NEW YORK — Casandra “Cassie” Ventura took the stand as the star witness at Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal sex trafficking trial in New York on Tuesday, relaying horrific beatings she endured by the multimillionaire hip-hop mogul and being forced to participate in dayslong, demoralizing and disgusting sexual performances with male sex ...Read more

BOISE, Idaho — A plane carrying dozens of South Africans claiming to face anti-white discrimination landed in the United States on Monday. Nine will be resettled in Idaho as refugees, making them some of the only refugees to the state since President Donald Trump ordered pauses in January.

Nearly 50 Afrikaners — a term that refers to South ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to expand the state’s ability to stockpile brand-name drugs to safeguard against potential federal intervention and shortages.

The governor said Tuesday he will propose expanding the California Department of Health Services’ ability to buy brand-name and generic drugs, citing the need to “...Read more

Former President Joe Biden’s regular medical evaluation earlier this month turned up a “small nodule” on his prostate that required he undergo “further evaluation,” according to his spokesperson.

Biden spent Friday night at a hospital in Philadelphia after doctors spotted the nodule during his “routine physical exam” last week, ...Read more

NEW YORK — A federal judge ruled Tuesday that an independent outside official will take control of Rikers Island from New York City in a sweeping ruling aimed at fixing years of violence and deteriorating conditions.

In her 77-page ruling, Manhattan Federal Court Judge Laura Taylor Swain didn’t immediately identify the official who will ...Read more

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer Tuesday put a hold on President Donald Trump’s Justice Department appointees over the gift of a $400 million luxury plane from Qatar that could be used as his Air Force One.

The Brooklyn Democrat slammed as “blatant corruption” the present from the oil-rich Gulf Arab state to Trump, who admits he plans...Read more

WASHINGTON — California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed two lawsuits Tuesday challenging a Trump administration policy that would deny the state billions of dollars in transportation grants unless it follows the administration’s lead on immigration enforcement.

“Let’s be clear about what’s happening here,” Bonta said in a ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Scientists have released some of the first independent test results confirming that drinking water in fire-affected areas around Altadena and the Pacific Palisades is largely free of harmful contaminants, as an Altadena utility lifted the last “do not drink” notice left in the burn zones.

Researchers with the LA Fire HEALTH...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs was sworn in for an eight-year term Tuesday morning at the state Capitol, days after her Republican challenger conceded the race — capping a months-long legal battle.

Justice Anita Earls, the only other Democrat on a court controlled by Republicans, administered the oath of ...Read more

President Donald Trump said Saudi Arabia would commit to investing $1 trillion in the United States, promoting a flurry of dealmaking at the start of his four-day Middle East visit.

Trump’s announcement Tuesday came as he cemented his relationship with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a key regional power player by making Riyadh his ...Read more

Secretary of State Marco Rubio blacklisted Cuba on Tuesday as a country that did not fully cooperate with U.S. counterterrorism efforts in 2024 and blasted the government in Havana for its refusal to discuss the return of people residing on the island who are charged in the U.S. for various crimes.

The State Department said in a statement there...Read more

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — The first time President Donald Trump visited Riyadh in 2017, he posed with a ceremonial orb, took part in a traditional sword dance and secured an agreement by Saudi Arabia to purchase $350 billion in weaponry, the largest arms deal in U.S. history.

The sequel, coming eight years later — almost to the day — ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Is spray painting graffiti on a Tesla to criticize Elon Musk a valid form of protest — or domestic terrorism?

President Donald Trump and his administration have denounced widespread attacks on Tesla vehicles, charging stations and dealerships.

Musk has faced ire in recent months for his role in the U.S. Department of ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — A fatal drunken-driving crash in Minneapolis allegedly caused by an Ecuadorean national has drawn indignation from the White House over his immigration status and questions from a Hennepin County judge about what took so long to file criminal vehicular homicide charges.

German Adriano Llangari Inga, 35, was charged on May 2 in ...Read more

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — President Donald Trump arrived Tuesday for the first leg of his Middle East tour in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, where he was welcomed with a pomp-and-circumstance-filled ceremony and a high-powered lunch with top business leaders and government figures before giving a speech at an investment forum.

After Air Force One...Read more

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — President Donald Trump arrived Tuesday for the first leg of his Middle East tour in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, where he was welcomed with a pomp-and-circumstance-filled ceremony and a high-powered lunch with top business leaders and government figures before giving a speech at an investment forum.

After Air Force One...Read more

DEDHAM, Mass. — The Karen Read murder retrial is taking today off.

The announcement came in the form of a somewhat cryptic message from the state’s courts.

“Please be advised that the trial in Commonwealth v. Karen Read is not taking place today due to unavoidable circumstances,” Massachusetts state courts spokeswoman Jennifer Donahue ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A south Sacramento motel is slated to be turned into permanent housing for homeless adults and families.

The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors will Tuesday consider a proposal to redevelop a Motel 6, near the corner of Stockton Boulevard and Elsie Avenue, into housing.

If the supervisors approve, nonprofit ...Read more