ORLANDO, Fla. — The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission on Wednesday suspended most sloth imports to the state for 60 days, a victory for lawmakers and conservationists seeking to secure a permanent ban following the deaths of dozens of the animals acquired for a scrapped Orlando attraction.

“Florida making this decision will ...Read more

NEW YORK — Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced on Wednesday a slate of changes aimed at at expediting the construction and leasing process for affordable housing.

The package includes measures that would shorten the application window for affordable housing lotteries, from 60 days to 21 days, and speed up the screening process for prospective ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed Kevin Warsh on Wednesday to become chairman of the Federal Reserve for a four-year term.

The 54-45 vote concludes the process two days before Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s term ends. The Senate confirmed Warsh on Tuesday to a 14-year term on the board, effective as of Feb. 1, 2026. He fills a board position ...Read more

NEW YORK — Harvey Weinstein took a turn for the worse Wednesday, complaining of chest pains as a Manhattan jury began deliberating whether he was guilty of raping actress Jessica Mann at a Midtown hotel.

“I’m advised he’s having chest pains and not feeling well,” Justice Curtis Farber told spectators shortly after 3 p.m., about four ...Read more

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Supreme Court has unanimously ruled to overturn the 2023 double murder conviction of disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh.

In its 27-page, 5-0 ruling Wednesday, the South Carolina Supreme Court said the actions of former Colleton County Court Clerk Rebecca “Becky” Hill denied “Murdaugh his right to a fair...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Delta Airlines employee killed last week at Orlando International Airport may have suffered a “medical event” that led to his fatal crash, according to a new medical examiner’s report.

Daniel Maldonado, 49, of Auburndale, was killed Thursday while driving a tug, a vehicle used to tow planes, that crashed into a jet ...Read more

CHICAGO — Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson will meet Pope Leo XIV during a visit to the Vatican at the end of this month, his office announced Wednesday.

The trip will take place from May 26 to 30 and include stops in Rome and Vatican City, according to a statement from the mayor’s press office that highlighted Johnson and Leo’s shared ties ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The Florida woman who allegedly raked Rihanna’s West L.A. home with rifle fire earlier this year may be mentally unfit to stand trial, her attorney said in court Wednesday.

Deputy Public Defender Derek Dillman “expressed a doubt” that his client, 35-year-old speech pathologist Ivanna Ortiz, was competent to stand trial on ...Read more

Broken headstones, damaged graves and spray-painted graffiti now mark a historic Florida cemetery after vandals targeted the site, according to investigators.

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating vandalism at Old Memphis Cemetery in Palmetto, where deputies say 17 grave sites were damaged with broken and knocked-down ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A former producer and drug counselor who distributed the ketamine that killed Matthew Perry was sentenced Wednesday to two years in prison.

Erik Fleming, 56, pleaded guilty in August 2024 to conspiracy to distribute ketamine and distribution of ketamine resulting in death.

Prosecutors had asked for a two-and-a-half-year prison ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to rename Cesar Chavez Parkway, two months after shocking allegations of sexual abuse surfaced against the late labor leader.

The 0.8-mile-long street in Barrio Logan will now be named Chicano Park Boulevard to honor the historic and cultural significance of Chicano Park — ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Nearly a year after two of their colleagues were attacked by a man disguised as a cop, Minnesota lawmakers gave final approval Wednesday to a bill that imposes stiffer penalties on people who impersonate police.

The bill, which now heads to Gov. Tim Walz, is among many changes that legislators have sought in response to the June...Read more

The state of Florida illegally attempted to curry special favor from the president by gifting downtown Miami land for Donald Trump’s planned presidential center and skyscraper, according to a new lawsuit filed in federal court Wednesday.

The complaint accuses Trump, his nonprofit presidential library foundation, Miami Dade College and its ...Read more

CHICAGO — Immigration advocacy groups on Wednesday filed tort claims against the Department of Homeland Security alleging 18 people were illegally arrested and brutalized in a controversial overnight raid in a South Shore apartment building during Operation Midway Blitz last fall.

The tort claims, a required prerequisite to a lawsuit against ...Read more

BALTIMORE — A looming federal trial over liability in the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse is still on track for June despite Maryland’s $2.25 billion settlement with the owner and operator of the cargo ship Dali, with Baltimore, Baltimore County and dozens of other plaintiffs continuing to pursue claims tied to the deadly disaster.

The ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A former producer and drug counselor who distributed the ketamine that killed Matthew Perry was sentenced Wednesday to two years in prison.

Erik Fleming pleaded guilty in August 2024 to conspiracy to distribute ketamine and distribution of ketamine resulting in death.

Prosecutors had asked for a 2 1/2-year prison sentence; ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom will propose a new $100 million fund to help wildfire victims afford loans to rebuild their homes under a revised budget plan set to be released Thursday.

The Newsom administration estimates that thousands of victims of the Los Angeles wildfires cannot afford to rebuild, blaming a lack of access to ...Read more

U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., on Wednesday cast the deciding vote against the latest effort to limit President Donald Trump’s ability to attack Iran — the seventh such time he’s broken with his party since the war began but the first time that Republican deflections made his vote decisive.

The war powers resolution failed 49 to 50 as ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Real estate developer and former gubernatorial candidate Stephen Cloobeck, who exited the race in November, was arrested in Los Angeles County on Tuesday.

Jail records show Cloobeck, 64, was arrested before 11 a.m. and booked at the West Hollywood station on $300,000 bail, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department ...Read more