Donald Trump’s bid to block Iran from using the Strait of Hormuz chokes a key Chinese energy supply and risks a showdown with Xi Jinping a month before the two leaders are set to meet in Beijing.

Xi broke his near seven-week silence over the Iran war on Tuesday, warning the world order is “crumbling into disarray,” while pledging to play ...Read more

NEW YORK — SantaCon is led by a conman who siphoned more than a million dollars raised for charity during the yearly crimson plague of drunken revelry — a grinch who “stole Christmas from tens of thousands of victims,” federal prosecutors in Manhattan charged Wednesday.

Suspected Bad Santa Stefan Pildes pleaded not guilty to wire ...Read more

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Three San Jose residents backed by a national justice nonprofit have filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the city’s vast network of automated license-plate reader cameras violate the Constitution by subjecting citizens to nonstop warrantless surveillance.

The Wednesday filing, helmed on behalf of the plaintiffs by the ...Read more

ST. PAUL, Minn. — A Republican-backed proposal that would have set up the framework for impeachment proceedings for Democratic Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison over fraud concerns failed to pass in a House committee on Wednesday.

There was little chance of the resolution passing in the tied House, where it was defeated on an 8...Read more

Actor Ruby Rose's public allegations of sexual assault against pop star Katy Perry have made their way to Australian officials, days after the former raised her claims on social media.

A spokesperson for the Victoria Police in Australia confirmed in a statement to The Times on Wednesday that its Melbourne Sexual Offences and Child Abuse ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Sen. Thom Tillis didn’t hold back his opinion of President Donald Trump posting an image of himself as Jesus or attacking Pope Leo.

Early Monday, Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself dressed in a white robe with a red shawl draped over it. Jesus is often depicted wearing the same garments in Western art, a symbol of ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans again fended off a Democratic attempt to force President Donald Trump to end the war in Iran, but there are signs GOP anxiety could bubble up as the conflict nears the 60-day mark.

The Senate on Wednesday voted 47-52 against a motion to discharge from the Foreign Relations Committee a joint resolution from Sen....Read more

A Republican lawmaker on Wednesday introduced a resolution declaring a recent Kentucky Supreme Court ruling that halted impeachment against a Lexington judge unconstitutional.

The resolution, introduced by state Rep. John Blanton, R-Salyersville, on the last day of Kentucky’s legislative session, called a recent high court ruling that stopped...Read more

WASHINGTON — Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued a rare public apology for criticism she levied toward Brett Kavanaugh during a speaking appearance.

“At a recent appearance at the University of Kansas School of Law, I referred to a disagreement with one of my colleagues in a prior case, but I made remarks that were inappropriate,�...Read more

BALTIMORE —Maryland lawmakers probably face this question every January at the start of the General Assembly session: What can we bring home to our constituents in April to justify those 90 days in Annapolis?

This year, the question loomed particularly large for two reasons: The spiking utility bills that stand in for a broader affordability ...Read more

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Four people stranded on a Bering Sea ice floe for nearly two days were rescued Sunday via helicopter, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

The Coast Guard said in a Wednesday statement that it rescued a subsistence seal hunting party of three adults and one child about 10 miles west of the Western Alaska community of Chefornak on ...Read more

Monday night’s EF-2 tornado had just plowed through four blocks of Ottawa, Kansas, ripping off roofs and demolishing buildings as the storm muscled its way east.

Twenty-five miles later, at the Shady Acres R.V. Park in Hillsdale, a twister descended, lifting and tossing and spinning mobile homes like Lego pieces.

“Then we could see the ...Read more

DENVER — An alert from Denver’s gunshot detection system prompted police officers to swarm a Montbello woman’s 70th birthday party with guns drawn and detain Black partygoers for close to an hour — even though the ShotSpotter alert was 20 minutes old, for a neighboring address and was likely triggered by fireworks, according to a new ...Read more

NEW YORK — New York families sounded off at a public hearing Tuesday night over a plan to launch the city’s first public high school focused on artificial intelligence ahead of a key vote later this month.

The school, Next Generation Technology High School, is expected to open this fall in Lower Manhattan, pending approval by the city’s ...Read more

CHICAGO — Illinoisans trying to escape domestic violence sought help in record numbers in 2025, according to a new report from the organization that runs the state’s domestic violence assistance hotline.

Almost 70,000 people from all over the state seeking assistance with shelter, emotional support, legal help and other services contacted ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento teacher who was removed from her position after allegedly allowing students to wield hammers and a crowbar to help her tear up classroom carpet last year is suing her employer for sex- and race-based discrimination, retaliation, emotional distress and defamation.

In her complaint, former Phoebe Hearst ...Read more

WASHINGTON — With a fragile ceasefire set to expire with Iran in a matter of days, President Donald Trump is still deciding between diplomacy and a resumption of fighting that may ultimately hinge on his definition of victory.

Negotiations have continued over the last week between the warring sides over a potential agreement that would end ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Baltimore Inspector General Isabel Mercedes Cumming is pushing back on the city’s request to disqualify her attorneys in a lawsuit against City Hall, arguing that Baltimore officials are attempting to curtail her authority.

In a Tuesday filing in Baltimore Circuit Court, attorneys for Cumming argue that the independent Office of...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — A divided Minnesota Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that state law enforcement violated the rights of a Minneapolis man convicted of murder because a warrant that obtained data from Google to identify him as a suspect was overly broad.

Lawsuits around the country have tested the constitutionality of geofence warrants — which law...Read more