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

In the wake of a bombshell congressional report released last week finding that former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz broke Florida laws for statutory rape and prostitution while serving in Congress, local police and prosecutors say they don’t expect to investigate further, with one key agency saying too much time has elapsed since the alleged crimes to...Read more

Homelessness in the United States has soared to record-breaking levels, and Pittsburgh advocates don't see the crisis slowing anytime soon.

A new report released by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development found 770,000 people experiencing homelessness on a single night, a staggering 18% rise from 2023. Homelessness among families ...Read more

ATLANTA — For decades, the corporate makers and users of “forever chemicals” used on carpet produced in Northwest Georgia have hidden the associated dangers, leading to a public health crisis, Murray County alleges in a new lawsuit.

In its complaint Monday, the county takes aim at chemical producers including 3M, Daikin and DuPont as well...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A gunman who shot two workers at a Target store in downtown Los Angeles after he was confronted outside the store for allegedly shoplifting remained on the loose Tuesday.

The incident began around 8:55 p.m. Monday in the 700 block of Figueroa at the Figat7th shopping mall when the long-haired man wearing a durag and a purple ...Read more

A growing roster of political figures, U.S. government agencies and companies that provide critical services have one thing in common: They have allegedly been hacked by China.

The latest victim is the U.S. Treasury Department, which disclosed on Monday that Chinese state-sponsored hackers had breached its network via a third-party provider, ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota employers will soon be required to publish salary ranges along with every job posting, and the raft of hidden fees on concert tickets will be no more as new laws go into effect Jan. 1.

State lawmakers spent much of the 2024 session crafting bills that focused on policy following a year in which a surplus in excess of $...Read more

Nearly all of Puerto Rico lost power on Tuesday, New Year’s Eve, leaving over 1 million Luma Energy customers without electricity as residents prepare for the holiday.

The company’s tracking page showed 1.2 million Luma customers were without power, or about 82% of its 1.4 million customers, according to its tracking page as of 12:45 p.m. ...Read more