TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Fresh off a resounding reelection victory, Florida Sen. Rick Scott jumped into a hotly contested, three-way bid for the powerful role of Senate Majority Leader, pitting himself against two establishment favorites in a decision to be decided Wednesday via secret ballot.

Scott, who won a second term last Tuesday as the GOP ...Read more

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump is nominating former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee to be the U.S. ambassador to Israel.

“He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him,” Trump said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that “Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — A pregnant Kentucky woman who wants an abortion but is unable to legally get one is suing the state in an effort to reverse its near-total ban on abortions.

The woman, about seven weeks pregnant, is seeking to overturn a pair of state laws that took effect soon after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022: a ...Read more

DENVER — A wildfire sparked northwest of Fort Collins on Tuesday, forcing mandatory evacuations for Larimer County residents living near Ted’s Place.

The fire is about 5 acres and crews are working to suppress the fire and protect buildings, the Poudre Fire Authority said in a post on X just before 2 p.m.

The fire is near the Ted’s Place...Read more

WASHINGTON — Former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin, President-elect Donald Trump’s intended nominee for EPA administrator, brings scant experience on environmental issues to the job but strong ties to Trump.

In a statement, Trump said that Zeldin “will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the ...Read more

DENVER — Deep, crusty snow piled up on fields in eastern Colorado after last week’s snowstorm is driving herds of pronghorn onto roads, and dozens of them are dying, state wildlife officials said.

Pronghorn are being hit by drivers in droves as they seek refuge from snow-covered fields, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials. ...Read more

President-elect Donald Trump has only begun to fill out the ranks of his incoming administration. His first choices confirm that his son Donald Jr. and the former Fox TV personality Tucker Carlson have emerged as major influences over his picks.

Carlson and Trump Jr. played a role in persuading Trump to choose JD Vance as his running mate at ...Read more

CHICAGO — Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is launching a unit to investigate cases in which new evidence could prove the innocence of people convicted of serious crimes.

“Wrongful convictions destroy lives. Wrongful convictions diminish faith in our criminal justice system,” Raoul said Tuesday at a downtown news conference, flanked ...Read more

Republicans are poised to control both chambers of Congress and the White House, putting the U.S. on course for unified government — which is common in American politics.

On Monday, Decision Desk HQ projected that the GOP would win at least 219 seats in the House of Representatives, allowing it to retain command of the chamber. And, according...Read more

DENVER — A Delta Airlines flight from Detroit landed safely at Denver International Airport on Monday after a midflight mechanical issue damaged the plane’s nose.

An Airbus A320 was carrying 148 passengers and six crew members when the crew received a notification about a mechanical issue, Delta officials said in a statement Tuesday.

...Read more

DENVER — An Adams County man was sentenced to 192 years in prison last week after shooting a mother and her son in a Dollar General Store in 2021, according to court records.

Johnny McCaslin, 51, was sentenced to 96 years for each attempted murder by Adams County District Court Judge Sean Patrick Finn, the mandatory minimum sentence, ...Read more

LANSING, Mich. — Michigan's Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says she's focused on finding "some shared priorities" with Republican President-elect Donald Trump and wants to see progress, in the coming weeks, on a massive economic development project planned for Genesee County.

Whitmer took questions from Michigan reporters Tuesday in Lansing...Read more

Sen. John Fetterman, D.-Pa., said Tuesday on X that Sen. Marco Rubio, R.-Fla., President-elect Donald Trump’s expected pick for secretary of state, is a “strong choice” and that he will “look forward” to voting for his confirmation.

Fetterman’s post is a rare glimmer of Democratic support for Trump’s prospective cabinet.

...Read more

NEW YORK — One borough, one parade.

After 60 years, one of Staten Island’s largest and most influential civic organizations is allowing gay and lesbian groups to march in the borough’s official St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

“The Richmond County St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee wishes to announce that the Staten Island Pride Center ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — A pregnant Kentucky woman who wants an abortion but is unable to get one is suing the state in an effort to reverse its near-total ban on abortions.

The woman, about seven weeks pregnant, is seeking to overturn a pair of state laws that took effect soon after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022: a six-week ...Read more

DETROIT — Former Detroit Deputy Mayor Todd Bettison was sworn in Tuesday as the interim chief of the Detroit Police Department — a career move he described as a natural progression for himself and the city.

"I had to focus on so many different departments," Bettison said of his role as deputy mayor. "Now, I'm focusing on one department, ...Read more

BOSTON — A state commission charged with studying the emergency shelter system in Massachusetts housing local families and migrants proposed cutting back costs in the face of a $1 billion tab this fiscal year, including by reducing the use of expensive hotels and motels.

A draft final report on the shelter system the group released Tuesday ...Read more

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Air National Guard tech support member responsible for “one of the most significant leaks of classified documents and information in United States history” will spend a decade and a half behind bars.

U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani sentenced Jack Teixeira to 180 months, which is 15 years, in federal ...Read more

NEW YORK — The federal government will fund two-thirds of Penn Station’s renovation, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told the Daily News Tuesday.

The $72 million in federal Transportation Department grant money secured by the Democratic leader will fund accessibility, new entrances and public spaces at the transit hub.

The money is ...Read more