National News

By  REBECCA SANTANA WASHINGTON (AP) — Foreigners who are allowed to come to the United States without a visa could soon be required to submit information about their social media, email accounts and extensive family history to the Department of Homeland…

By  STEPHEN GROVES and BEN FINLEY WASHINGTON (AP) — The House voted to pass a sweeping defense policy bill Wednesday that authorizes $900 billion in military programs, including a pay raise for troops and an overhaul of how the Department of Defense buys…

By  MICHAEL R. SISAK NEW YORK (AP) — Pluck eyebrows. Buy less conspicuous shoes. Take a bus or a train west toward Cincinnati and St. Louis. Move around late at night. Stay away from surveillance cameras. A to-do list and travel…

By  BILL BARROW Mega billionaire Elon Musk, in a friendly interview with his aide and conservative influencer Katie Miller, said his efforts leading the Department of Government Efficiency were only “somewhat successful” and he would not do it over again. The Tesla and SpaceX…

By  MATTHEW BROWN and MATTHEW DALY WASHINGTON (AP) — Oil companies offered $279 million for drilling rights in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday in the first of 30 sales planned for the region under Republican efforts to ramp up U.S. fossil fuel production.…

By  SAFIYAH RIDDLE Rod Paige, an educator, coach and administrator who rolled out the nation’s landmark No Child Left Behind law as the first African American to serve as U.S. education secretary, died Tuesday. Former President George W. Bush, who tapped…

By  CHRISTOPHER RUGABER WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve will almost certainly reduce its key interest rate Wednesday, but the bigger question for financial markets and the economy is what signals Chair Jerome Powell may send regarding the central bank’s next steps. It…

By  SUDHIN THANAWALA The Trump administration must stop deploying the California National Guard in Los Angeles and return control of the troops to the state, a federal judge ruled Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco granted a preliminary injunction sought by…

By  ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON MIAMI (AP) — Democrat Eileen Higgins won the Miami mayor’s race on Tuesday, defeating a Republican endorsed by President Donald Trump to end her party’s nearly three-decade losing streak and give Democrats a boost in one of the…

By  MICHAEL R. SISAK NEW YORK (AP) — Secret grand jury transcripts from Jeffrey Epstein’s 2019 sex trafficking case can be made public, a judge ruled Wednesday, joining two other judges in granting the Justice Department’s requests to unseal material from investigations into…

By  ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN NEW YORK (AP) — It’s time for one of the strongest meteor showers of the year. The Geminids peak this weekend and are visible through mid-December, according to the American Meteor Society. The meteors tend to be yellow in color and can…

By  STAN CHOE NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks largely held in place on Tuesday as Wall Street waits to hear what the Federal Reserve will say Wednesday about where interest rates are heading. The S&P 500 edged down by 0.1% and remained near…

By  ROB GILLIES TORONTO (AP) — Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. for the last six years said Tuesday she’s resigning next year as the two major trading partners plan to review the free trade agreement. Ambassador Kirsten Hillman said in a letter it…

By  MATTHEW PERRONE WASHINGTON (AP) — Food and Drug Administration officials have opened a safety review of two injectable drugs used to protect babies and toddlers from RSV, the respiratory virus that sends thousands of American children to the hospital each year. The long-acting…

By  STEPHEN GROVES and LISA MASCARO WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Navy admiral who is retiring early from command of the campaign to destroy vessels allegedly carrying drugs near Venezuela spoke to key lawmakers Tuesday as Congress seeks more answers on President Donald Trump’s mission, which, in…

By  JULIE WATSON SAN DIEGO (AP) — The San Diego City Council on Tuesday approved a $30 million payment to the family of a 16-year-old killed by police in one of the largest such settlements in U.S. history. The settlement exceeds…

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — At least one person was killed and another was critically wounded in a shooting at Kentucky State University on Tuesday, and a suspect was in custody, police said. Police in Frankfort, the state’s capital city, said…

By  DEE-ANN DURBIN PepsiCo plans to cut prices and eliminate some of its products under a deal with an activist investor announced Monday. The Purchase, New York-based company, which makes Cheetos, Tostitos and other Frito-Lay products as well as beverages, said it will…

By  DEE-ANN DURBIN Rejoice, New Year’s dieters: Oreos are getting a sugar-free option. Mondelez said Tuesday that Oreo Zero Sugar and Oreo Double Stuf Zero Sugar will go on sale in the U.S. in January. They’re a permanent addition to the…

By  TODD RICHMOND President Donald Trump’s administration is threatening to pull federal funding for public transportation in Chicago unless the city tightens security after a man allegedly set a woman on fire inside a commuter train in November. Federal Transit Authority Administrator Marc…

By  MARK SHERMAN WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is considering a Republican-led drive, backed by President Donald Trump’s administration, to overturn a quarter-century-old decision and erase limits on how much political parties can spend in coordination with candidates for Congress and president.…

By  CHRISTOPHER RUGABER WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve faces an unusually contentious meeting this week that will test Chair Jerome Powell’s ability to corral the necessary support from fellow policymakers for a third straight interest rate cut. The Fed’s 19-member rate-setting committee…

By  JAMES POLLARD NEW YORK (AP) — More and more people are turning to GoFundMe for help covering the cost of housing, food and other basic needs. The for-profit crowdfunding platform’s annual “Year in Help” report, released Tuesday, underscored ongoing concerns…