An investigation was underway in Australia after “Orange is the New Black” actress Ruby Rose accused Katy Perry of sexually assaulting her at a Melbourne nightclub more than a decade ago.

In a statement to TMZ, Victoria Police confirmed the probe, saying its detectives are investigating an alleged “historical sexual assault” that ...Read more

CHICAGO — A flood watch is in effect for several Illinois counties as well as northwest Indiana as storms are expected to continue through late Wednesday night, officials said.

The watch covers portions of Illinois including Boone, central Cook, DeKalb, eastern Will, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, northern Cook, northern Will, Ogle, southern ...Read more

BOSTON — Massachusetts is the only state in the entire country where the Governor’s Office, the Judiciary and state Legislature are all exempt from the public records law, as Gov. Maura Healey recently hid behind this exemption to withhold hundreds of entries to the newly-created ICE Misconduct Portal and legislative leaders refuse to comply...Read more

The U.S. and Iran are closer to extending a ceasefire and restarting negotiations about a longer-term peace deal, the Associated Press reported, even as a standoff intensifies over the Strait of Hormuz.

The two sides have an “in principle agreement” to pursue further diplomacy after an inconclusive initial round of talks in Pakistan at the ...Read more

Donald Trump’s bid to block Iran from using the Strait of Hormuz chokes a key Chinese energy supply and risks a showdown with Xi Jinping a month before the two leaders are set to meet in Beijing.

Xi broke his near seven-week silence over the Iran war on Tuesday, warning the world order is “crumbling into disarray,” while pledging to play ...Read more

MIAMI — The Trump administration has abruptly canceled an $11 million contract with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami to shelter and care for migrant children who enter the U.S. alone, ending a relationship between the Catholic Church and the U.S. government dating back to the first arrivals of Cuban exiles in South Florida.

The ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Three Los Angeles school district unions won major victories with deals that bring hefty raises and prompted celebratory messages about a new chapter in local education progress. But the price of union peace will be nearly $1.2 billion in annual contract costs, and questions remain about whether the district can afford it.

...Read more

U.S. President Donald Trump played down the prospect of renewed fighting in the war with Iran, even as questions remain over Tehran’s nuclear program and access to the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking to ABC News on Tuesday, Trump said extending a ceasefire that expires next week may not be necessary, hinting at near-term progress toward a deal to...Read more

Hungary’s incoming leader Peter Magyar moved fast to assert dominance over the state institutions that outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orban crafted over his 16 years in power, directing salvos against state media and the president appointed by his predecessor.

In a tense radio interview on Wednesday morning — his first in more than a year-...Read more

Donald Trump’s bid to block Iran from using the Strait of Hormuz chokes a key Chinese energy supply and risks a showdown with Xi Jinping a month before the two leaders are set to meet in Beijing.

Xi broke his near seven-week silence over the Iran war on Tuesday, warning the world order is “crumbling into disarray,” while pledging to play ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- Jet fuel prices are soaring and checked baggage fees are on the rise, but for fans of California wine country, Southwest Airlines has a deal for you.

Beginning April 24, San Diego’s largest airline will debut its “Sip and Ship” program, which will allow passengers to check one case of wine at no cost when flying between Santa...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — One preschooler with autism and ADHD was excluded from a Philadelphia early childhood program two hours after her parents dropped her off for her first day because the school did not have adequate supports, according to a new report from the Education Law Center-PA.

Another was told he was “no longer a good fit” shortly ...Read more

Lea Didion didn’t realize the night sweats she began experiencing in her 40s might be a sign of perimenopause.

Her doctor clued her in and suggested she consider hormone replacement therapy, a once-vilified treatment that has come roaring back to help relieve hot flashes, vaginal dryness and other symptoms women start to experience in mid-...Read more

In late March, a handful of Black faith leaders gathered on the steps of the Alabama State House to protest a bill that could allow the state to seize control of the police force in the capital of Montgomery.

Supporters of the Republican-sponsored proposal cast it as a response to Montgomery’s police officer shortage and public concern over ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s mixed messaging on federal family planning funds has anti-abortion groups simultaneously outraged and optimistic, after the administration rolled out widely divergent goals over a matter of days during the spring congressional recess.

The conflicting policies related to Title X family planning funds ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — It's not clear who was the instigator when, several months ago, Amanda Ponce got into an altercation with a fellow resident at a Boyle Heights homeless housing site. What the two parties agreed upon was this: In frustration, Ponce tapped the man over the head — and it wasn't a big deal.

But according to Ponce, it was enough to...Read more

KHARTOUM, Sudan — The diggers were efficient, cramming in so many graves that, from above, the field near the University of Sudan's medical campus looked like a frieze of an undulating, gravel-brown sea.

"There's another one over there that's even more crowded than this," a campus caretaker said, pointing to an adjacent lot a few hundred ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — When President Donald Trump announced Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as his pick for Health and Human Services secretary, he declared that the appointment marked the return of "Gold Standard Scientific Research" in the U.S.

In May 2025 Trump signed the "Restoring Gold Standard Science" executive order. Agencies including NASA and the ...Read more

The mighty-but-little-known Amargosa River gained dubious national recognition this week.

Without intervention preventing mining and solar farm development, the river that makes life possible in one of America’s harshest deserts is in grave danger, the nonprofit American Rivers declares in its top 10 most endangered rivers list, which was ...Read more