MIAMI — The United States freed a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in exchange for the release of 10 Americans imprisoned in the South American country and the return of a fugitive defense contractor known as “Fat Leonard” who is at the center of a massive Pentagon bribery...
Slow-Moving Pacific Storm Threatens California with Flooding, Mudslides
SAN FRANCISCO — A slow-moving Pacific storm could bring excessive rain and flooding to California on Wednesday, forecasters warned. The center of the low-pressure system was about 300 miles west of San Francisco during the early morning hours and was expected to gradually move south along the coast, the National...
Study Shows AI Image-Generators Being Trained on Explicit Photos of Children
Hidden inside the foundation of popular artificial intelligence image-generators are thousands of images of child sexual abuse, according to a new report that urges companies to take action to address a harmful flaw in the technology they built. Those same images have made it easier for AI systems to produce...
Former Fresno State Running Back Arrested After String of LA Robberies
LOS ANGELES — Derrick Ward, a former Fresno State running back and member of the 2008 Super Bowl-winning New York Giants, has been arrested in Los Angeles on suspicion of robbery. Ward, 43, was arrested Monday in the North Hollywood area, police said. He was being held Tuesday on $250,000...
Hamas Leader Visits Cairo as Talks Build for Another Gaza Cease-Fire
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Hamas’ top leader traveled to Cairo on Wednesday for talks on the war in Gaza, part of a flurry of diplomacy to secure another cease-fire and swap of hostages for Palestinian prisoners at a moment when Israel's offensive shows no signs of slowing. Hamas militants...
IRS to Waive $1 Billion in Penalties for People & Firms Owing Taxes for 2020 or 2021
WASHINGTON — The IRS said Tuesday it is going to waive penalty fees for people who failed to pay back taxes that total less than $100,000 per year for tax years 2020 and 2021. Nearly 5 million people, businesses and tax-exempt organizations — most making under $400,000 per year —...
Colorado Supreme Court Bans Trump from State’s Ballot Under Constitution’s Insurrection Clause
DENVER — The Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday declared former President Donald Trump ineligible for the White House under the U.S. Constitution’s insurrection clause and removed him from the state’s presidential primary ballot, setting up a likely showdown in the nation’s highest court to decide whether the front-runner for the...
Immigration and Declines in Death Cause Uptick in US Population Growth This Year
ORLANDO, Fla. — Immigration powered population gains in the United States for a second year in a row and — coupled with a drop in the number of deaths from the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic — caused an uptick in the U.S. growth rate in 2023, according to estimates...
Groups Sue Over New Texas Law That Lets Police Arrest Migrants Who Enter the US Illegally
AUSTIN, Texas — Civil rights organizations on Tuesday filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a new Texas law that would allow police to arrest migrants who cross the border illegally and permit local judges to order them to leave the country. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Austin,...
She Bought a Colorful Vase at Goodwill for $3.99. The Rare Piece Sold at Auction for $107,000
Jessica Vincent had just started surveying the shelves of a Virginia thrift store when a vase caught her eye. It was shaped like a bottle and had ribbons of color, aqua green and amethyst purple, that spiraled up its glass surface like stripes of paint. The piece looked old amongst...