LOS ANGELES — When Nicole Linton’s Mercedes-Benz flew through a red light and barreled into a busy South L.A. intersection, causing an explosion on contact, the streaking luxury car looked like a missile, according to video displayed in court Tuesday morning.

As the wreckage of the three-car crash burned, video from the scene on Aug. 4, ...Read more

WASHINGTON — As Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch announced he will be leaving his role by the end of the year, Democrats in Congress praised him for trying to show the “full history” of America.

Bunch was the first African American and the first historian to be appointed to the role. He has led the institution during a fraught time, as ...Read more

NEW YORK — Neighborhood residents rallied on the first day of classes Tuesday to call on Columbia University to reopen its campus to the general public.

The gates have been closed since protests on campus over the war in Gaza during the 2023-24 school year. Last year, Columbia’s neighbors sued the university in a Manhattan trial court over ...Read more

NEW YORK — Gov. Kathy Hochul Tuesday announced $70 million in state grants to prevent hate crimes ahead of the Jewish high holidays that begin Friday night.

With antisemitism and hate crimes rising, Hochul said the cash will go to 290 nonprofit community groups that may be vulnerable to physical or cyber attacks based on their faith or ...Read more

Ashley St. Clair says she was offered $40 million to remain silent about her relationship with Elon Musk, who fathered one of her two children.

The 28-year-old former MAGA activist claimed during a Venice Film Festival promoting director Alex Gibney’s documentary about Musk that she refused the enormous windfall so she could continue to tell ...Read more

MIAMI — A two-person crew piloted the Amazon cargo plane that overshot the runway at Miami’s airport and crashed through a fence into vehicles, killing five people.

Both crew members survived the deadly landing.

They were taken to the hospital after Sunday’s crash and released, according to a briefing Tuesday by Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the Trump administration to resume expansion of an internal government database available to states to verify the citizenship of voters.

The application submitted to the court on Tuesday marks the latest high-stakes, election-related fight to reach the justices ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A summer of disgustingly miserable humidity is expected to peak in the coming days with sweltering and dangerous conditions thanks to the influence of Tropical Storm Marie.

The extreme weather, a preview of the intense El Niño conditions forecast for Southern California this winter, will bring temperatures into the 90s and 100s...Read more

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill broke her silence on a reported investigation into Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell on Tuesday afternoon, but the governor offered little information on the matter and did not mention her No. 2 by name.

“Public service is an honor. And I have spent a lifetime of service in the Navy, as a prosecutor, in Congress, and now ...Read more

GOLDEN, Colo. — A Jefferson County judge sentenced former Colorado Bureau of Investigation scientist Yvonne “Missy” Woods to 10 years in prison Tuesday for her role in a years-long DNA testing scandal that shook confidence in the state’s criminal justice system.

“At its core, this case is about trust,” District Judge Andrew Poland ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The family of Celeste Rivas Hernández has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the singer D4vd, who is charged with repeatedly sexually assaulting the teenager before killing her and dismembering her corpse in an attempt to cover up the alleged abuse.

Celeste’s parents, Mercedes Martinez and Jesus Rivas, claimed in a court ...Read more

Duke University business professor Dan Ariely is running for office in Israel, according to The Jerusalem Post. He’s declared candidacy in the country’s small Pirate Party and appeared at the Israeli legislature on Monday sporting a pirate hat.

The fringe Pirate Party — which advocates primarily for intellectual property reform and ...Read more

The New York Times on Tuesday published an investigation into the aggressive legal tactics that U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall routinely used to collect on his patients’ medical debts during his decadeslong career as a Kansas OBGYN.

A Times analysis of Kansas court records found that Marshall sued more than 700 patients over unpaid medical bills. ...Read more

Brent oil advanced to the highest since late July as another round of strikes on Middle East energy infrastructure, including reported explosions at Iran’s vital export hub Kharg Island, stoked fears of fresh supply tightness.

The global benchmark edged up 1% on Tuesday to settle close to $98 a barrel, after nearing $100 at one point during ...Read more

BOSTON — Lindsay Clancy’s tireless attorney is appealing to President Trump to pardon his client, even though it’s outside the president’s jurisdiction.

“I would hope that you would consider this young lady – the type of person she is and what she’s been through – and consider a pardon,” Kevin Reddington said on camera this ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A wrinkled Northern elephant seal named Violet slid out of a crate and onto San Pedro’s Cabrillo Beach on a muggy morning in late August.

The pinniped pup looked around quizzically with large, black eyes before lumbering into the surf with abandon — as only the young can.

Violet, named for the color of identifying crayon ...Read more

Three states this year have enacted laws that require or allow schools to use mobile, wearable, wireless or silent panic alarms to quickly summon emergency responders.

The new laws in Illinois, Virginia and West Virginia bring the number of states with such laws to 13, with 10 of them acting since 2023. Another dozen states have legislation ...Read more