CHICAGO — Mayor Brandon Johnson defended the decision Tuesday to permanently remove Christopher Columbus statues from two Chicago parks as an effort to show “our collective humanity.”

The Grant Park and Arrigo Park Columbus statues have hung in political limbo since former Mayor Lori Lightfoot removed them amid protests in 2020.

But ...Read more

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Tuesday that travelers who have not upgraded to a REAL ID will still be able to take domestic flights for the time being.

However, Noem told a House appropriations subcommittee that travelers without Real ID-compliant cards should be prepared to take extra steps at U.S. airports after the new ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — The trip to Clearwater Beach that Marcos Pacheco and Brenda Alvarez made April 27 was supposed to leave happy memories of their children’s first boat ride.

The Sarasota family took the Clearwater Ferry to the beach that Sunday to marvel at the sand sculptures on display at the Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival. On the way back, they...Read more

NEW YORK — The official defense fund for Luigi Mangione soared past $1 million on Tuesday, which also happened to be his 27th birthday.

The fundraiser, which is still live on the platform GiveSendCo, has raked in more than $1.04 million, all of which will go toward covering expenses associated with the three pending criminal cases against ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Gov. Wes Moore signed legislation Tuesday to restructure the state’s landmark Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education reform policy, maintaining funding for community schools while pausing the implementation of teacher collaborative time.

“Two years before I was sworn in as governor, the General Assembly passed a historic ...Read more

Buster Murdaugh, the only surviving son of disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh, got married last weekend in South Carolina, according to a report published Tuesday.

Murdaugh tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend, Brooklynn White, at a ceremony Saturday in the coastal city of Beauford, TMZ reported.

The couple applied for a marriage license ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — Several hours after a suspected smuggling boat capsized off the coast near Del Mar, killing three, the U.S. Coast Guard announced Monday night it was suspending its search for those reported missing.

Based on survivor accounts, officials believed 16 people had been aboard the panga before it overturned north of Torrey Pines State ...Read more

NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams joined the growing chorus of elected leaders Tuesday calling on Amtrak to halt its plans to close a quarter of the East River Tunnel’s rail tubes for repairs — a project Democrats and Republicans alike worry will wreak havoc on the Long Island Rail Road.

In a letter to President Donald Trump’s transportation...Read more

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court has cleared the way for the Trump administration to remove thousands of active-duty members of the military because they are transgender.

The justices on Tuesday granted an appeal from President Donald Trump’s lawyers and set aside orders for now from judges who had blocked the new policy set by Defense ...Read more

Two United Airlines flights that were set to fly internationally out of San Francisco International Airport were canceled Tuesday morning after the two planes touched wings, authorities said.

Nobody on either flight was injured. The collision happened when the two flights were in an area near a gate.

In a statement, the Federal Aviation ...Read more

The session of Germany’s Bundestag started in a festive mood with greetings for dignitaries there to witness a peaceful handover of power. A little over an hour later, havoc ensued that will leave a lasting mark on the start of Friedrich Merz’s term as chancellor.

In the first round of voting, 18 parliamentarians from the planned governing...Read more

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he would stop the U.S. bombing campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen effective immediately because they had “capitulated” — a claim the group denied.

“They just don’t want to fight,” Trump said in an Oval Office meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. “And we will honor that, ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made clear Tuesday he wanted to defuse tensions with the United States, even after President Donald Trump feigned ignorance at the many reasons for his newly elected counterpart’s visit.

Carney made clear during an Oval Office meeting that he would be open to mending the countries’ wounded ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court in a brief order Tuesday allowed the Trump administration to take actions to implement a ban on transgender members of the U.S. military, which could include discharges.

The unsigned order granted an application from the Trump administration to lift a preliminary injunction issued by a federal judge in ...Read more

Environmental groups are demanding that the Trump administration exercise the federal government’s authority to curb wasteful water use in an effort to address the Colorado River’s chronic water shortages.

In a petition submitted Tuesday, the Natural Resources Defense Council and nine other groups called for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Sen. Thom Tillis is opposing the nomination of Ed Martin as Washington’s top prosecutor.

This would be the first time Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, splits from President Donald Trump on one of Trump’s nominees to help the president lead the country in his second term.

“At this point I’ve indicated to the ...Read more

NEW YORK — A pair of NYPD cops jumped by a group of migrant gang members, including a 12-year-old boy, while trying to thwart a robbery in Times Square were struck with scooters, basketballs, bottles and makeshift weapons in a “wolfpack”-style ambush, Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday.

Police are still looking for at least six teens behind ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Marco Rubio’s new role as national security adviser will place him closer to President Donald Trump at a higher frequency as the administration struggles to hatch a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

But the added responsibility will also test the bandwidth of the secretary of state, with experts expressing skepticism Rubio...Read more

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced late Monday she won’t run for a key congressional post even after she won a big boost Monday when House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called her a “very compelling candidate” to fill the spot.

The progressive lawmaker said she doesn’t believe she could win enough support from establishment ...Read more