, according to the Associated Press.

The match-up between the two-term congresswoman, the only black female Republican in the House, and Salt Lake County Mayor McAdams had been tied in the polls.

The issue of health care played a major role...Read more

WASHINGTON -- Saudi prison officials tortured activists who have been detained without charge for months, according to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

Male and female activists were repeatedly tortured by electrocution and flogging at Saudi Arabia's Dhahban prison, leaving some unable to walk or stand properly, according to three ...Read more

WASHINGTON -- Lopsided Republican electoral majorities in North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin survived intact after the midterm elections, thanks to heavy partisan gerrymandering and despite the Democratic wave that flipped control of the House.

No House seats changed hands in North Carolina or Ohio, even though the total votes in those states ...Read more

WASHINGTON -- Democrats will examine Ivanka Trump's email use when they take control of the House in January following reports that she used a personal email address to conduct official government business, the incoming chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said Tuesday.

"My goal is to prevent this from happening again...Read more

BILOXI, Miss. -- Is incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith joking her way out of a U.S. Senate seat?

Democrats hope so and Republicans are seriously, increasingly concerned.

The Mississippi lawmaker's recent remarks about public hangings and voter suppression in a state with a tortured legacy of both against African-Americans has turned the Nov...Read more