California cops can't stop or cite drivers under the state's "open container" rules for cannabis unless the product is rolled or otherwise ready to consume, the California Supreme Court ruled Friday.

"The question before us is whether a small amount of loose marijuana scattered on the rear floor of a car violates (the open container) provision,...Read more

SAN JOSE, Calif. — With months left of flu season, influenza cases are on the rise in California and transmission is high in the San Francisco Bay Area, data shows.

Doctors at local hospitals are busy treating flu patients or those with complications such as pneumonia and heart issues. They’re encouraging residents to keep themselves and ...Read more

MIAMI — The man who dumped a 5-year-old girl in the Everglades — leaving her to die by alligators — had his life spared by a jury Friday afternoon in a Miami-Dade courtroom.

Harrel Braddy, 76, sat quietly when the verdict was read, briefly putting down his head before looking up at the ceiling. His eyes appeared to water. Braddy hugged ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Former CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested Friday in Los Angeles by federal agents on charges that he violated federal law during a protest last week at a church in Minnesota.

Lemon, an independent journalist who hosts his own YouTube show, was taken into federal custody in Beverly Hills while covering the upcoming Grammy Awards ...Read more

Hundreds gathered in downtown Los Angeles on Friday as part of a nationwide protest over immigration enforcement arrests and increasingly aggressive tactics used by federal agents that has spread anxiety and fear in communities across the United States.

The nationwide protests and walkouts come after similar demonstrations in Minneapolis where ...Read more

MIAMI — With the arrival of cold weather, some people in South Florida see low temperatures as a possible solution to the region’s invasive reptile problem. But that hope cools quickly: species like giant invasive pythons have mechanisms that help them survive cold snaps — as long as they don’t last too long.

Meteorologists forecast ...Read more

Allegations presented to the Justice Department in connection with sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein mention sex parties and orgies involving a number of powerful men — including President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton.

Those uncorroborated tips were among a trove of DOJ files released on Friday. In a press conference Friday ...Read more

MIAMI — The family of a Nicaraguan doctor who was found dead inside a walk-in freezer at a Little Havana Dollar Tree is suing the corporation and the store’s manager for $50 million, alleging negligence and unsafe conditions.

According to a wrongful-death lawsuit filed Wednesday on behalf of Helen Massiell Garay Sanchez’s estate, her body...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Former CNN anchor Don Lemon has been arrested by federal agents in Los Angeles, according to an attorney statement posted on Lemon’s social media account Friday morning.

Three others, including another journalist, were also arrested on charges that they violated federal law during a protest last week at a church in St. Paul, ...Read more

Texas A&M University said Friday it is ending its women’s and gender studies programs, and that hundreds of course syllabuses have been or will be altered under a new policy regulating how race and gender can be discussed in class.

The university wrote in a statement Friday that six courses have been canceled because of the new ordinance and ...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — A federal judge on Friday ordered the release of yet another immigrant from ICE custody in Orange County, the third such case in nine days, arguing again that federal authorities unlawfully detained a Venezuelan national under a statute that doesn’t apply to his case.

Senior U.S. District Judge Roy Dalton also said in the ...Read more

BOISE, Idaho — A Boise Democrat proposed a bill on Friday that would prevent law enforcement from wearing masks.

The legislation, which is similar to parts of an anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement bill proposed in Utah, includes a laundry list of exceptions, such as for medical masks, motorcycle helmets, or officers in undercover ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department said it is releasing a sprawling new trove of documents Friday tied to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, more than a month after the department blew through a statutory deadline to produce the documents.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said at a news conference that more than 3 million additional ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — After photos and video of federal agents violently detaining him in Minneapolis went viral, Twin Cities rapper Matt “Nur-D” Allen has retained the law firm that represented the victim in one of the country’s most high-profile police abuse cases.

Allen and his wife, Sarah Allen, have hired Rodney King’s attorney, John ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed that the Department of Justice has opened a civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.

But Blanche sought to downplay the significance of the probe, calling it a “standard investigation.”

“I don’t want to overstate what’s ...Read more

NEW YORK — Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday said she is pushing for a law to stop local police officers from being deputized to help ICE agents in immigration actions, slamming the beleaguered agency for “unspeakable acts of violence.”

“We are called to act in this moment of tyranny,” Hochul said at a press conference in Midtown. “This ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Former CNN anchor Don Lemon has been arrested by federal agents in Los Angeles, according to an attorney statement posted on Lemon’s social media account Friday morning.

Three others, including another journalist, were also arrested on charges that they violated federal law during a protest earlier this month at a church in St...Read more

U.S. President Donald Trump intensified pressure on Iran, imposing fresh sanctions and urging the regime to “make a deal,” after Tehran signaled it was ready for talks if the White House ceased its threats.

“If we do make a deal, that’s good. If we don’t make a deal, we’ll see what happens,” Trump said Friday at the White House. ...Read more

SAN JOSE, Calif. — When a lightning storm struck the parched Diablo mountain range in August 2020, igniting fires that turned the skies an apocalyptic shade of orange, the Governor’s Office activated current Oakland Fire Department Assistant Chief Christopher Foley to face the fire’s multiple fronts.

As the SCU fires spread through ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Justice Department cannot seek the death penalty against Luigi Mangione, the alleged killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a federal judge in Manhattan ruled Friday.

​Judge Margaret Garnett granted Mangione’s motion to dismiss two counts of the federal indictment he faces, including the capital offense of murder ...Read more