REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — San Mateo County’s first death penalty case in 15 years now has a trial date.

Judge Jeffrey R. Finigan set a trial date of Jan. 25, 2027, for Chunli Zhao, the Peninsula man accused of gunning down seven fellow migrant workers in the county’s deadliest mass shooting on record. If the trial date holds, it would come ...Read more

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Department of Human Services on Monday announced a new push to scrutinize providers in state-run Medicaid programs at high risk for fraud, including a significant expansion of unannounced site visits.

Human Services’ plan to significantly expand on-site validations comes as federal officials threaten to cut ...Read more

Federal officials have denied Alaska's request to cover all initial expenses associated with a costly and complicated disaster response effort following a catastrophic Western Alaska storm last fall.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy is appealing the decision, revising his request to ask that the Federal Emergency Management Agency instead pay 90% of the cost...Read more

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he will slash tariffs on India to 18% after Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to stop buying Russian oil, easing tensions between the two countries.

Trump said Monday on social media that, following a phone call with Modi, he will lower his tariff on Indian goods from 25%, emphasizing that India ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California’s Office of the State Fire Marshal has completed its investigation into the deadly fireworks explosion in Esparto, and uncovered evidence of “illegal activity” and criminal wrongdoing, the agency announced Monday.

The findings have been provided to the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office, which has ...Read more

Kimbal Musk, brother of Elon Musk and resident of Boulder, Colorado, is referenced at least 140 times in emails exchanged between Jeffrey Epstein and his associates, according to a new batch of documents the Department of Justice released last week as part of the Epstein files investigation.

The emails range from exchanges between Kimbal Musk ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Another eight federal prosecutors have left or announced their intentions to leave the Minnesota U.S. attorney’s office, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation.

The departures come as the office is reeling after last month’s mass resignation, when six veteran prosecutors quit because of recent ...Read more

Controversial director Brett Ratner, whose documentary "Melania" about the first lady premiered last week, found himself in the headlines once again over his alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

A photograph, part of the trove of files the Department of Justice's investigation into Epstein released on Friday, shows Ratner sitting on a couch with ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — As its name suggests, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program is designed to help law enforcement agencies crack down on various forms of online child exploitation, particularly sexual exploitation. In San Diego and across the country, local, state and federal agencies team up — with the help of federal grant ...Read more

Turning Point USA announced Monday that Kid Rock will headline the Super Bowl halftime show it’s offering as an alternative to Bad Bunny’s live performance during Sunday's game.

Country artists Brantley Gilbert, Gabby Barrett and Lee Brice will share the stage with the MAGA rocker, whose hits include “We the People” and “Redneck ...Read more

NEW YORK — Mounds of garbage have piled up on NYC streets as the city struggles with freezing temperatures and piles of ever-more-disgusting snow.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani said garbage collection is running 24 hours behind schedule, despite 2,500 sanitation workers on 12-hour shifts and 1,500 additional workers from across different city agencies...Read more

Gov. Josh Shapiro is backing a proposal to ban cellphones from Pennsylvania classrooms, joining a growing chorus of parents, teachers, and officials seeking to curb school disruptions and detach kids from addictive devices.

“It’s time for us to get distractions out of the classroom and create a healthier environment in our schools,” ...Read more

NEW YORK — At least 16 people have now been found dead outdoors in New York City amid a bitter run of freezing temperatures with the mercury at or below freezing for the 11th day in a row, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Monday.

Of those, preliminary findings show that in 13 of those deaths, hypothermia played a role, and three of those deaths ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The demand from the federal government to Minnesota leaders hasn’t relented for months: Hand over sensitive welfare data.

Starting this summer, the Department of Justice began pressing state officials to share Medicaid, nutrition assistance and voter information with the Trump administration. Attorney General Pam Bondi reupped...Read more

SpaceX’s stranglehold as NASA’s choice for the historic moon landing planned for the Artemis III mission later this decade was loosened last year to allow competitor Blue Origin back into the conversation. Jeff Bezos’ company is now laser-focused on the opportunity.

On Friday, the company announced it would cease launches of its space ...Read more

CHICAGO — A Schaumburg man has been arrested on charges of doxing and threatening an FBI agent whose information was stolen from a government vehicle during a protest over an immigration-related shooting in Minneapolis last month.

Jose Alberto Ramirez, 28, was arrested Thursday in Schaumburg on a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District ...Read more

MIAMI — Beyond questions of legality and oversight, Alligator Alcatraz has faced persistent skepticism from advocates, attorneys and lawmakers over an obvious issue: how an immigration detention camp in the middle of the Everglades would fare against Florida’s unpredictable extremes, from punishing summer heat and heavy storms to sudden cold...Read more

MIAMI — In July 2010, as Jeffrey Epstein’s yearlong probation period was coming to an end as part of a sweetheart deal with federal prosecutors, businessman Philip Levine sent Epstein an email.

“Hi, Just want you to know that I am happy that everything has come to a positive ending for you during these tough times,” Levine wrote, ...Read more

The Cuban government has exchanged its fierce rhetoric and vows to resist President Donald Trump’s “threats” for a more conciliatory offer to renew cooperation on security matters and maintain a “respectful dialogue” amid increasing diplomatic tensions and several incidents of harassment of U.S. diplomats on the island.

“Cuba is ...Read more

Hundreds of organizations, including civil rights groups, labor unions, immigrant rights advocates and faith leaders nationwide are urging President Donald Trump and leaders of the departments of State and Homeland Security to preserve temporary immigration protections for Haitians.

The calls come amid growing fear and anxiety over the fate of ...Read more