ORLANDO, Fla. — Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were backup crew for Apollo 8. Their next flight made them the first two men to step foot on the moon.

The role of backup has traditionally set up astronauts to be named prime crew for successive NASA’s missions, something that bodes well for Air Force Col. Bob “Farmer” Hines, who was ...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — More than 100 mourners gathered around a memorial of flowers and photos earlier this month to remember two young sisters slain by their father — another in a frustratingly long line of domestic violence tragedies.

Tiana Rae Watts was 2. Her sister, Jaliyah Katherine Watts, had not yet celebrated her first birthday. They were...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Gov. Gavin Newsom and L.A. city officials on Saturday declared a state of emergency as firefighters continue to battle a stubborn warehouse fire in Boyle Heights that has sent plumes of irritating smoke across the region.

“While the (Los Angeles Fire Department) continues making progress, this is a major, multi-jurisdictional ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — L.A. city officials on Saturday declared a local emergency as firefighters continue to battle a stubborn warehouse fire in Boyle Heights that has sent plumes of irritating smoke across the region.

“While the (Los Angeles Fire Department) continues making progress, this is a major, multi-jurisdictional incident,” Mayor Karen ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A man stabbed a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy, then was fatally shot by deputies Saturday afternoon in Lancaster, according to the Sheriff's Department.

Deputies responded to a complaint about a person wielding a knife about 2 p.m. at Lancaster Boulevard and Sierra Highway in an unincorporated area of Lancaster.

The man ...Read more

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and military chief Asim Munir are heading to Switzerland to take part in U.S.-Iran talks, the government announced Saturday, bringing one of the key mediators between the two adversaries to the table.

Pakistan said earlier that the talks in Burgenstock, aimed at permanently ending a conflict that has ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Just hours after Vance Boelter pleaded guilty to killing former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, a conservative social media account with nearly 5 million followers suggested Gov. Tim Walz should be investigated.

Libs of TikTok was resurfacing a conspiracy theory — that Walz had somehow directed the attack ...Read more

DENVER — Douglas County officials issued a preevacuation warning for a wildfire burning about 15 miles southwest of Castle Rock near the Devils Head Recreation Area on Saturday evening.

The Log Jumper fire is burning on less than an acre near Jackson Creek Road and Rampart Range Road, according to the Bureau of Land Management’s wildfire ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Several people were injured and one man was killed in a shooting near Kansas City’s 18th and Vine Historic Jazz District and its annual Juneteenth celebration Friday night, police said.

Officers were on patrol just before 10:30 p.m. near 18th Street and Paseo Boulevard when they heard the sound of gunfire coming from the ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — L.A. city officials on Saturday declared a local emergency as firefighters continue to battle a stubborn warehouse fire in Boyle Heights that has sent plumes of irritating smoke across the region.

“While the [Los Angeles Fire Department] continues making progress, this is a major, multi-jurisdictional incident,” Mayor Karen ...Read more

NEW YORK — After a massive fire engulfed a historic Brooklyn church, collapsing its steeple, the church is hoping to raise $2 million to rebuild and keep its congregation going in the meantime.

The South Bushwick Reformed Church is seeking the money to fund a temporary worship space, replace damaged equipment and furnishings, run community ...Read more

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The city of Fort Lauderdale is ending its fight with the state of Florida over its street art, officials said Saturday, instead announcing a “circle of love” rainbow installation as part of an alternative solution on private land.

The circle was installed last week next to Sebastian Street Beach, a popular LGBTQ ...Read more

In a clip that’s gone viral since last weekend’s annual Trooping the Color, Princess Catherine, the Princess of Wales, is seeing giving a “death stare” to anti-monarchists in the crowd who booed her and her three children as they rode by in a horse-drawn carriage to Buckingham Palace.

During the annual event to mark the official ...Read more

RICHMOND, Va. — With just days to go before the commonwealth’s current budget expires, the Virginia House and Senate reached a $185 billion budget deal that would take effect July 1. The deal includes an energy consumption fee for data centers.

The budget bill is now headed to Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s desk for her signature. Because it ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles declared a state of emergency due to a stubborn warehouse fire in Boyle Heights that has burned for days.

Here’s a rundown of what we know:

What do we know about the cause of the fire?

Lineage Logistics, the tenant-operator of the building, said in a statement that it believes the fire began while third-party ...Read more

Colombia’s outgoing leftist leader criticized Donald Trump a day before a runoff election in the Andean nation that pits his preferred successor against a security hardliner endorsed by the U.S. president.

Gustavo Petro called on Trump to reveal where a Colombian immigrant who criticized far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella is being ...Read more

A massive fire ripped through a popular luxury resort in the Dominican Republic— killing at least one tourist and forcing over 1,600 people to evacuate, authorities say.

An Italian woman died on Friday due to the fire at Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach Hotel in Bayahíbe, a resort town close to La Romana and Casa de Campo, according to Dominican...Read more

Iraq asked operators of five major oil fields to boost production to prewar levels, targeting output of more than 3 million barrels a day, after U.S.-Iran deal that aims to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Basra Oil Co. requested lifting output to the maximum available capacity at the Rumaila, West Qurna-1, West Qurna-2, Zubair and Artawi ...Read more

A judge in a Madrid court ordered Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s wife Begoña Gómez to stand trial on charges of influence peddling, corruption while conducting business and embezzlement of public funds.

The order, released on Saturday by judge Juan Carlos Peinado, includes a requirement for Gómez to surrender her passport, a ban on her ...Read more