WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday defended his now deleted social media post that appeared to depict himself as Jesus Christ, contending that it was meant to portray him as “a doctor” after right-wing figures continued a recent trend of pushing back on the president’s recent comments.

“Well, it wasn’t a depiction. It was...Read more

BALTIMORE — Jet fuel leaks at Joint Base Andrews have spilled an estimated 32,000 gallons since the start of the year — enough to fuel a Boeing 787 — contaminating a tributary of the Potomac River and prompting a state investigation, state officials said Monday.

Potomac Riverkeepers called for the state to investigate potential criminal ...Read more

In his 22 years as a Hillsborough County firefighter, Rob Herrin says he’s never been this busy.

One Sunday earlier this year offers a glimpse: Herrin and his team responded to a 300-acre brush fire, then another fire, and another. All told, they extinguished 22 brush fires in 24 hours.

And it was only February, months from peak fire season....Read more

President Donald Trump has nominated former Rep. Michelle Steel of California to serve as ambassador to South Korea.

Steel, a Republican who represented an Orange County congressional district for two terms, was on a list of nominations and appointments the White House announced Monday that was sent to the U.S. Senate.

“Michelle Steel, of ...Read more

Pope Leo hit back at President Donald Trump’s attack on him over the war in Iran as Trump deleted a social media post depicting himself as a Christ-like figure that many found offensive.

“I have no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel,” the pope said Monday. “(That) is what I believe I am...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles County Public Health Department is warning beachgoers to avoid all contact with the water due to the potential of bacteria from street runoff from recent rains.

The advisory is in place until 8 a.m. Tuesday and may be extended if it rains more, the health department said in a news release.

Such warnings are ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — The former Fort Bragg employee charged with releasing classified information on social media and to a reporter could face up to 40 years in prison, according to statements made in federal court Monday.

Courtney Williams was arrested April 7 and incarcerated until her detention hearing Monday, when a judge agreed to let her ...Read more

“Orange is the New Black” alum Ruby Rose has accused Katy Perry of sexual assault, which the pop star’s team staunchly denies and has decried as “dangerous reckless lies.”

The 40-year-old model alleged on Threads Sunday: “Katy Perry sexual assaulted me at spice market nightclub in Melbourne. Who gives a s--t what she thinks.”

...Read more

Pop star Katy Perry denies sexually assaulting "Orange Is the New Black" actor Ruby Rose in Australia nearly 20 years ago.

In a statement shared with the Los Angeles Times on Monday, a representative for the "I Kissed A Girl" and "Teenage Dream" singer, 41, said the allegations Rose publicized on social media "are not only categorically false, ...Read more

Pope Leo hit back at President Donald Trump’s attack on him over the war in Iran as Trump deleted a social media post depicting himself as a Christ-like figure that many found offensive.

“I have no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel,” the pope said Monday. “(That) is what I believe I am...Read more

An employee of a Jersey Shore nursing home was killed and another person was injured in a shooting at the facility on Monday morning, authorities say.

The shooting happened at Excelcare Rehabilitation Facility in Egg Harbor Township during a “domestic confrontation,” an administrator of the nursing home said.

The death of one of Exelcare�...Read more

NEW YORK — A bevy of New York City nonprofit organizations are urging state lawmakers to keep pushing Gov. Kathy Hochul to grant Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s asks for tax hikes on the city’s wealthiest residents and most profitable corporations.

Their push comes as Albany has blown through the deadline for the state budget and as Mamdani has ...Read more

MIAMI — A federal grand jury Monday indicted the stepbrother of an 18-year-old girl who was found dead on a Carnival Cruise ship in November with her murder and aggravated sexual abuse.

Federal prosecutors had charged the 16-year-old boy, whose initials are T.H., as a juvenile in February, but he now faces life in prison after the grand jury ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — As hours tick by Monday, it remains unclear whether the Los Angeles Unified School District will be shut down Tuesday by a powerful union triumvirate — even though two of the three unions announced settlements on Sunday.

The protracted talks mean that families of 390,000 students still must scramble to make contingency plans ...Read more

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Iran reached out to his administration over peace negotiations, as the United States began a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz in the war’s seventh week.

Even as Trump sought to jawbone negotiations back on track, there were few signs that was taking place after weekend negotiations failed in ...Read more

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said the United States would attack any Iranian vessels that approach U.S. ships in the Strait of Hormuz, as his naval blockade of the vital waterway took effect Monday.

“Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED,” Trump said in a social ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Drinking water in Baltimore City will have its fluoride levels lowered by 42% this week due to supply chain issues caused by the war between the U.S., Israel and Iran, according to a news release.

The Baltimore City Department of Public Works announced that, beginning this week, fluoride levels in the city’s drinking water will ...Read more

BOSTON — Karen Read does not want to give former State Police Trooper Michael Proctor the opportunity to obtain early discovery to “refresh his memory” ahead of a deposition in another case, according to a new filing in federal court.

Read is suing Proctor for allegedly ignoring, mishandling and manufacturing evidence while investigating ...Read more

After hurtling to the moon and back, the four astronauts of the Artemis II mission were welcomed home to cheers back in Houston and spoke to the public Saturday for the first time since coming back to Earth.

“We are we are bonded forever, and no one down here is ever gonna know what the four of us just went through, and it was the most ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Spurred by residents’ stories of foreclosures and sky-high fines, a bipartisan group of legislators is nearing the finish line of a yearslong push to curtail the power of homeowners associations in Minnesota.

Legislation that would require more transparency from HOAs, which act as quasi-governments that collect fees, provide ...Read more