WASHINGTON — In his first formal response to impeachment charges, President Donald Trump misrepresented the testimony of a key witness who described an exchange of favors in the Ukraine matter. The claim marked a week of frequent exaggeration and distortion by the president heading into the opening statements of his impeachment trial. Just...
Senate Opens to Hear Articles of Impeachment Against Trump
WASHINGTON — The Senate opens its historic proceedings against President Donald Trump on Thursday with a formal reading of the charges by House prosecutors, followed by the arrival at the Capitol of Chief Justice John Roberts, who will swear in all 100 senators as jurors for only the third impeachment...
Ahead of Impeachment Trial, Trump Suggests Not Having It
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump says the Senate should simply dismiss the impeachment case against him, an extraordinary suggestion as the House prepares to transmit the charges to the chamber for the historic trial. The Republican president is giving mixed messages ahead of the House's landmark vote that will launch...
House Heads Toward Trump Impeachment Vote as GOP Stalls
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House pressed toward its historic votes to impeach President Donald Trump on Wednesday, arguing over the charges he faces and the legitimacy of the probe that brought Congress and the day that will leave a lasting mark on his tenure at the White House. Speaker Nancy...
Panel Vote Sends Trump Impeachment Charges to Full House
WASHINGTON — Democrats propelled President Donald Trump’s impeachment toward a historic vote by the full U.S. House as the Judiciary Committee on Friday approved charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. It's the latest major step in the constitutional and political storm that has divided Congress and the...
Early Epstein Accuser: Police Could Have Stopped Him in 1997
SANTA MONICA — More than two decades before Jeffrey Epstein took his own life, a woman went into a California police station and filed one of the earliest sex-crime complaints against him: that he groped her during what she thought was a modeling interview for the Victoria's Secret catalog. Alicia...
Citing Free Speech, Judge Frees Alleged White Supremacists
LOS ANGELES — Federal charges against three alleged members of a violent white supremacist group accused of inciting violence at California political rallies were dismissed by a judge who found their actions amounted to constitutionally protected free speech. Prosecutors said members of the Rise Above Movement conspired to riot by...
California Woman Charged With Dumping Puppies in Trash
LOS ANGELES — A California woman could face up to seven years behind bars on a slew of charges filed Tuesday after authorities say surveillance video showed her casually tossing a bag of 3-day-old puppies into a trash can on a sweltering day. Deborah Sue Culwell, 54, was charged with...
Parents Arrested in California After Children Found in Cages
ALTURAS — Authorities in Northern California say the parents of two boys found inside cages bolted to a bedroom wall have been arrested for child endangerment. Modoc County Sheriff Tex Dowdy said Tuesday deputies arrested 25-year-old Ramon Zendejas and his girlfriend, 25-year-old Mercadies Williams on Friday after deputies found the...
Loughlin, Giannulli Plead Not Guilty in College Scam
BOSTON — Actress Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, are pleading not guilty to charges they took part in the sweeping college admissions bribery scam, according to court documents filed Monday. The couple is accused of paying $500,000 in bribes to get their daughters admitted to the...