NEW YORK — The third and final suspect in the 2002 murder of Jam Master Jay is expected to take a plea deal in connection with the rap legend’s slaying, according to a federal court filing in Brooklyn.

The suspect, Jay Bryant, didn’t go to trial alongside co-defendants Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington in 2024, but he featured heavily...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Former state Attorney General Xavier Becerra is touting a poll published Thursday and a surge of recent social media interest as evidence that his campaign for California governor is viable in the wake of Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell’s exit from the race following sexual misconduct allegations.

An Emerson College ...Read more

WOODLAND, Calif. — The former Yolo County sheriff’s lieutenant at the center of the ferocious Esparto fireworks warehouse explosion that killed seven workers last July pleaded not guilty in Woodland to murder and explosives charges in the deadly blast.

Samuel Machado remained in custody Thursday after emotional statements from victims’ ...Read more

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday selected Erica Schwartz, former deputy surgeon general and medical doctor, to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, he announced on Truth Social.

Schwartz, who will require Senate confirmation, was deputy surgeon general during Trump’s first term and is a retired rear admiral in...Read more

NEW YORK — Mayor Zohran Mamdani made $1,643 in royalties from his now-defunct rap career last year, a copy of his tax return shows.

Before he ran for mayor, Mamdani moonlighted as C-list rapper “Mr. Cardamom.” Two years ago, in 2024, he took in $1,267 in royalties related to his music career.

In total, Mamdani reported $144,784 in joint ...Read more

A specific allotment of the medication Xanax, typically prescribed to treat mental health challenges including anxiety and panic disorders, has been recalled due to the product’s potential to cause adverse health effects.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials announced the voluntary recall of Xanax, also known as alprazolam, distributed...Read more

LOS ANGELES — An extreme marine heat wave is simmering the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, and experts are warning that it could affect coastal weather and ecosystems for months.

The ocean heat wave started forming at the end of last year but has worsened in recent weeks, according to readings from the Scripps Pier in La Jolla, ...Read more

BOSTON — Gov. Maura Healey has introduced a new economic development bill she says focuses on creating jobs, lowering costs, and attracting global investment, as both residents and businesses continue to flee the state due to soaring energy costs and other costly state taxes and policies.

Called the Mass Win Act, the bill would utilize $305 ...Read more

NEW YORK — Mayor Zohran Mamdani is appealing to philanthropists to raise $20 million to support his free child care agenda as he sets to deliver on a campaign promise that is popular but challenging to fund.

More than $3.5 million has been raised so far through what his administration is calling the Child Care Action Fund, Mamdani said at a ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — L.A. Mayor Karen Bass released a new plan Thursday setting goals for the city to combat climate change and adapt to a warmer future.

Bass’ Climate Action Plan calls for doubling local solar power in Los Angeles by 2030 and reducing the use of fossil fuels in buildings and city buses.

It outlines how the city intends to reduce...Read more

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, leading a Pentagon prayer meeting, quoted a fictional bible verse taken from a violent monologue in Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 film “Pulp Fiction,” originally delivered by actor Samuel L. Jackson just before his character shoots a helpless man to death.

The secretary used the prayer to frame ...Read more

MIAMI — The Trump administration’s decision to abruptly cancel an $11 million contract with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami to shelter and care for unaccompanied migrant children is drawing a raft of criticism from South Florida political and religious leaders – including members of the president’s own party.

Archbishop ...Read more

BOSTON — Four people who testified against Karen Read during her murder trials in the death of Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe have filed a defamation suit against the acquitted defendant.

“For years, we have done the right thing by assisting authorities in the hope that John’s family would find justice and peace. As a result, we and...Read more

The U.S. Senate has voted to repeal a ban on mining next to northern Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The vote sidelined a centerpiece strategy for conservationists who had waged a national campaign to put the protection in place and, in recent weeks, to defend it.

President Donald Trump, who campaigned on reinvigorating ...Read more

A Palm Beach County pilot has filed a lawsuit challenging the renaming of Palm Beach International Airport to President Donald J. Trump International Airport.

George W. Poncy Jr., of Palm Beach Gardens, has been a Federal Aviation Administration licensed private pilot for nearly two decades, the agency’s records show. He regularly flies in ...Read more

The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating former Rep. Eric Swalwell, a source familiar with the matter confirmed Thursday.

The focus of the inquiry, which was first reported by NOTUS, is unclear. The department did not immediately respond to questions.

Swalwell suspended his campaign for governor on Sunday and resigned from Congress ...Read more

DETROIT — Widespread flooding across Michigan's northern Lower Peninsula has washed out numerous roads, wreaking havoc on county road commissions and local motorists trying to navigate around floodwaters.

South of Traverse City, floodwaters washed away the Beitner Road bridge over the swollen Boardman River. Grand Traverse Road Commission ...Read more

A new study found that fraud risks, weak oversight and the rapid expansion of Massachusetts welfare programs contributed to over $1 billion in SNAP payment errors in just a two-year span and that Medicaid spending now accounts for one out of every four tax dollars spent by Beacon Hill.

The study, entitled “The Welfare State: How Massachusetts...Read more

More than 70 days after the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, authorities have announced that they are upping patrols in her Arizona neighborhood in a bid to fend off vloggers and true crime junkies.

Residents complained earlier this week during a recent homeowners’ association meeting for the Catalina Foothills area, where Guthrie was last ...Read more

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said prospects for a deal with Iran are “looking very good” as the two sides are in discussions to extend a truce ahead of its expiration next week.

“It’s looking very good that we’re going to make a deal with Iran, and it’s going to be a good deal,” Trump told reporters at the White House ...Read more