From bans on declawing cats and plastic grocery bags to new anti-discrimination protections for students and cheaper insulin, a raft of new California laws takes effect Jan. 1, with others rolling out through 2026.

The measures survived months of negotiations in the state Legislature and scrutiny from Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has shown a ...Read more

President Donald Trump held a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, according to the White House, a day after the U.S. leader met with his Ukrainian counterpart to discuss efforts to bring a halt to the Kremlin’s war.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday on X that the two leaders had “concluded a positive...Read more

MIAMI — Florida nearly doubled the national average of executions in 2025, with a record-breaking 19 death warrants carried out, according to an annual report released by the Death Penalty Information Center.

Experts say Florida’s “extreme” outlier status — namely, the ramping up of executions — comes at a time when public support ...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — A dozen swans have died at Lake Eola in the past week, leaving Orlando officials fearing another outbreak of bird flu at the city’s signature park.

City Commissioner Patty Sheehan posted on Facebook that two dead swans were found on Dec. 23, with the number growing to 12 by Sunday. Due to the holidays the city’s ...Read more

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he asked Donald Trump for U.S. security guarantees lasting as long as half a century to help deter any future Russian invasion.

Current proposals under discussion as part of a peace plan set out a 15-year term with the possibility for an extension, though “I would like the guarantee to be much ...Read more

The man accused of placing pipe bombs outside the DNC and RNC headquarters on the night before the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol said he targeted both parties because “they were in charge,” federal investigators said Sunday.

Brian Cole Jr., a 30-year-old Virginia man, told the FBI he was inspired by President Donald Trump’s ...Read more

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation staged over two weeks earlier this month yielded more than 1,030 arrests of unauthorized immigrants with criminal backgrounds across the country, the Trump administration announced Dec. 22.

The crackdown was dubbed “Operation Angel’s Honor” in reference to Laken Riley, a Georgia nursing ...Read more

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he asked Donald Trump for U.S. security guarantees lasting as long as half a century to help deter any future Russian invasion.

Current proposals under discussion as part of a peace plan set out a 15-year term with the possibility for an extension, though “I would like the guarantee to be much ...Read more

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump will meet Monday to discuss the ceasefire in Gaza, whose troubled opening months are stoking concern that regional fighting could resume in the new year.

Trump is to host Netanyahu, his most frequent foreign guest, at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida after hearing ...Read more

China kicked off military maneuvers around Taiwan that it said included live-fire drills, in a dramatic show of force after the U.S. announced one of its biggest arms packages ever for the self-run democracy.

The “Justice Mission-2025” exercises, the first major drills off Taiwan since April, began on Monday and served as a “stern warning...Read more

Clashes broke out between Syrian security forces and demonstrators led by the Alawite religious minority as pressure mounts on President Ahmed Al Sharaa to reconcile long-standing sectarian disputes.

People took to the streets in coastal cities of Latakia, Tartus and other areas on Sunday to protest the bombing of an Alawite mosque in Homs last...Read more

BALTIMORE — David Fitzgerald knows how tough it is to prevent gun violence. In 15 years working in some of Baltimore’s deadliest neighborhoods for a program called Safe Streets, he said, he’s defused hundreds of fights that could have led to a shooting.

The effort, part of Baltimore’s more than $100 million gun violence prevention plan,...Read more

As Illinois turns the calendar to 2026, it will bring more than fresh resolutions. It will also usher in hundreds of new state laws, statutes that will quietly reshape daily life from grocery store checkout lines and police departments to college classrooms, hospital exam rooms and workplaces.

Beginning Jan. 1, roughly 300 new laws will take ...Read more

First, Danielle Delange saw the news alert: Bristol Health & Rehab, the nursing home where her mother lived, was on fire.

Within minutes, Delange got a phone call from an unfamiliar number. On the line, she heard her 64-year-old mother’s trembling voice.

“My mom said there was a gas explosion,” Delange said. “And I said, ‘How do you ...Read more

At first, Everly Green’s parents didn’t understand why her doctors wanted genetic testing. Their daughter was behind on her milestones at 18 months, but was gradually making progress, and they expected that to continue.

Then, when she turned 2, the seizures started. She suddenly began to lose skills. Three months later, Everly needed a ...Read more

Attorneys for condemned Pittsburgh synagogue shooter Robert Bowers have formally filed an appeal to the Third Circuit Court seeking at least a resentencing for their client.

In a 500-page document, they argue, among a dozen other perceived issues, that the court improperly excluded some jurors, improperly included another juror, and improperly ...Read more

One person died after two helicopters collided midair Sunday in Atlantic County, New Jersey, according to authorities.

The Enstrom helicopters collided about 11:25 a.m. near Hammonton Municipal Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said. One helicopter was engulfed in flames near U.S. Routes 30 and 206, the Hammonton police department ...Read more

Last week's rain won't be the end of Southern California's wild weather as strong wind gusts are forecast through the area until Tuesday.

Gusts of up to 65 mph are expected in mountains and valleys throughout the region, with the National Weather Service warning that power outages were possible and that residents should keep an eye out for ...Read more