FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Florida’s childhood vaccination rates continued to drop in the 2025-26 school year, even as measles cases in the state soared in 2026.

The vaccination rate for Florida kindergartners now hovers around 88% for the second school year in a row, after having been well above 90% in the decade before the pandemic, ...Read more

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The most recent campaign finance filings of those seeking the Democratic nomination for South Carolina governor show the dichotomy that developed in the race.

One candidate is relying mostly on small dollar donors, while two candidates have access to deeper pockets.

Three candidates filed to run for the Democratic nomination...Read more

MIAMI — Florida lawmakers, expressing outrage at the “atrocious” and “unconscionable” treatment of elderly people, vowed to reform the state’s adult protection program in the wake of a Miami Herald investigation that showed how frail seniors were moved without their consent into substandard care homes.

“I want to know what ...Read more

For more than three decades, Cilia Flores operated in the shadows of Venezuela’s revolution, a discreet but decisive force who helped build, consolidate and ultimately defend one of Latin America’s most enduring authoritarian systems.

Now, following her dramatic capture alongside husband Nicolás Maduro in a U.S.-led operation earlier this ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — President Donald Trump touted his signature tax cuts at a Las Vegas roundtable discussion Thursday, declaring that the U.S. economy was “booming.”

The president was flanked by local workers who thanked him after he highlighted provisions in the “One Big Beautiful Act,” including increased earnings from the “no tax on ...Read more

CHICAGO — Mayor Brandon Johnson said Wednesday that “May 1 is happening,” signaling his support for the nationwide day of protest as the Chicago Teachers Union continues to urge the school district to cancel classes so that students and staff can participate.

“We have an opportunity in this moment to push the narrative, not just at the ...Read more

DETROIT — Entire neighborhoods along the Black Lake in northern Michigan have been submerged amid ongoing flooding that may worsen in the coming days.

Drone footage taken along the river shoreline Thursday shows dozens of homes swamped by water on all sides.

Residents were working to remove belongings from their waterlogged homes, using four...Read more

The acting head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will leave the agency at the end of May after a tumultuous year managing President Donald Trump’s mass arrest and deportation campaign.

Todd Lyons has been the agency’s acting head since March 2025. During his tenure, he oversaw the rapid expansion of ICE ranks, while repeatedly ...Read more

DETROIT — Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield and Police Chief Todd Bettison on Thursday unveiled a six-point "community safety plan" that stresses working with the community and employing strategies to reduce accidental gun deaths.

The plan of the first-term mayor is heavily focused on fostering relationships between the police and the city's young...Read more

SAN DIEGO — An increase in deaths of seabirds along California’s coastline, including San Diego, is believed to be from starvation that many believe is linked to a persistent ocean heat wave.

SeaWorld San Diego said it is receiving multiple calls a day as beachgoers come across dead or dying birds on San Diego County’s beaches, including ...Read more

WASHINGTON — At a hearing Thursday, leading House appropriators from both parties condemned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s recent firing of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George.

Members of the House Armed Services Committee, including GOP Rep. Austin Scott of Georgia, had delivered a similar message about George at a hearing the previous...Read more

LONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced renewed calls from opposition leaders to quit after revelations that his former envoy to the U.S. failed security vetting and was still allowed to take up the post.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office cleared Peter Mandelson to become ambassador to Washington last year against the...Read more

The U.S. government is preparing to make a version of Anthropic PBC’s powerful new artificial intelligence model available to major federal agencies amid concerns that the tool could sharply increase cybersecurity risk, according to a memo reviewed by Bloomberg News.

Gregory Barbaccia, federal chief information officer of the White House ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A decade ago, Los Angeles County was facing serious economic and social challenges, but residents felt "generally lukewarm" about their quality of life.

But lukewarm turned out to be L.A.'s high point.

As the years went on, Angelenos have continued to report falling satisfaction across key indicators — in particular, cost of ...Read more

SAN JOSE, Calif. — A statewide ban on students using cellphones in school could come as early as next summer under newly proposed legislation.

The bipartisan bill, AB 1644, introduced this week, would require all TK-12 public schools and charter schools to adopt “bell-to-bell” policies prohibiting student smartphone use from the first ...Read more

NEW YORK — New York parents and advocates descended on City Hall Thursday to plead with Mayor Zohran Mamdani to break with his schools chancellor and impose a two-year moratorium on artificial intelligence in the classroom.

The protesters — which also included some students, teachers and elected officials — delivered a petition with more ...Read more

SEATTLE — Only a fraction of Washington law enforcement officers have completed de-escalation and mental-health training mandated by state law and intended to reduce the use of force and improve public interactions with police, according to a state performance audit.

The requirements were required by a sweeping citizens initiative, I-940, ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Singer D4vd was arrested Thursday on suspicion of murder in connection with the case of a girl whose decomposing body was discovered inside his Tesla in Hollywood.

David Anthony Burke, 21, was taken into custody at a home in the Hollywood Hills, a law enforcement source who has knowledge of the investigation, but is not ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Trump administration officials urged U.S. oil producers to boost output, driving home a message to the industry that’s become more urgent amid the war in Iran.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright made their plea during a videoconference Thursday with roughly a dozen oil executives, including ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Trump administration has cried uncle in its bid to keep funding from the Second Avenue Subway.

In documents filed Thursday with the Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C. — where the MTA is currently suing the Trump administration for blocking the disbursement of roughly $60 million in congressionally approved funds — ...Read more