MIAMI — U.S. negotiators met Russian officials on Dec. 20 in Florida for talks aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine. The U.S. delegation, led by envoy Steve Witkoff and joined by Jared Kushner, met Russia’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev in closed-door sessions after prior discussions with Ukrainian and European officials....
Multiple U.S. cities — Miami, Battle Creek, Salt Lake City, Toledo, Cape Girardeau, Lakeville, Tallahassee, Pickens County, Fayette, Albany and Greene County — reported fires this week; local crews responded to structure, garage, vehicle and landfill blazes. Firefighters contained or extinguished each fire; officials reported no civilian fatalities, several minor...
Washington — The United States launched Operation Hawkeye Friday, striking Islamic State targets in central Syria after a Dec. 13 attack killed three Americans. U.S. jets, attack helicopters, and HIMARS rocket artillery supported strikes that U.S. officials said hit about 70 targets and employed more than 100 precision munitions. F-16s...
Providence, Rhode Island. Investigators say a local tipster who posted photos on Reddit helped identify the suspected gunman in the Dec. 13 Brown University lecture-hall shooting that killed two students and wounded nine. Authorities linked Claudio Neves Valente to the campus attack and to a Dec. 15 fatal shooting of...
Washington — The U.S. Department of Justice released thousands of records and photos tied to Jeffrey Epstein on Friday under the Epstein Files Transparency Act; Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said further disclosures will follow this week. The release, posted on the department website and described as several hundred thousand...
Statesville, N.C. investigators said a Cessna Citation 550 crashed while returning to Statesville Regional Airport on Thursday, killing seven people including former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and six companions. The aircraft departed about 10:05 a.m., made turns indicating a return to the airport roughly five minutes later, and impacted before...
Washington, the United States expanded sanctions this week against relatives and associates of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, naming family members linked to Carlos Erik Malpica Flores and Ramon Carretero Napolitano, while maintaining a continued naval presence in the Caribbean to counter drug trafficking. On Dec. 20, Secretary of State Marco...
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Senator Cynthia Lummis announced Friday she will not seek reelection in 2026, saying the demands of Senate sessions exceed her stamina. Elected in 2020 and serving since Jan. 3, 2021, the 71-year-old cited "difficult, exhausting session weeks" and described herself as "a sprinter in a marathon." She...
Columbus, Ohio — Governor Mike DeWine this week signed Senate Bill 56, banning intoxicating hemp products and changing state marijuana rules. He used a line-item veto to remove a provision that would have allowed THC beverages through late 2026, making the ban effective in 90 days. The law moves intoxicating...
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration announced agreements with nine drugmakers to lower U.S. prescription prices and expand domestic manufacturing. Companies pledged to cut Medicaid prices to levels paid in peer nations, launch new drugs at comparable global prices, and distribute discounts through a TrumpRx platform. The deals raised the total...
