New state laws taking effect this month aim to confront the nation’s ongoing housing crisis in various ways, from expanding housing options, to speeding up the development process, to protecting struggling tenants from eviction.

Similar bills are in store for this year’s legislative sessions.

The new laws include measures to combat ...Read more

A historic rate of apartment building is starting to make a difference in Sun Belt rents, but most tenants are still paying way more than they did earlier in the decade and rents are still rising in many Northeast and Midwest states.

The fact that rents are starting to drop as more apartment supply comes online, yet still remain perilously high...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — High-profile mass shootings at the Crown Center shopping center and the Chiefs Super Bowl victory rally at Union Station heralded a violent start to the year for Kansas City in 2024, shocking the public with their brazen nature and widespread impact. Indeed, the latter shooting captured national attention, bred community ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — These men have dedicated their careers to stopping people's homes from burning down, but when the Eaton fire arrived on their doorstep, even their decades of firefighting expertise were no match for its wrath.

"I've never seen anything like this; it's like battling a hurricane, but instead of water it is flames," said Los ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — In the two years since federal abortion protections were overturned and a near-total ban on the procedure was enacted in Kentucky, lawmakers have filed six bills to add exceptions to the state’s strict abortion ban.

But nearly all of them have floundered — the fate of the two bills proposed this session remains to be seen...Read more

Ana, a University of Minnesota student who is undocumented, said it’s hard to talk about her anxiety as President-elect Donald Trump returns to office. She’s afraid of losing everything she’s achieved in the U.S.

“Personally, I feel very scared about this new president,” said Ana, who only agreed to be interviewed using her nickname ...Read more

Devastating, often tragic as the Los Angeles wildfires have been, rebuilding could bring nightmares all its own, including murky insurance rules, material shortages and potentially higher cost for everything from lumber to bathtubs.

In terms of economic upheaval, it could be the construction industry equivalent of what the COVID-19 pandemic did...Read more

The new Trump administration could be coming for your snacks.

For years, the federal government has steered clear of regulating junk food, fast food, and ultra-processed food.

Now attitudes are changing. Some members of President-elect Donald Trump’s inner circle are gearing up to battle “Big Food,” or the companies that make most of the...Read more

TikTok said it will be forced to “go dark” in the U.S. on Sunday unless there is a clear statement from the Biden administration to service providers that are maintaining its availability.

Statements issued on Friday by the White House and the Department of Justice “have failed to provide the necessary clarity and assurance” to the ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has distributed at least $27.6 billion of dollars in financing to clean-energy companies in its final days before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

The moves — including a $15 billion loan guarantee to California utility PG&E Corp. for a host of clean-energy projects announced Friday — mark ...Read more

BOISE, Idaho — A Boise State University public policy survey found that the majority of Idaho residents prefer abortion policies that are more lax than the state’s current restrictions.

The university published the results of its annual public policy survey Friday. It came as state officials and stakeholders are unsure whether President-...Read more

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court said it will consider whether a Maryland school system is violating the Constitution by incorporating LGBTQ-friendly books into the elementary school curriculum without giving parents the right to opt out.

Plunging into a culturally divisive fight, the justices agreed to hear an appeal by parents who say ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Citing airborne contaminants and a lack of running water, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department shut down the Altadena sheriff’s station Thursday in the aftermath of the Eaton fire.

A day earlier, sheriff’s officials sent an urgent message out to patrol cars, saying the air had become so toxic after days of wildfires...Read more

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he didn’t discuss his federal corruption case with soon-to-be president Donald Trump during their meeting in Florida on Friday — and he chided a growing chorus of fellow Democrats back in New York who are blasting him for the sit-down.

Late Thursday, Adams’ office first announced the mayor would meet ...Read more

An extended run of bone-chilling cold is poised to send demand for power and natural gas surging across much of the United States this weekend, with snow expected in the Northeast by Sunday and a chance of snow or sleet along the Gulf Coast early next week.

Frigid weather has already begun to set in across the Central U.S. By Monday, daily ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — With fire containment improving and winds dying down, some residents are being allowed back into neighborhoods devastated by the Palisades and Eaton fires, though checkpoints still remained in other places.

One day earlier, when evacuation orders in the neighborhood were lifted after more than a week, a line of cars stretched ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The union that represents more than 3,000 Los Angeles city firefighters renewed its support for Fire Chief Kristin Crowley on Friday, denouncing an anonymous letter that accused her of mishandling the response to the massively destructive Palisades fire.

United Firefighters of Los Angeles City Local 112 condemned a letter ...Read more

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump announced Monday’s inaugural ceremony will be held indoors, with temperatures in the teens to low 20s forecast for the region.

The move, which will spare visitors and workers from the frigid cold, also means many who had planned to come to the Capitol grounds will be left disappointed.

The Joint ...Read more

PASADENA, Calif. — The kitten’s paw pads were raw and red.

Her whiskers, mostly gone. Her ears, singed. Her eyelids, swollen.

As Vanessa Ortiz, a veterinary technician at the Pasadena Humane Society, picked up the kitten, she paused and reminded herself to move more gingerly.

“You have to be careful when you pet them,” she said, “...Read more