WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump said he would lobby House Republicans to help elect Mike Johnson as speaker if needed, acknowledging that some lawmakers in the party had reservations about allowing him to retain the gavel.

Asked if he would press Republicans to back Johnson, whom he endorsed on Monday for the post, Trump said he ...Read more

The family of a kindergartner wounded in early December in a Butte County school shooting offered an encouraging update on New Year’s Eve.

Debbie Wolford, the grandmother of Elias Wolford — who was injured from a gunshot wound Dec. 4 at Feather River Adventist School in Oroville — wrote on social media Tuesday that 5-year-old boy is in ...Read more

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te vowed to keep increasing the island’s defense spending and display its resolve to fight, as Beijing intensifies drills showcasing its ability to use military force against Taipei.

“Taiwan needs to be prepared for danger in times of peace and must continue increasing its defense budget and strengthen military...Read more

The fate of a Canadian teenager who was infected with H5N1 bird flu in early November, and subsequently admitted to an intensive care unit, has finally been revealed: She has fully recovered.

But genetic analysis of the virus that infected her body showed ominous mutations that researchers suggest potentially allowed it to target human cells ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Over the last year in Kensington, at the epicenter of Philadelphia’s opioid crisis, elected officials cut funding for a syringe exchange, urged a landlord to stop renting space to a harm-reduction program, and advocated for restrictions on how and where medical providers operate.

Amid intense debate during a new mayor’s ...Read more

File this under unusual traffic stops.

The California Highway Patrol reported an officer stopped a Rolls Royce Ghost that had been observed speeding along Highway 99 near Avenue 17 in Madera on Monday night.

Discovered in the luxury car during the stop (and subsequent DUI arrest) were cannabis (enough to warrant another charge) and a baby ...Read more

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron admitted that his decision to dissolve Parliament last summer had backfired, leading to more division and political turmoil, while he called for greater unity to meet the nation’s challenges.

“Lucidity and humility require the recognition that at this time this decision has produced more ...Read more

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — An Isle of Wight County man alleged to have stockpiled the largest number of homemade explosives ever seized by the FBI is in custody following a recent raid at his 20-acre farm.

Brad Kenneth Spafford, 36, was arrested Dec. 17 following the execution of a search warrant at the Foursquare Road home he shares with his wife...Read more

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — An Anchorage judge has ruled that the state is violating its own regulations by failing to provide timely assistance to low-income elderly and disabled Alaskans.

Anchorage Superior Court Judge Adolf Zeman ruled in December that the Department of Health violated state law by not processing the majority of applications to ...Read more

California’s Proposition 36 was officially enacted over the holiday break, following voters’ overwhelming approval of the initiative aimed at driving down serial theft and fentanyl crimes through harsher prosecution and more aggressive drug diversion policies.

County prosecutors across the state now have the latitude to more readily charge ...Read more

Leslee Cohen-Lavin and her family were feeling pretty good just before the holidays.

“Then all of a sudden, we each went down right when break started,” said Cohen-Lavin, of Highland Park. Her 5-year-old daughter got a fever and aches and lost her appetite. Soon, Cohen-Lavin developed a days-long fever. Finally, her husband got what felt ...Read more

A Hawaiian Airlines flight headed toward Honolulu from Seattle turned around shortly after takeoff Monday because the crew reported fumes in the cockpit of the Airbus A330.

At around 1 p.m. PST, Hawaiian Airlines Flight 21 landed safely back at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, according to the FAA’s website. The agency is investigating ...Read more

Nearly all of Puerto Rico was without power Tuesday after the fragile electricity grid collapsed, triggering an island-wide blackout.

The power outage started early Tuesday and, by midday, about 85% of Puerto Rico’s 1.4 million customers remained without electricity, according to Luma Energy, the private company that operates the system. Luma...Read more

Happy New Year. Now stand back, please.

Florida’s new law protecting first responders from people “impeding, threatening, or harassing” them goes into effect Jan. 1.

The new law, dubbed the “Halo Law,” was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in the spring after legislators passed the bill earlier this year.

The new law, Senate Bill 184, ...Read more

LONDON — Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his government would spend the next year “rebuilding” Britain as he acknowledged the scale of the challenge he faces in turning around the U.K.’s stagnant economy and high cost of living.

“I know there is still so much more to do, and that for many people it’s hard to think about the future ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The city of Minneapolis has reached a tentative agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to secure a long-awaited federal consent decree mandating sweeping police reforms, a source confirmed to the Star Tribune.

City Council members are expected to review that document during a closed session with the City Attorney’s ...Read more

NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams warned Curtis Sliwa and the Guardian Angels to stay in their lane as the volunteer public safety group said they would resume subway patrols in the wake of a woman who was killed after being set on fire on a Brooklyn F train.

“If Curtis wants to be back down in the subway system, if he sees something, he should ...Read more