WASHINGTON — Lawmakers sparred with FBI Director Kash Patel on Wednesday over his handling of investigative materials related to disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and whether his posture changed because President Donald Trump’s name appeared in them.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top-ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary ...Read more

Charlie Kirk’s legacy of helping President Donald Trump win re-election and engaging young conservatives stems from his physical and virtual proximity to Gen Z.

The 31-year-old right-wing political activist who was killed last week while speaking at Utah Valley University was known for his presence on college campuses. That was both through ...Read more

The director of the FBI seemed not to remember one of the worst mass shooting attacks in South Carolina history or recognize the name of the white supremacist his agency helped put on federal death row during a congressional hearing on Wednesday.

FBI Director Kash Patel was testifying before the House Judiciary Committee, answering questions ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — When scores of dead and dying sea animals began washing up on L.A.-area beaches just weeks after January’s devastating fires, the timing seemed suspicious.

Harmful algae blooms had sickened marine life in each of the three years prior. But the especially high number of animal deaths this year prompted several research teams to...Read more

The report card is in — and the results are not good.

A new Gallup poll reveals the share of Americans who are satisfied with the country’s K-12 education system has tumbled to a record low, driven largely by declining support among Democrats.

At the same time, most Americans believe schools are heading in the wrong direction, while few ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — U.S. Border Patrol Sector Chief Gregory Bovino — the brash agent who led a phalanx of military personnel into MacArthur Park this summer — was called as a witness Wednesday in a federal misdemeanor assault case against a protester, who allegedly struck a federal agent.

Bovino, one of the faces of President Trump’s ...Read more

Massachusetts Republican gubernatorial candidates say public employees who appear to celebrate Charlie Kirk’s assassination should be fired, while Gov. Maura Healey called for the political temperature to be lowered.

Mike Kennealy and Brian Shortsleeve, GOP candidates for governor, and Healey are making their stances after the Massachusetts ...Read more

BOISE, Idaho — Public school advocates Wednesday announced plans to sue Idaho over a new state law that directs money to private school tuition and fees.

An alliance of groups, including the Idaho Education Association, at a news conference said it will file a petition in the Idaho Supreme Court that asks the justices to prohibit the tax ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — An Orange County Superior Court judge was sentenced Wednesday to 35 years to life in prison for fatally shooting his wife during a “drunken argument,” according to prosecutors.

Jeffrey Ferguson, 74, was convicted in April of fatally shooting his 65-year-old wife, Sheryl, during a fight over money at their Anaheim Hills home ...Read more

ATLANTA — Dr. Mehmet Oz, who runs one of President Donald Trump’s most consequential health offices, came to Atlanta on Wednesday and told a conference ballroom full of health executives and workers that he sees a world full of promise under recent Trump health initiatives.

And he’s hiring.

“If you don’t come, you’re going to ...Read more

SANTA ANA, Calif. — An Orange County Superior Court judge who was convicted of shooting his wife to death during an argument is set to be sentenced Wednesday, according to prosecutors.

Jeffrey Ferguson, 74, was convicted in April of fatally shooting his 65-year-old wife, Sheryl, during a drunken argument over money at their Anaheim Hills home...Read more

WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans took a final procedural step Wednesday to speed up consideration of President Donald Trump’s lower-level nominees, setting up the confirmation of dozens of appointees as early as this week.

The chamber voted 47-52 on a procedural question over the votes needed to invoke cloture on an executive resolution to ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans split on Wednesday over whether the Trump administration was justified in pressuring former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez to adhere strictly to its agenda. Several GOP lawmakers questioned Monarez’s loyalty to the president while moderates openly worried the Trump ...Read more

WASHINGTON – Rep. Ilhan Omar has found herself at the center of a effort by congressional Republicans to punish those who celebrated the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk or spoke ill of him after his death.

Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican who’s running for governor in her home state of South Carolina, brought a resolution ...Read more

MIAMI — Veteran Miami Herald investigative reporter Julie K. Brown was given a lifetime achievement award Monday night by IRE, Investigative Reporters and Editors, for her work exposing the sex crimes of Jeffrey Epstein, alongside a selection of the best investigative reporters in the nation, including Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.

Brown ...Read more

ATLANTA — Now that the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office has been disqualified, the head of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia will decide who inherits the election interference case involving President Donald Trump and 14 of his supporters.

Pete Skandalakis could pick a sitting DA from anywhere in Georgia, a staff ...Read more

MIAMI — Members of the Venezuelan exile community in South Florida are applauding the growing international consensus to label the Cartel of the Suns, which the Trump administration says is run by high-level officials of the Venezuelan government, as a terrorist organization, following the example set by the United States.

“This measure is ...Read more

Upon Donald Trump’s arrival in the U.K. on Wednesday, the president was heard making a comment about Kate Middleton’s appearance.

The President and first lady Melania Trump were greeted by the Prince and Princess of Wales moments after stepping off Marine One to the grounds of Windsor Castle.

As the couples shook hands, Trump told Princess...Read more

ATLANTA — The Georgia election interference case against President Donald Trump and more than a dozen of his allies is technically still alive — but on life support.

Its future rests with a Republican former prosecutor at an obscure state agency already familiar with a portion of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ racketeering ...Read more

WASHINGTON — House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan kept the war between Sen. Adam Schiff and FBI Director Kash Patel going strong Wednesday, bringing up a long-simmering allegation that Schiff leaked classified information that could hurt President Donald Trump.

Schiff emphatically denied the claim.

Jordan, R-Ohio, opened a hearing ...Read more