State Rep. Jermaine Johnson, D-Richland, is all in on his bid for the governor’s mansion.

Johnson said in a news release Wednesday he will not seek reelection to his House seat, even though it is common in South Carolina for candidates to run for multiple offices in the same election.

“Serving my community in the State House has been the ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California announced an investigation Wednesday into Elon Musk's xAI, with Gov. Gavin Newsom accusing the artificial intelligence company of becoming a "breeding ground for predators to spread nonconsensual sexually explicit AI deepfakes."

Grok, the xAI chatbot, includes image-generation features that allow users to ...Read more

The U.S. announced the “launch” of the second phase of President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan in the Gaza Strip in an attempt to advance a fragile truce that has been challenged by Hamas militants refusing to disarm.

The second phase will see the war-torn enclave “moving from ceasefire to demilitarization, technocratic governance...Read more

The number of people who have died from complications of the flu in North Carolina more than doubled in the last two weeks to 134, according to state health officials.

Another 26 people died in the state last week, according to the latest data from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. The agency also revised figures it released for...Read more

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear the case of Barry Croft Jr., one of the ringleaders of a plot to kidnap and harm Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, meaning he will likely remain in federal prison barring a pardon or commutation from President Donald Trump.

The court's order denying Croft's petition for a writ of certiorari was filed in federal ...Read more

A total of 35 children and adults have fallen ill in California in the largest outbreak of mushroom poisonings in years, according to the California Poison Control Service.

The sickened Californians apparently ate foraged poisonous death cap mushrooms — scientific name Amanita phalloides — after mistaking them for “familiar edible ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — A group of 33 former federal prosecutors in Minnesota are asking the Trump administration to reconsider its decision to exclude the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension from the investigation into the fatal shooting of Renee Good by a federal agent last week, according to a Jan. 14 letter obtained by the Minnesota Star ...Read more

WASHINGTON — State and local officials are once again on the defensive after President Trump renewed threats Wednesday to strike federal dollars from “sanctuary” jurisdictions such as California and Los Angeles, which have long opposed cooperation with immigration enforcement agencies.

The ultimatum, laid out in an early morning Truth ...Read more

Hundreds of St. Paul students walked out of classes and gathered at the state Capitol Wednesday to demand that ICE leave Minnesota.

Organizers said their fellow students are afraid and attendance in schools has dropped with the heavy presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in the Twin Cities.

“We’re out here because ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The Republican chairmen of the Senate’s defense oversight panels, in back-to-back floor speeches Wednesday, made the case for supporting America’s European allies, contrasting with the Trump administration’s approach on key issues.

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, sharply...Read more

WASHINGTON — Top Danish diplomats met with White House officials on Wednesday to talk about President Trump’s repeated threats to take control of Greenland and left with the understanding that the United States and Denmark have a “fundamental disagreement” about the future of the Arctic territory.

Lars Lokke Rasmussen, the Danish ...Read more

The U.S. Department of Justice has sued the state of Minnesota, accusing the state of giving discriminatory preference to marginalized state employees and prospective hires.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court of Minnesota, takes aim at the state’s requirement to have affirmative action plans in place and consider diversity goals when ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Tabby Refael's messages to Iran are going unanswered.

For weeks, she has called, texted and sent voice memos to loved ones in Tehran, where massive crowds have demanded the overthrow of the country's authoritarian government.

Are you OK? Refael — a West Los Angeles-based writer and Iranian refugee — has texted, over and ...Read more

NASA gave the go and the SpaceX Crew-11 mission departed the International Space Station on Wednesday, headed for an overnight splashdown back on Earth in the Pacific Ocean.

The four crew of NASA astronauts Zena Cardman, commander, and Mike Fincke, pilot, along with JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, both mission ...Read more

LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan House on Wednesday approved legislation that would bar cellphone usage during instructional time in Michigan K-12 public schools, with some exceptions for medical conditions or emergencies.

The long-sought change to state law, which would apply to all Michigan public schools, also needs approval from the state ...Read more

Germany will take the lead of European nations sending military personnel to Greenland after Denmark said its meeting with top U.S. officials intent on controlling the world’s biggest island revealed that a “fundamental disagreement” remains.

The decision to dispatch reinforcements to the Arctic territory as early as this week highlights ...Read more

NEW YORK — As New York City opened enrollment for 3-K and pre-K on Wednesday, Mayor Mamdani took a swipe at Eric Adams for cutting funds and outreach efforts, accusing his predecessor of willfully keeping parents in the dark about the availability of free child care.

Adams faced criticism as mayor for not doing enough to grow 3-K enrollment ...Read more

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — At least 10,000 Floridians could lose access to life-saving HIV medication because Congress didn’t extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits last fall, according to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration.

The Florida Department of Health is justifying deep cuts to the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, which provides medication...Read more

NEW YORK — Mayor Zohran Mamdani is directing his city agencies to work toward cutting down fees and fines for small businesses.

Small businesses in New York are required to fork up cash for, among many other things, the ability to serve ice cream and install fridges.

The executive order, signed by Mamdani on Wednesday, calls on the Deputy ...Read more