It wasn’t a surprise, but it was a bombshell.

On July 6, 2026, Politico published the detailed account of a Maine woman who said she had been sexually assaulted by Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner almost five years ago. Platner called the allegation “categorically untrue,” then said he was “taking the time to ...Read more

Two weeks after Venezuela was struck by twin earthquakes, families are still searching for loved ones and countries are continuing to deploy rescue teams as the United Nations appeals for continued support for the South American nation.

Tom Fletcher, the U.N.’s humanitarian chief, said Wednesday that Venezuela will need the support of ...Read more

Caribbean leaders said Wednesday they are willing to mediate escalating tensions between Washington and Havana even as Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley acknowledge the conflict is complex.

“This is not an easy issue,” Mottley said, noting that leaders of the Caribbean Community bloc known as CARICOM discussed Cuba during their four-day ...Read more

The next U.S. president should endorse publicly funded child care for all — or a $1,000 monthly credit for families with young children that don’t utilize it — according to a possible early blueprint for Democrats.

The proposal is among the first ideas published as part of Project 2029, a collection of recommendations by think tanks, ...Read more

Over 4,000 Brigham and Women’s Hospital nurses and MGB home care clinicians took to the picket lines Wednesday for what is expected to be a five-day work stoppage, making history as Massachusetts’ largest ever nurses’ strike.

Nurses with the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) picketed by the thousands Wednesday following months of ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A California state bill seeks to remove abused and neglected animals from crowded municipal shelters during their owners' criminal cases.

Assembly Bill 2344 by Assemblyman Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) would give animals seized in cruelty cases a respite from crowded shelters by allowing them to be placed in foster homes ...Read more

Several neighbors along Arrow Point Road in Warren, Connecticut, are pleading with state officials to get some help after they say their homes have been broken into by a black bear multiple times recently.

Warren resident Kristen Patrick said, in the span of just a couple weeks, her home along Lake Waramaug was broken into twice by a black bear...Read more

Temple University approved a $1.3 billion operating budget Wednesday that includes an average 3.4% tuition hike for both in-state and out-of-state students and plans for about 40 layoffs.

Both the average tuition increase — which is for undergraduate and graduate students — and the number of layoffs are smaller than those implemented last ...Read more

The Boston City Council passed a resolution calling for a “public safety summit” and review of the mayor’s summer safety plan in light of the July 4th gun violence that rocked the city, killing two people and injuring 11 others.

The Council approved the resolution, 11-0, on Wednesday, and later referred a related hearing order to ...Read more

The U.S. military struck Iran for the second straight day, an escalation of violence that threatens to strain an already fragile ceasefire.

“At the direction of the commander in chief, U.S. Central Command forces have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the ...Read more

COLUMBIA, S.C. — An effort to close the state’s primaries is now headed to a federal court.

The South Carolina Republican Party filed a federal lawsuit late Tuesday against the South Carolina Election Commission for not registerng people by party. The party is asking it be allowed to limit who can vote in its primaries.

The election ...Read more

DENVER — Huerfano County and a Pueblo-based healthcare provider will pay $10.2 million to the estate of a man who died in the southern Colorado county’s jail three years ago after officers broke his ribs and failed to give him needed medical treatment despite his pleas for help over eight days.

Michael Burch, 69, died inside the Huerfano ...Read more

A Washington County judge issued an order Tuesday night halting enforcement of Virginia’s assault weapons ban statewide.

The order is the latest in complaint filed in the South West corner of the state on behalf of individual gun owners and gun shop owners against the Virginia State Police superintendent and a patchwork of Commonwealth’s ...Read more

Katie Couric has no memory of serving on two panels, eating a coveted hot dog, or arriving at a hospital in Aspen, Colorado, after a “freaky” episode last month, she revealed Monday.

And the veteran journalist is not likely to get the memories back. Couric was diagnosed with transient global amnesia after being evaluated for a stroke, she ...Read more

Gov. Gavin Newsom touted a string of cannabis seizures by law enforcement agencies over the last few months, as critics continue to contend the state has allowed the illicit pot market to boom through lax enforcement and the imposition of high taxes and crushing compliance costs on legal producers.

On Wednesday, Newsom announced that the ...Read more

CHICAGO — A federal magistrate judge on Wednesday refused to cancel a hearing where U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros potentially would have to explain why he publicly discussed murder and kidnapping charges against three reputed members of the Tren de Aragua gang even though the court’s order sealing the case was in effect and one of the ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military said it has struck Iran for the second straight day, an escalation of violence that threatens to strain an already fragile ceasefire.

“At the direction of the commander in chief, U.S. Central Command forces have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten ...Read more

WASHINGTON — A tentative armistice between the United States and Iran reached less than a month ago appeared all but dead Wednesday after the two sides traded fresh military strikes, and as President Donald Trump directed further attacks on the Islamic Republic.

The escalation marked a dramatic turn after the Trump administration spent weeks...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The FBI has put up a large reward in hopes of capturing another fugitive charged in the multimillion-dollar Feeding Our Future fraud scheme and who is believed to have fled the United States years ago.

FBI Director Kash Patel posted on social media Wednesday that his agency, through its “Most Wanted Fraudster” campaign, is ...Read more

A mild earthquake occurred off the shore of the northern suburbs Wednesday afternoon, officials said.

A 2.9 earthquake was recorded in Lake Michigan near the Illinois-Wisconsin border at around 2:38 p.m., the United States Geological Survey reported.

The earthquake, which stretched about 3.1 miles deep, took place 13.8 miles northeast of ...Read more