WASHINGTON — A proposal by the Trump administration to reorganize the Environmental Protection Agency targets divisions that house its climate change offices as well as Energy Star, a widely popular program designed to help lower energy costs for American households.

A chart of the proposed reorganization reviewed by the Los Angeles Times on ...Read more

A new Washington state law requires Catholic priests and other religious community leaders of different faiths to report potential child abuse to state authorities.

But does the law signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson on May 2 raise constitutional issues?

The question is central to a new federal civil rights probe launched under President Donald Trump...Read more

DEDHAM, Mass. — Jurors heard Karen Read’s furious and jealous voicemails left among 52 calls she made to her boyfriend John O’Keefe in the hours after she had allegedly killed him.

“John, I (expletive) hate you!” Read screamed in the first voicemail at 12:28 a.m. on Jan. 29, 2022.

In all there were eight voicemail messages over 52 ...Read more

BOSTON — President Donald Trump’s campaign-promised plan to send millions of immigrant residents back to their home countries and his administration’s proposals to sharply curtail the number of immigrants legally allowed to enter the U.S. will have severe economic impacts on Massachusetts, according to a pair of experts.

Academic work ...Read more

A Russian man with a North Carolina address is at the center of a “bizarre” grand theft case involving two boats stolen within hours of each other in Florida, including a $2.5 million luxury yacht, according to investigators.

Nikolai Vilka was arrested Monday, May 5, during a dramatic boat chase that ended when multiple patrol boats ...Read more

Google last year began offering some artificial intelligence firms a way to anchor chatbot responses in its search results, but still reserves key features for its own AI service, Gemini, a company executive testified.

Liz Reid, Google’s head of search, was describing in court Tuesday how the Alphabet Inc. unit handles requests for its data ...Read more

On Tuesday, a bipartisan group of legislators in Sacramento released a letter urging California's congressional delegation to protect the embattled Head Start program and reject any proposed Trump administration cuts.

The letter, which was signed by over three-quarters of state lawmakers, said they are "deeply alarmed" by a growing list of cuts...Read more

Fresh off shutting down rampant divorce rumors, Michelle Obama says she “fully believe(s)” in therapy, both for individuals and couples, and is taking advantage of that as she navigates her life post-White House.

The 61-year-old former first lady recently told Jay Shetty’s “On Purpose” podcast why she’s currently in therapy.

“We ...Read more

WASHINGTON — U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will travel later this week to Switzerland for trade talks with China led by Vice Premier He Lifeng, jump-starting negotiations between the two nations.

The travel was announced in statements Tuesday from the Chinese and U.S. governments. It will ...Read more

Newly elected Prime Minister Mark Carney warned President Donald Trump on Tuesday that Canada is “not for sale” in a cordial but tense White House meeting over the trade war and Trump’s push to annex the northern neighbor as a 51st state.

Carney, who won election last week on a platform of confronting Trump’s threats, sought to strike a...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Assembly Democrats walked back opposition to a controversial bill that would increase the penalty for soliciting a minor aged 16 or 17, a change that comes after they faced a barrage of criticism from Republicans and a rebuke from Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The new amendments to the legislation, AB 379, would allow ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — A drug that gained international attention for its controversial off-label use during the COVID-19 pandemic could soon be available in North Carolina without a prescription.

House Bill 618, titled the “Ivermectin Access Act,” would require the state to issue a standing order by Oct. 1 allowing licensed pharmacists to ...Read more

Jorge Mario Bergoglio was a 50-1 betting long shot to be elected pope in 2013, when the former Argentine cardinal beat the odds and took the name Pope Francis.

Bettors are banking on another long shot to succeed Pope Francis, who died April 21 at age 88.

While Italian cardinal Pietro Parolin and Filipino cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle continue to...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Mayor Jacob Frey portrayed Minneapolis as a beacon of light in a chaotic country during his State of the City speech on Tuesday.

Frey, who is running for reelection this year, pushed back against President Donald Trump’s frequent portrayal of large, Democratic-run cities as cesspools of poverty and dysfunction. He urged ...Read more

CHICAGO — Mayor Brandon Johnson defended the decision Tuesday to permanently remove Christopher Columbus statues from two Chicago parks as an effort to show “our collective humanity.”

The Grant Park and Arrigo Park Columbus statues have hung in political limbo since former Mayor Lori Lightfoot removed them amid protests in 2020.

But ...Read more

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Tuesday that travelers who have not upgraded to a REAL ID will still be able to take domestic flights for the time being.

However, Noem told a House appropriations subcommittee that travelers without Real ID-compliant cards should be prepared to take extra steps at U.S. airports after the new ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — The trip to Clearwater Beach that Marcos Pacheco and Brenda Alvarez made April 27 was supposed to leave happy memories of their children’s first boat ride.

The Sarasota family took the Clearwater Ferry to the beach that Sunday to marvel at the sand sculptures on display at the Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival. On the way back, they...Read more

NEW YORK — The official defense fund for Luigi Mangione soared past $1 million on Tuesday, which also happened to be his 27th birthday.

The fundraiser, which is still live on the platform GiveSendCo, has raked in more than $1.04 million, all of which will go toward covering expenses associated with the three pending criminal cases against ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Gov. Wes Moore signed legislation Tuesday to restructure the state’s landmark Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education reform policy, maintaining funding for community schools while pausing the implementation of teacher collaborative time.

“Two years before I was sworn in as governor, the General Assembly passed a historic ...Read more