LOS ANGELES — Serious liver disease is becoming more common among Americans who drink heavily, according to a new study from Keck Medicine of USC.

It's not that more people are partying with alcohol. And it's not that the drinkers are having more drinks. It's that more of the people who drink regularly are becoming sick.

Over the last two ...Read more

BOISE, Idaho — James Fry, former chief of the Moscow Police Department, never entered the crime scene.

With previous experience as an investigator, the veteran officer of decades knew it could compromise evidence at the home where four University of Idaho students were killed in November 2022. Fry was determined, he said, to do everything in ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — When Bill Essayli was appointed interim U.S. attorney for the Los Angeles region in April, many in the former state assemblyman’s Riverside County district were afraid the ambitious Republican lightning rod would be willing to attack a whole range of California policies to please the MAGA base.

They feared that, as the region�...Read more

Across the country, state and local crime labs are drowning in evidence.

From rape kits to drug samples to vials of blood, delays in forensic testing are stalling prosecutions, stretching court calendars and forcing impossible choices about what gets tested — and what doesn’t.

Now, as the need for forensic testing grows, state and local ...Read more

On a Monday afternoon last spring at Lasell University, students wrapped up their final beginner Spanish class of the semester. Pairing up, they drilled each other on their names, favorite foods and hobbies.

It was a routine conversation for Sara Leclair and Mandy Waddell, until Leclair, a 20-year-old sophomore, asked her partner, “Cuantos a...Read more

SEATTLE — President Donald Trump’s executive order issued Thursday that calls for punishing homeless people living outside, forced treatment for people with substance use and mental health issues and an end to data-proven solutions to getting people into housing has drawn near-unanimous rebuke among local officials and organizations serving ...Read more

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said his supporters needed to ramp up a digital movement to seize momentum from the surging opposition party that’s taken a big lead in most polls.

So-called digital civic groups will aim to boost his party’s support before 2026 elections, Orban said in a speech to ethnic Hungarian supporters in Baile ...Read more

Time to cue that famed quote, often falsely attributed to Mark Twain: "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco."

It's a cliche, sure. But this year it rings true. It really has been quite chilly in the City by the Bay, which is experiencing its coldest summer in decades, with no significant warm-up in sight and daytime ...Read more

Thousands of Malaysians rallied in the nation’s capital demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim over alleged unfulfilled promises and recent controversies surrounding his administration.

The protesters, numbering around 20,000 and led by opposition parties, gathered around Kuala Lumpur’s iconic independence square braving...Read more

DENVER — One person was taken to a hospital Saturday afternoon after an equipment problem on an American Airlines flight at Denver International Airport forced passengers and crew to evacuate onto the runway.

American Airlines flight 3023 was departing for Miami International Airport when there was a “maintenance issue” with an airplane ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Afghans who relocated to California have been reeling over the past few months and weeks as the Trump administration has moved to end deportation protections amid increasing efforts to further restrict Afghan nationals from coming to the U.S.

This week, despite efforts by an organization suing to maintain the protections, the ...Read more

CHICAGO — The Plainfield man convicted of killing a Palestinian American boy in an October 2023 hate crime has died in state prison just weeks after his sentencing, the Will County sheriff’s office said Saturday.

Joseph Czuba, 73, died Thursday while in the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections, said Kevin Hedemark, sheriff’s...Read more

BALTIMORE — At least 13 people have died so far because of heat-related illnesses in Maryland during this year’s “heat season,” up from this time last year, according to a report sent to The Baltimore Sun from the Maryland Department of Health.

In 2024, there were 27 heat-related deaths across the state, according to reports from the ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A home linked to a pastor featured in the Netflix docuseries “Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult” was raided Friday by federal agents in relation to an investigation into sex trafficking, money laundering and other accusations, according to authorities.

Property records show the home in the 7700 block of McGroarty ...Read more

CHICAGO — Daniel Kirzane said he was cautious and curious after learning someone posted antisemitic graffiti across the street from his synagogue in Hyde Park. While the congregation contacted Chicago police just to be safe, Kirzane said he didn’t think it was a “real threat.”

Rather, Kirzane said he viewed it as “public intimidation�...Read more

MIAMI — A plume of Saharan dust is blanketing South Florida this weekend, resulting in hazy skies, diminished air quality and lower-than-normal chances for rain, according to the National Weather Service in Miami.

The dusty air, originating from the Saharan Desert in Africa, is a regular seasonal occurrence that travels thousands of miles ...Read more

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A federal judge in Miami is expected to hear arguments Monday from attorneys who say the Trump and DeSantis administrations are holding detainees at Alligator Alcatraz without charges and without access to immigration courts in violation of their constitutional rights.

Questioning the very legality of the state-run ...Read more

CAMARILLO, Calif. — Ever since federal immigration agents raided one of the largest licensed cannabis operators in the state this month, the phones of cannabis industry insiders have been blazing with messages of fear, sadness and confusion.

“It sent shock waves through the community,” said Hirsh Jain, the founder of Ananda Strategy, ...Read more