A Los Angeles judge on Tuesday declared that porn performer Ron Jeremy is mentally incompetent to stand trial on dozens of rape and sexual assault counts. Superior Court Judge Ronald S. Harris said in a hearing that after reviewing reports from both prosecutors and Jeremy's defense that he is in “incurable neurocognitive...
Threats, Advantages Seen in China’s Shrinking Population
For seven decades, China's Communist Party has ruled the world's most populous country. As the nation's population crests and begins to shrink, experts say, it will face challenges ranging from supporting the elderly to filling the ranks of its military. Population growth has been slowing for years, but the announcement...
Tulare County Shooter Stood Over Mom Holding Baby, Killed Both
A shooter stood over a 16-year-old mother clutching her 10-month-old baby and pumped bullets into their heads in a brazen attack in that left six dead at a home linked to drugs and guns, Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said Tuesday. Boudreaux said the teenager was fleeing the violence early Monday...
Ukraine Interior Minister, Others Killed in Helicopter Crash
Ukraine's interior minister died Wednesday in a helicopter crash near the capital that killed at least another 14 people, including other officials and three children, authorities said. Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyi, who oversaw Ukraine's police and emergency services, is the most senior official to die since Russia invaded nearly 11 months ago....
Jordan Protests to Israel After Envoy Blocked From Holy Site
JERUSALEM — Jordan summoned the Israeli ambassador to Amman on Tuesday to protest a move by Israeli police to block the Jordanian envoy from entering a volatile holy site in Jerusalem. The incident quickly escalated tensions between the neighbors and reflected the heightened sensitivity around the sacred compound under Israel’s...
Islamic State Claims Church Bombing in East Congo; 14 Dead
KASINDI, Congo — Islamic extremists claimed responsibility for a bombing of a church in eastern Congo as authorities said Monday that the toll from Sunday's attack had risen to at least 14 dead. The Islamic State group and its Aamaq news outlet issued statements saying that its militants had planted an...
Teen Mom, Infant Identified in Tulare County Massacre Claiming Six Lives
VISALIA — Authorities are searching for at least two suspects who shot and killed six people — including a teenage mother and her baby — at a central California home Monday in what the local sheriff called a “horrific massacre” related to drugs and gangs. Few details were available Tuesday, including which gangs...
Elon Musk Trial Begins, Shifts From Twitter to Tweets About Tesla
SAN FRANCISCO — While still grappling with the fallout from buying Twitter, billionaire Elon Musk is now facing a trial over tweets he made about Tesla. Long before Musk purchased Twitter for $44 billion in October, he had set his sights on Tesla, the electric automaker where he continues to serve as...
Fastest Corvette Ever Is All-Wheel-Drive Gas-Electric Hybrid
DETROIT — The fastest Corvette ever made comes out later this year, and it’s not powered solely by a howling V8. The E-Ray is a gas electric hybrid, the first all-wheel-drive version of Chevrolet's storied sports car with the front wheels running on an electric motor the traditional 6.2-liter V8...
EXPLAINER: Tackling Threat of Mudslides in Soaked California
SAN DIEGO — Relentless storms from a series of atmospheric rivers have saturated the steep mountains and bald hillsides scarred from wildfires along much of California's long coastline, causing hundreds of landslides this month. So far the debris has mostly blocked roads and highways and has not harmed communities as in 2018...