MIAMI — Tropical Storm Lorenzo, which weakened in the face of aggressive wind shear in the open Atlantic, dissolved Wednesday afternoon.

Forecasters for the National Hurricane Center issued a final advisory for the storm Wednesday at 5 p.m. Eastern time.

There are no other areas of interest on the hurricane center’s map.

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WASHINGTON — As the government shutdown enters its third week with no clear end in sight, a 3,000-pound ice sculpture was unveiled on the National Mall, spelling out the word “democracy.”

Glinting in the midday sun, it started melting almost immediately.

Measuring in at 5 feet tall and 17 feet wide, the sculpture sat at Third Street NW ...Read more

In 1976, during the excavation of a subway extension in Toronto, a city worker discovered unusual looking antlers with “thick, horizontal beams.”

Experts named it Torontoceros hypogaeus, meaning “horned Toronto deer from underground,” but over time it became known as “The Toronto subway deer,” according to an Oct. 10 news release ...Read more

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A grand jury probe relating to the Hope Florida Foundation continued into its second day on Wednesday, with the former president of the embattled charity seen leaving the Leon County Courthouse.

Joshua Hay would not answer questions about whether he was there to speak to a grand jury, which was convening on the third floor...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Police Department is currently in possession of surveillance footage from D4vd’s rental home that could reveal whether teenage Celeste Rivas was at his house prior to her being found dead in the trunk of the singer’s Tesla.

The LAPD reportedly seized video from multiple cameras at the Hollywood Hills property...Read more

The Trump administration has quietly granted the Central Intelligence Agency new powers to conduct covert operations in Venezuela, a move that significantly escalates Washington’s campaign against the Nicolás Maduro regime, The New York Times reported Wednesday, citing current and former U.S. officials familiar with the decision.

The secret ...Read more

Ex-special counsel Jack Smith, who has given few interviews before or since resigning from the position, said in a rare interview it’s “absolutely ludicrous” to suggest his investigations of President Trump were driven by partisan politics.

The former federal prosecutor spoke recently at a public forum at the University College of London�...Read more

CHICAGO —In a parking lot just outside O’Hare International Airport on Monday afternoon, a man prayed next to his car as a plane took off.

The parking lot, just east of the airport’s Terminal 5, is where Uber and Lyft drivers wait for the ride-share apps to assign them passengers. There, the drivers make phone calls and eat lunch. ...Read more

President Donald Trump did not rule out land strikes in Venezuela on Wednesday, a move that comes as his administration has quietly granted the Central Intelligence Agency new powers to conduct covert operations in the South American country.

“We are certainly looking at land now, because we’ve got the sea very well under control,” Trump ...Read more

DENVER — Colorado’s top leaders on Wednesday were not short on adjectives to describe Nebraska’s petition asking the country’s highest court to weigh in on a long-simmering water dispute between the states.

Attorney General Phil Weiser called the Cornhusker State’s filing over the South Platte River Compact “baseless” during a ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court may help the GOP keep control of the House of Representatives next year by clearing the way for Republican-led states to redraw election districts now held by Black Democrats.

That prospect formed the backdrop on Wednesday as the justices debated the future of the Voting Rights Act in a case from Louisiana.

...Read more

MIAMI — The trial of the OnlyFans model charged with stabbing her boyfriend to death in a luxury Miami high-rise will no longer begin in December, a judge said Wednesday.

At a hearing Wednesday morning, prosecutors and defense attorneys for Courtney Clenney, 29, indicated that they were not ready for the Dec. 1 trial date due to several ...Read more

NEW YORK — Women abused by Jeffrey Epstein sued Bank of America in Manhattan on Wednesday, alleging its executives violated banking laws and ignored red flags out of “absolute loyalty” to the deceased financier and disregard for victims of his child sex trafficking ring.

The Manhattan federal court suit, filed on behalf of an individual ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court appeared ready Wednesday to rule against requiring Louisiana to have a second Black-majority district, as conservative and liberal justices clashed at oral arguments over what role race should play in congressional redistricting.

Justices spent more than two hours discussing the state’s congressional map that ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — A coalition of mostly Republican-run states has filed a joint brief in support of an effort to immediately block transgender athletes in Minnesota from competing in girls sports while a federal lawsuit debating the matter is litigated through the courts.

Attorneys general in 19 states argued in a brief filed Tuesday that ...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell warned Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier on Wednesday to stop trying to “manufacture a pretext for my removal,” sending unusual letters to him and to Gov. Ron DeSantis that urged the Republican leaders to “set aside the political theater.”

In the 10 months since ...Read more

A majority of Americans support outlawing conversion therapy for minors, according to a new YouGov/Economist survey.

At the same time, most doubt the effectiveness of the controversial practice, saying it cannot change a person’s sexual orientation from gay to straight.

The poll comes as a case is currently before the Supreme Court ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a state of emergency this week that could benefit tenants and others hurt by the Trump administration's ongoing immigration crackdown in Southern California.

The action Tuesday is the latest and one of most sweeping efforts by local authorities to push back at immigration ...Read more

BOISE, Idaho — An influential conservative Christian lobbying group in Boise falsely claimed that a drag performer indecently exposed himself during a performance in North Idaho, a judge ruled last week.

But the judge said whether the false statements were defamatory would have to be determined by a jury.

The drag performer, Eric Posey, last...Read more