COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Thirty Afghan orphans who somehow survived the chaotic exit from Kabul airport, in addition to months of uncertainty traveling alone, are headed to Colorado.

Denver Human Services says it's the biggest influx of parentless kids the organization has seen in recent memory.

"We aren't sure of the details as to how they...Read more

A powerful Pacific storm is set to slam into California and the Pacific Northwest, bringing hurricane-like winds and heavy rains that could touch off mudslides in areas burned by this year’s wildfires.

The storm off the coast of Washington will direct “a fire hose” of moisture onshore, starting Saturday and continuing through Monday, said...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A California state senator called for a ban on live ammunition on movie sets and in theatrical productions following the death Thursday of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins involving a prop gun fired by actor Alec Baldwin on a New Mexico movie set.

State Sen. Dave Cortese, D-San Jose, chair of the Senate Labor Committee, said he ...Read more

The crew member tasked with handling weapons on the set of Alec Baldwin’s new movie, where cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed, was new to the gig and doubted her capabilities.

Hannah Reed, whose dad is stuntman and armorer Thell Reed, spoke last month on the “Voices of the West” podcast, about her hesitancy taking on her first ...Read more

DETROIT — Federal prosecutors in Detroit have seized about $12 million in cash they allege was part of a massive money-laundering operation, called "The Shadow Exchange," operating between the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates.

A forfeiture complaint unsealed this week in federal court in Detroit alleges that some of the laundered money was ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The White House’s concessions are piling up on President Joe Biden’s social-spending plan — including climate, education and child care provisions — as negotiations continue into the weekend.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday after breakfast with the president that “more than 90% is agreed to and written.”

But...Read more

Saudi Arabia has pledged to eliminate planet-warming emissions within its borders by 2060.

It marks a seismic shift for the world’s biggest oil exporter, though officials included plenty of caveats and emphasized that Saudi Arabia and others would need to pump crude for decades to come.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler, ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Topping up your protection against severe COVID-19 while avoiding the risk of rare vaccine side effects should not be rocket science.

But just ask the experts who advised federal regulators to authorize additional shots: There’s no simple formula to guide Americans’ decisions about booster shots.

Whether you should get a ...Read more

ISTANBUL — President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the ambassadors of 10 nations, including the U.S., Germany and France, were no longer welcome in Turkey after they demanded the release of a prominent businessman and philanthropist.

“I gave the necessary orders and told our foreign ministry to quickly take care of declaring these 10 ...Read more

Officials in Long Beach, California, relaxed restrictions on storing shipping containers in a bid to ease a bottleneck that’s left nearly 80 vessels waiting offshore to enter the biggest U.S. gateway for ocean freight.

The city manager, in a statement late Friday, said the temporary zoning rule, effective immediately and set to last for 90 ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — Coronavirus vaccines have a six-month shelf life after which medical providers must throw them in the trash.

Nobody trained to administer vaccines can bear to throw them out, and medical providers across San Diego County thought they had hit on the perfect solution: Send some of those about-to-expire doses to Tijuana or other ...Read more

Democrats’ latest paid family and medical leave proposal would offer workers four weeks annually — significantly lowering the promised benefits and leaving the U.S. lagging much of the world in guaranteed paid time off.

President Joe Biden confirmed on Thursday night’s CNN town hall that the latest version of what could be the country’s...Read more

A federally endangered bumblebee has temporarily saved one of Illinois' rarest prairies from the bulldozer, but only until Nov. 1.

Meanwhile, biologists and conservationists are working to convince the prairie’s owner, the Chicago Rockford International Airport, to change its plans for a roughly 280-acre expansion that would go through the ...Read more