NEW YORK — The tent demonstrations over the war in Gaza that have roiled Columbia University for the last two weeks have sparked anger and debate, and exploded into a national phenomenon.

But while the high-profile protests and calls for the resignation of the Columbia president seize public attention, a damaging and perhaps lasting change is...Read more

Bill Maher isn’t mincing words when it comes to pro-Palestine protesters, who have been demonstrating across the country this week amid the months-long war in Gaza following Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre of Israeli civilians.

In Friday night’s “New Rule” segment of HBO’s “Real Time With Bill Maher,” the Emmy Award winner dubbed such ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles school district has removed a campus-safety contractor from Washington Preparatory High School after an adult — who apparently worked for the contractor — refused to intervene before a fight that ended with the death of a student, schools Supt. Alberto Carvalho said Friday.

The fight began after an individual...Read more

BOSTON — A confirmed case of the tick-borne Powassan virus has been reported in the Bay State, according to officials who are warning residents to take precautions against the disease.

The Sharon Health Department has confirmed the town’s first case of Powassan virus — which like Lyme disease, is transmitted through infected ticks.

...Read more

BOSTON — Police broke up a protest calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and divestment from Israel at Northeastern University following similar breakups at other Greater Boston universities including Emerson and Tufts and other universities around the country.

The break-up of the encampment began earlier Saturday morning on the campus’ ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A San Gabriel Valley woman who was accused of using counterfeit postage on tens of millions of packages pleaded guilty Friday to defrauding the United States Postal Service out of more than $150 million.

Lijuan "Angela" Chen, 51, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and one count of using counterfeit ...Read more

BALTIMORE — A month after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed, federal, state and local authorities as well as local community organizations have banded together to focus on recovery efforts.

On March 26, the Key Bridge collapsed after a support pillar was struck by the container ship Dali, killing six construction workers and leaving tons...Read more

EUREKA, Calif. — Cal Poly Humboldt officials are closing the campus for the remainder of the semester with classwork continuing remotely, as pro-Palestinian student activists refuse to end their occupation of two academic buildings.

This closure means that anyone on campus without authorization by University Police is subject to citation or ...Read more

WASHINGTON — When President Joe Biden returned to the White House after delivering his State of the Union address, 23-year-old TikTok influencer Awa Sanneh joined roaring cheers alongside administration staffers gathered on the mansion’s back porch.

Biden told the group “how important” social media content is to reach Gen-Z voters, ...Read more

NEW YORK — Columbia University administrators on Saturday vowed not to bring the New York City Police Department in to clear out a pro-Gaza tent city on the school’s property, claiming that police intervention would only inflame an already tense situation.

“We called on the NYPD to clear an encampment once, but we all share the view, ...Read more

Hamas released a video Saturday showing two hostages alive as it studied Israel’s latest proposal for a cease-fire, in an apparent bid to increase pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to call off a major offensive that would deepen the war in Gaza.

The Palestinian militant group’s military wing posted a video showing American ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — A video released by Hamas on Saturday shows Keith Siegel, an Israeli American and a native of Chapel Hill who was taken hostage during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

CNN reported on Saturday that in the video, Siegel “appears to be speaking under duress” and “pleads for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ...Read more

ATLANTA — The Georgia county where tech experts copied the state’s election software after the 2020 election was hit by a cyberattack this month.

The secretary of state’s office confirmed the Coffee County cyberattack late Friday and severed the county’s connection to Georgia’s voter registration system as a precaution.

“We took ...Read more

NEW YORK — A 2.9 magnitude earthquake rattled areas surrounding northern Somerset County, New Jersey, Saturday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The small earthquake was recorded at 8:49 a.m. near Peapack-Gladstone, a borough in the Somerset Hills region, located approximately 45 miles west of New York City, officials said.

...Read more

BALTIMORE — Jonathan Daniels was just weeks into his new role as head of one of the nation’s busiest ports when his job changed overnight.

Since the March 26 collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, Daniels has instead overseen a nearly closed Port of Baltimore. The executive director of the Maryland Port Administration since Feb. 5, ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — A video released by Hamas on Saturday shows Keith Siegel, an Israeli American and a native of Chapel Hill who was taken hostage during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

CNN reported on Saturday that in the video, Siegel “appears to be speaking under duress” and “pleads for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Last fall, the Catalina Island Conservancy labeled its plan to eliminate the island's invasive mule deer population, by employing helicopter-bound hunters armed with high-powered rifles, "bold and ambitious."

But the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors chose other descriptors, decrying the proposal in an opposition letter as...Read more

LOS ANGELES — O.J. Simpson's death certificate released this week confirms he died of prostate cancer at his home in Las Vegas, his attorney told The Times.

Attorney Malcolm LaVergne said on Saturday the Clark County, Nevada-issued death certificate "just confirms what I think most people widely suspected anyway — it was prostate cancer. No...Read more

A surge in Texas power prices for August suggests another summer of heavy electricity demand — and potential grid strain — to meet air conditioning needs.

Traders start looking at prices months in advance to gauge the outlook for demand.

Already in mid-April, August power prices for Dallas soared to $168.70 a megawatt-hour, which was the ...Read more

At least five people were shot outside a nightclub in Washington, D.C., late Friday night, authorities said.

The incident occurred around 11 p.m. after a man was kicked out of a Dupont Circle nightclub on Connecticut Avenue NW. He then reportedly pulled out a gun and fired at several people.

Officers responded to a report of a shooting on the ...Read more