SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The bookends of California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s nearly eight years in office have been defined by a crucial question: Who should cover the cost of damage from wildfires caused by utility equipment? The most destructive wildfire in state history, a blaze that killed 85 people and destroyed more than 18,000 buildings in…

SAN FRANCISCO — The California Supreme Court is weighing whether a Southern California sheriff who seized election ballots must return them to county election officials. The high court heard oral arguments Monday regarding Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco’s seizure of approximately 650,000 ballots from a November 2025 special election on redistricting. The measure passed in…

FOREST GROVE, Ore. — The victims of what is being investigated as a quintuple homicide at a rural home outside Portland were identified Monday as the suspect’s girlfriend, her mother, her grandmother and two friends, authorities said. The suspect was found dead in his car in Enumclaw, Washington, about 187 miles (300 kilometers) north from…

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is preparing to revoke the business and tourism visas of up to 200,000 foreigners who have applied for or are currently seeking asylum status in the United States. If it happens, the move would be the largest single mass revocation of visas in U.S. history and would likely face legal…

RENO, Nevada — A wildfire that mushroomed over the weekend in the Sierra Nevada foothills spread perilously close to neighborhoods in Reno, Nevada, forcing authorities to urge more than 90,000 residents to leave their homes. The out-of-control fire has already burned some homes, but there’s concern that shifting winds could push the flames into newly…

An arbitrator has ordered The Washington Post to reinstate a Black opinion writer fired over social media posts about violent white men following last year’s killing of Charlie Kirk. The ruling Thursday said the newspaper did not have sufficient cause to terminate Karen Attiah, who at the time was the last Black full-time member of…

COLUMBUS JUNCTION, Iowa — It may have seemed out of place for a university professor from the liberal enclave of Iowa City to be holding court at a roadside bar and grill in a rural county where Republican Donald Trump won overwhelmingly two years ago. But that’s part of Christina Bohannan’s long learning curve as…

An out-of-control wildfire that jumped over fire trucks and made it difficult for crews to reach hot spots destroyed homes in northwest Reno, Nevada, on Sunday. Shifting winds challenged firefighters trying to bring it under control, and authorities urged some 90,000 people to evacuate. At least six people — three first responders and three civilians…

HONOLULU — Tropical Storm Moke was swirling past Hawaii on Sunday, close enough to dump heavy rain on Big Island communities in the aftermath of Hurricane Lala. The National Hurricane Center located Moke’s center about 320 miles (515 kilometers) south-southwest of Hilo around midday. Top sustained winds were around 40 mph (65 kph), though the…

At 22 least people killed in a landslide in Guinea, according to provisional toll by authorities