NEW YORK — An online fundraiser to benefit the infant daughter of new mom Erin Piacenti, who was killed by a mentally ill woman amid a pair of random stabbings in Times Square, has raised more than three-quarters of $1 million in just three days.

The GoFundMe campaign, which initially sought $250,000 when it was posted Wednesday, was expanded...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Federal prosecutors are seeking a prison term longer than recommended by sentencing guidelines for former Minnesota state Sen. Justin Eichorn, describing him as a “predatory” offender who showed a wanton willingness to sexually exploit a minor.

Eichorn, 42, is scheduled for sentencing Sept. 23, after pleading guilty in St. ...Read more

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin will serve 60 days in jail for contempt of court, a Louisville judge ordered Sept. 4 in Jefferson Family Court.

Judge Angela Johnson said she may revisit the case in 30 days, and the sentence is appealable, but said she cannot allow the former governor to “taint the integrity” of the court...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The Federal Communications Commission has asked a judge to toss out ABC’s First Amendment lawsuit, arguing the Walt Disney Co. is wrongly attempting to short-circuit the agency’s review into whether ABC has violated the law.

The commission, in court documents, maintains ABC’s lawsuit was premature because regulators were ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Republican Party is accusing its one-time finance director of stealing sensitive donor information. In a lawsuit filed last month in Sacramento County, party leaders claim the theft is to bolster a forthcoming whistleblower retaliation and harassment lawsuit against the party.

The California GOP sued ...Read more

Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia are suing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for banning the use of federal funds to pay for gender-affirming care for youth insured by Medicaid.

The attorneys general argued that when Congress created Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, it left most decisions ...Read more

A high-stakes court case challenging the constitutionality of Kansas abortion restrictions should be retried, the attorney general’s office argued in a filing this week.

The question is whether the filing was made in time for a Johnson County judge to weigh it on its merits or if Kris Kobach’s office missed the deadline for requesting a new...Read more

PLYMOUTH, Mass. — A judge has declared a mistrial in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial because the 12 jurors could not come to a consensus on a verdict.

The Duxbury mom has been on trial for weeks, accused of murdering her three children, Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months, in January 2023.

Clancy didn’t dispute killing her children ...Read more

DENVER — President Donald Trump has approved the use of public assistance for Colorado counties affected by the Aspen Acres and Gold Mountain wildfires, which burned more than 140,000 acres and destroyed hundreds of homes in southern and western Colorado.

The federal aid will help Custer, Ouray and Pueblo counties cover the costs of debris ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Republican Attorney General Russell Coleman filed a lawsuit Thursday against Mayday Health for advertising pills for medical abortions within Kentucky.

The lawsuit, which was filed in Logan Circuit Court, alleges Mayday Health is in violation of the Kentucky’s Consumer Protection Act and asks the organization to stop ...Read more

GOLETA, Calif. — For over a decade, Goodland Guns operated in an unassuming strip mall in Old Town Goleta, where it sold handguns, rifles and ammo two doors down from the bustling original location of the national Habit Burger & Grill chain.

The firearms retailer never got any formal complaints at that location, according to city officials in...Read more

CHICAGO — After more than a month away from home in Immigrations and Customs Enforcement detention, a Chicago Public Schools custodian was reunited with his family on Aug. 28, family members confirmed.

Josue Pire Hidalgo was detained on the morning of July 17 during what his family believed would be a routine ICE appointment for their asylum ...Read more

MIAMI — Two Alligator Alcatraz guards have pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor battery charges in the first known criminal case alleging detainee mistreatment at the now-shuttered Everglades detention center.

Collier County prosecutors say guards Andre Seenaraine and Stephen Trejos went after detainee Rigoberto Rodriguez Arce on Jan. 25, weeks ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Federal prosecutors are seeking imprisonment for the man who sprayed vinegar through a syringe at Rep. Ilhan Omar while she spoke at a town hall in north Minneapolis.

Anthony James Kazmierczak, 56, is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 17 after pleading guilty in a Minneapolis federal courtroom to assaulting a United States officer...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is returning $9,700 in contributions from entrepreneur Danny Bakewell Sr. and other leaders of a nonprofit group that received millions of dollars in gang prevention contracts from her office, according to her campaign.

The Bass campaign's decision came after the Los Angeles Times questioned whether ...Read more

PLYMOUTH, Mass. — Judge William Sullivan is giving Lindsay Clancy’s attorney one hour to petition the Supreme Judicial Court for a stay after the judge said he would declare a mistrial.

The 12 jurors in the case wrote a third note saying that they could not come to a consensus on a verdict after days of deliberation. Sullivan said he needed...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — U.S. Sen. John Fetterman privately rejected the concerns of leaders at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia who requested a meeting to talk about vaccine policy and Medicaid cuts, speculating to an aide that they “just want free trips to DC,” according to a new report that sparked another wave of criticism aimed at the ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton announced Friday morning that she is creating an “independent, external panel” to review Lexington’s Flock license plate reader cameras.

“We have already discussed ways to tighten our controls to address concerns expressed by the public,” Gorton said. “However, I think it’s important...Read more