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Claims about Trump in Epstein files are 'untrue,' the Justice Department says

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WASHINGTON — Tips provided to federal investigators about President Donald Trump’s alleged involvement in Jeffrey Epstein’s schemes with young women and girls are “sensationalist” and “untrue,” the Justice Department said on Tuesday, after a new tranche of files released from the probe featured multiple references to the president...Read more

Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Analysis: Trump team's bungled Epstein release means debate to rage on

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On the campaign trail, Donald Trump wielded populist fury over the “Epstein files” as a cudgel against a corrupt and out-of-touch Washington elite that the president’s MAGA movement has long blamed for the country’s ills.

His base had high expectations after Trump took office. But in the span of 11 months, misstep after misstep has ...Read more

Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Supreme Court rules against Trump, bars deploying National Guard in Chicago

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WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled against President Donald Trump on Tuesday and said he did not have legal authority to deploy the National Guard in Chicago to protect federal immigration agents.

Acting on a 6-3 vote, the justices denied Trump's appeal and upheld orders from a federal district judge and the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ...Read more

Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office/Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office/TNS

Missing California 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard found dead, grandmother says

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LOS ANGELES — Melodee Buzzard, the 9-year-old whose disappearance was reported by Santa Barbara County educators in October, has been found dead, a relative confirmed to The Times on Tuesday.

Melodee vanished during an unusual road trip with her mother earlier this year, sparking a months-long investigation.

Her disappearance captivated and ...Read more

California launches catch-all website linking to fire recovery rebuilding resources

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LOS ANGELES — In an attempt to help residents who are at the early stages of rebuilding after the Eaton and Palisades fires, the state launched a website Tuesday that links to contractors and designers that have been reviewed by "trusted community" partners.

The tool from the governor's office and the public-private LA Rises wildfire recovery...Read more

Carline Jean/Sun Sentinel/TNS

'Hush hush': Texts show family discussed how to handle Anna Kepner's death aboard cruise ship

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ORLANDO, Fla. — In the aftermath of Anna Kepner’s death last month aboard a cruise ship, her family discussed how to protect their children — including the teen stepbrother considered a suspect by the FBI.

Text messages released last week between divorced parents Thomas and Shauntel Hudson show how they scrambled to handle the news of ...Read more

Michael Tran/Getty Images North America/TNS

Rob and Michele Reiner death certificates released following cremation

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The death certificates of slain Hollywood couple Rob and Michele Reiner were released Tuesday following the pair’s cremation.

The Reiners were cremated at Mount Sinai Mortuary, according to documents obtained by TMZ. Their cause of death is listed as “multiple sharp force injuries,” described as having occurred “with knife, by another.�...Read more

Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Author of LAFD Palisades fire report declined to endorse final version, called it 'highly unprofessional'

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LOS ANGELES — The author of the LAFD’s after-action report on the Palisades fire declined to endorse the final report because of substantial deletions that altered his findings, calling the edited version “highly unprofessional and inconsistent with our established standards.”

Battalion Chief Kenneth Cook emailed then-interim Fire Chief...Read more

Olivier Touron/AFP/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/TNS

Russell Brand charged with new counts of rape and sexual assault in UK

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Russell Brand, the irreverent British comedian-turned-conservative influencer, faces two additional sex crime charges in the United Kingdom.

The Metropolitan Police announced Tuesday that prosecutors charged the 50-year-old “Get Him to the Greek” and “Rock of Ages” star with another count of rape and another count of sexual assault. The...Read more

Rena Laverty/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

DOJ releases letter purportedly sent by Epstein to Nassar

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A letter that appears to have been written by Jeffrey Epstein to serial sex abuser Larry Nassar, a former Michigan State University doctor, is among a batch of documents released this week by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The short message references President Donald Trump and, according to another released file, was submitted by the FBI for ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Why California's milk cartons may lose their coveted recycling symbol

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LOS ANGELES — California milk cartons may lose their coveted recycling symbol, the one with the chasing arrows, potentially threatening the existence of the ubiquitous beverage containers.

