SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California would allow Jews to voluntarily identify their Jewish heritage on state forms under a bill the state Assembly passed Monday. The bill, which needs a final vote in the Legislature to head to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk, would require state agencies that collect demographic information to add “Jewish” as an option…

JUNEAU, Alaska — Democrat Tom Begich has withdrawn from Alaska’s governor’s race, throwing his support behind fellow Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins for a seat the party hopes to flip in November. Begich finished just behind Kreiss-Tomkins in a crowded Aug. 18 primary that included 12 Republicans and some independents. Under Alaska’s election system, the top four…

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. — At least two bodies have been recovered since a major flash flood swept through the Grand Canyon, park officials said Monday, as search and recovery efforts continued for about 15 people still missing. Weather forecasters warned rain and thunderstorms could bring more flooding to the popular tourist attraction from…

MILLINOCKET, Maine — More than 14 million older adults fall every year in the U.S., perhaps none so often as 91-year-old Dale Sanders. By his count, Sanders fell 71 times while reclaiming his record as the oldest hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail. Seven were what he calls hard falls, including one that led to…

WASHINGTON — House lawmakers return to Washington on Monday with a short to-do list after five weeks back in their home districts. The first order of business is likely a vote on a stopgap spending bill designed to keep the federal government fully funded through early December, removing the possibility of a shutdown before the…

MONTPELIER, Vt. — The very disease that has decimated millions of American elms in the U.S. is now being used to bring the iconic trees back. In Vermont, Leila Wilson, a research ecologist with the U.S. Forest Service, is one of the scientists leading an effort to beat Dutch elm disease, which has killed tens…

Karina strengthens into a Category 4 hurricane in the Pacific Ocean far from land, forecasters say

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United Arab Emirates’ air force intercepted an Iranian drone over its territorial waters Monday, the Defense Ministry said, an attack that comes after the United States and Iran exchanged fire on the weekend, the first significant military action in a month. During the lull in fighting, the U.S. has…

BANGKOK — Shares were mostly lower in Asia and U.S. futures also declined Monday on expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve may raise interest rates soon. Oil prices surged about 3% after U.S. forces struck Iranian rocket launchers on the Strait of Hormuz, marking their first military action in a month. The Trump administration just…

Karina has quickly strengthened into a Category 3 major hurricane in the Pacific, forecasters say