ORLANDO, Fla. — The U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday it was opening an investigation into SeaWorld Orlando’s parent company after complaints that its parks’ ban on “rollator walkers” discriminates against guests with disabilities.

The investigation will look into whether SeaWorld Orlando, Aquatica Orlando and Busch Gardens...Read more

SAN DIEGO — A bipartisan group of lawmakers on the state and federal levels spoke out Tuesday against plans by the Trump administration for new offshore drilling in the Golden State, including parcels in Southern California and San Diego.

“There’s very little support for drilling on our coastline,” California Assembly member Laurie ...Read more

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The founder of an anti-abortion group who shot and wounded a man during a confrontation in front of Planned Parenthood in Columbia has been arrested.

According to records from the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Columbia, Mark Baumgartner was taken into custody Tuesday.

Baumgartner is being charged with assault and ...Read more

The search for the next leader of the United Nations has officially begun.

In a letter on Tuesday, the presidents of the U.N. General Assembly and Security Council invited member states to nominate candidates to succeed Secretary General Antonio Guterres after his second five-year term expires next year.

“Our choice will send a powerful ...Read more

Los Angeles authorities are at odds as they shed light on the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, with the medical examiner insisting the teen’s remains were partially frozen when they were found in the impounded vehicle belonging to singer D4vd.

TMZ on Tuesday cited a source connected to the L.A. County Medical Examiner as well as a document ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Every year, state employee compensation is part of California’s budget conversation. It will be no different in 2026.

California will face familiar, precarious budget conditions next year. The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office recently published the 2026-27 fiscal outlook, which revealed that Gov. Gavin Newsom ...Read more

DENVER — Six county clerks again urged Gov. Jared Polis to refuse a federal request to transfer Tina Peters into federal custody Tuesday, with one official arguing that the governor’s silence on the request was “deafening” and “offensive.”

“This issue absolutely transcends politics,” the official, Boulder County Clerk Molly ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln left San Diego on deployment Friday with virtually no fanfare and a mission that has yet to be publicly defined by the Navy.

The Abe, as many call it, was accompanied by the Burke-class destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen and is expected to be joined by other warships in the coming days.

The ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Gov. Josh Shapiro signed the CROWN Act into law Tuesday, a landmark bill that prohibits discrimination based on a person’s hair type, texture, or style.

The act, which stands for Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, applies to every Pennsylvanian, but is especially impactful to Black men and, particularly, ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —Residents in Kansas City and across Missouri on Tuesday received a mass text urging them not to sign onto a campaign to strike down the state’s gerrymandered congressional map.

The text message, which was also sent to multiple reporters at The Star, said it was paid for by the Republican National Committee. The RNC has ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The White House denied that Donald Trump was considering removing FBI Director Kash Patel following a report that the president is weighing his ouster amid a string of controversies.

MS NOW reported Tuesday that Trump was considering replacing Patel with FBI co-Deputy Director Andrew Bailey, as concerns swirled over the director...Read more

Louisiana’s surgeon general and former House member Ralph Abraham will assume the No. 2 position at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a department spokesperson confirmed Tuesday.

Abraham, an outspoken critic of mass vaccination and strong supporter of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s MAHA agenda, ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Members of Congress who produced an explosive video last week said Tuesday they have been informed that the FBI is investigating them.

The agency is seeking interviews with the six Democratic lawmakers, who were contacted through their respective chambers’ sergeant-at-arms’ offices, the members said.

In the video posted last...Read more

A Brazilian Supreme Court judge ordered Jair Bolsonaro to begin serving his 27-year sentence behind bars, deepening a dramatic downfall for the former president who was convicted of plotting a coup after his 2022 election defeat.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered Bolsonaro to start the sentence Tuesday, days after his weekend arrest for ...Read more

NEW YORK — In vying to become the New York City Council’s next speaker, Julie Menin has in private conversations floated bringing back use of the chamber’s subpoena power, a tool that could be a potential check on incoming Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

It’s not unusual for ...Read more