BOSTON — A Massachusetts school committee member has resigned after being exposed on social media for telling Trump supporters she hopes they choke on a “piece of (expletive) covered in broken glass.”

The Millbury School Committee has confirmed to the Herald that Sarah Murray’s resignation was “tendered and accepted” on Saturday ...Read more

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump has picked his former national intelligence director, John Ratcliffe, to be the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, selecting a fierce loyalist from his first administration to lead the nation’s intelligence apparatus.

Ratcliffe, 59, is expected to bring a heavy focus on countering national...Read more

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump is nominating Pete Hegseth, host of Fox News Channel’s weekend morning program and an Army National Guard officer, as his defense secretary, the president-elect said in a statement on Tuesday evening, putting another fierce loyalist in charge of the government’s biggest agency.

“Pete has spent his entire life ...Read more

North Korean soldiers have begun fighting against Ukraine alongside their Russian allies, the U.S. State Department said, after Pyongyang sent thousands of troops to Russia’s Kursk region to aid the Kremlin’s war efforts.

“Today I can confirm that over 10,000 DPRK soldiers have been sent to eastern Russia, and most of them have moved to ...Read more

The State Board of Elections is coordinating with federal officials after 15 local boards of elections received bomb threats as votes were being counted Friday, according to Maryland’s elections administrator.

“This is something that I want to see pursued, because it affects all of us as election administrators. It affected our volunteers ...Read more

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s administration is setting out plans for the U.S. to triple nuclear power capacity by 2050, with demand climbing for the technology as a round-the-clock source of carbon-free power.

Under a road map being unveiled Tuesday, the U.S. would deploy an additional 200 gigawatts of nuclear energy capacity by mid-...Read more

PETERS CREEK, Alaska — The little tree in Josh Smith's yard at the base of Bear Mountain resembled an alder, the scrappy and familiar Alaskan shrub.

But the sturdy sapling with oval leaves was actually a hazelnut, a crop that Smith is hoping might also someday thrive in other yards as the state's climate changes, bringing fresh potential for ...Read more

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump is nominating former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be the U.S. ambassador to Israel and appointing real estate investor Steve Witkoff as a special envoy to the Middle East, tapping two key allies to help formulate and implement his policies for the region.

Trump announced the selections Tuesday, ...Read more

SEATTLE — While most of America shifted rightward in last week's presidential election, Washington bucked the national trend — and doubled down on its landmark climate policy, the Climate Commitment Act.

Now Washington is positioned to act as a beacon of climate policy, not just in the United States but around the world, outgoing Gov. Jay ...Read more

NEW YORK — Faced with a threat of stepped-up enforcement in New York by Donald Trump’s new border czar, top New York court officials are laying down the law and saying they will continue to shut their doors to federal immigration authorities looking to round up undocumented immigrants as they seek to launch mass deportation proceedings in ...Read more

BOISE, Idaho — The judge who was set to oversee the Moscow murder trial of Bryan Kohberger before he approved its move to Boise plans to retire.

Judge John Judge, of Idaho’s 2nd Judicial District in Latah County, sent a signed letter last month notifying the state of his intent, a copy of which the Idaho Statesman obtained from the state ...Read more

SPRINGFIELD — On the first day of the Illinois legislature’s brief fall session, Republicans called on Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker to promise not to raise taxes to address a projected budget deficit of more than $3 billion.

The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget made the deficit projection on Nov. 1, four months into a budget year...Read more

NEW YORK — A man who aided Daniel Penny while he restrained Jordan Neely in a lethal chokehold aboard a subway car in May 2023 recalled telling the former U.S. Marine he could safely release his grip from Neely’s neck in trial testimony on Tuesday.

“I said, ‘I will grab his hands, so you can let go.’ That, I remember,” Eric Gonzalez...Read more

Senate Democrats will look to press forward with confirming more of President Joe Biden’s judicial picks during the lame-duck session, their last opportunity before Republicans regain the majority and President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House in January.

The weeks between now and the start of the 119th Congress will determine if...Read more

In a move that further signals Donald Trump’s commitment to enforce stringent controls on illegal immigration, the president-elect confirmed Tuesday he planned to appoint South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

Trump has already signaled he will tap Stephen Miller and Tom Homan, two longtime allies ...Read more

BOSTON — Gov. Maura Healey is doubling down on her stance that she lacks immigration enforcement authority, calling for President-elect Trump to make good on his border-related promises.

Days after Healey told MSNBC the Massachusetts State Police wouldn’t assist in mass deportation efforts, the governor reappeared on the television news ...Read more

President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that campaign mega-donor Elon Musk will lead the incoming administration’s planned Department of Government Efficiency, or “DOGE,” alongside former Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

“Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government ...Read more

Incoming Senate Republican leadership has flirted with handing over a significant portion of its power to allow President-elect Donald Trump a chance to avoid the Senate’s confirmation process entirely to staff up the administration in his second term.

Ahead of Wednesday’s leadership elections, Trump and his allies have pushed the ...Read more

Thirty-five people were killed after a Chinese driver rammed his car into a crowd in southern China, the nation’s deadliest attack in at least a decade as an economic slowdown sparks outbreaks of violence.

A man surnamed Fan drove his small jeep into pedestrians outside a sports center in the city of Zhuhai at around 7:48 p.m. on Monday, ...Read more