In a letter Dec. 15, Waste Management, one of the nation’s largest waste companies, told the state the company would no longer sort cartons out of the ...Read more

Mandel Ngan/Getty Images North America/TNS

Latest Epstein files have Trump references, bank records

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The U.S. Justice Department released another tranche of files related to Jeffrey Epstein, including some that add fresh pressure on President Donald Trump over his past relationship with the late, disgraced financier.

The trove includes thousands of additional pages of material related to investigations of Epstein, including a 2020 email from a...Read more

Kim Hairston/The Baltimore Sun/TNS

Holiday heart risk: Overindulgence, stress, cold increase heart attacks

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BALTIMORE — Eat, drink and enjoy the outdoors and family gatherings — in moderation, say those who see an increase in heart emergencies during the holiday season.

Cardiac emergencies spike 30% on Christmas Eve, according to American Medical Response, which provides emergency medical services in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., region.

�...Read more

Barry Williams/New York Daily News/TNS

Mayor-elect Mamdani appointing former EMS head Lillian Bonsignore as new FDNY commissioner, sources say

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NEW YORK — Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is expected Tuesday to name Lillian Bonsignore, the FDNY’s former emergency services chief, as the Fire Department’s next commissioner, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Mamdani, who is taking office Jan. 1, was expected to officially unveil the appointment at a news conference in Queens ...Read more

Ryan C. Hermens/Lexington Herald-Leader/TNS

Grand jury declines to indict man who shot, killed Kentucky State student

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LEXINGTON, Ky. — A Franklin County grand jury on Tuesday declined to indict a man who shot and killed a 19-year-old student and injured another this month at Kentucky State University.

A “no true bill” was returned for murder and assault charges against Jacob Bard, 48, of Evansville, Indiana. The decision means the grand jury found no ...Read more

Mandel Ngan/Getty Images North America/TNS

Latest Epstein files release shows scope of DOJ probes into Epstein, Maxwell

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Jeffrey Epstein’s brother, Mark Epstein, told the FBI in 2023 that Epstein was murdered in his jail cell because he was about to “name names.”

Mark Epstein, 71, who has long believed that his brother was killed, also alleged in the tip that President Donald Trump “authorized” the late sex traffickers murder.

The FBI document is part ...Read more

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images North America/TNS

Former Nebraska Sen. Sasse faces terminal diagnosis

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WASHINGTON — Former Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, a Republican, has been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer, he announced on social media Tuesday.

“This is a tough note to write, but since a bunch of you have started to suspect something, I’ll cut to the chase: Last week I was diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, ...Read more

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement/U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement/TNS

Santa suits up as ICE agent in AI-generated clip shared by DHS

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NEW YORK — Santa doesn’t just loves snow, he’s a fan of ICE too in a new AI-generated video shared online by the Department of Homeland Security.

It starts off with St. Nicholas suiting up in a red bulletproof vest before he goes out and starts slapping cuffs on undocumented immigrants. Another scene sees Father Christmas processing an ...Read more

Alisha Jucevic/KFF Health News/TNS

Medicaid health plans step up outreach efforts ahead of GOP changes

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ORANGE, Calif. — Carmen Basu, bundled in a red jacket and woolly scarf, stood outside the headquarters of her local health plan one morning after picking up free groceries. She had brought her husband, teenage son, and 79-year-old mother-in-law to help.

They grabbed canned food, fruit and vegetables, and a grocery store gift card. And then ...Read more

Cathie Anderson/The Sacramento Bee/TNS

Why even unsubsidized Californians could pay more for health insurance

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — At first glance, it sounds like a problem that shouldn’t exist.

Since Congress allowed enhanced federal health insurance subsidies to expire, you might expect only people who receive those subsidies to be hurt. After all, Californians who don’t receive federal premium subsidies already pay full price for their ...Read more