LOS ANGELES — Two San Fernando Valley men, who were sentenced to death over a decade ago for killing five people, had their sentences commuted to life in prison on Monday by President Joe Biden.

In 2007, Iouri Mikhel and Jurijus Kadamovas were sentenced to death after they were convicted of murdering five people in a kidnapping-for-ransom ...Read more

BOSTON — A local Massachusetts police officer “likely saved a Christmas headache” after he discovered roughly 80 Amazon packages left behind in the woods, days before the holiday.

Early Sunday morning, Lakeville Police Sgt. Shawn Robert stumbled upon “three large totes full of Amazon packages” that a driver for the e-commerce company ...Read more

BALTIMORE — A squadron of fighter jets that belong to the District of Columbia Air National Guard will transfer to the Maryland National Guard, Gov. Wes Moore and other Maryland leaders said Monday night.

Transferring the 121st Fighter Squadron, which operates out of Joint Base Andrews in Prince George’s County, will allow the state to ...Read more

CHICAGO — On quiet nights during the Christmas season, Ed O’Malley enjoys visiting the Nativity scene he helps set up every year in an Arlington Heights park.

He’ll check whether the wind has blown over a statue, or whether any lights have gone out.

On relatively warm evenings, many families will be out and about, O’Malley said. ...Read more

A federal judge signed off last week on a consent decree between the Department of Justice and the Johns Hopkins Health System to resolve allegations that the medical system’s coronavirus-pandemic-era visitor restrictions violated disabled patients’ rights.

The consent decree signed Thursday by U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett ...Read more

NEW YORK — An NYPD lieutenant suspended from the force following a Daily News report detailing the more than $200,000 in overtime pay she accrued last year is demanding she be reinstated, claiming she deserves special consideration in light of the sexual abuse she says she endured at the hands of NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey.

An ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Northern California is bracing for another day of deadly waves topping 40 feet Tuesday as officials in Santa Cruz search for survivors and assess the damage from a partial collapse of the city's landmark pier.

Officials are urging people across Northern California to stay out of the water and avoid piers, marinas and the beach....Read more

BOSTON — Boston will have four vending machines and eight indoor kiosks distributing life-saving Narcan and other harm reduction supplies in another step toward preventing overdose deaths, Mayor Michelle Wu and the Boston Public Health Commission announced.

“Unfortunately, many people living with substance use disorder don’t use harm ...Read more

Former national security adviser John Bolton warned Tuesday that there is a “much higher chance” of a major international crisis in the upcoming second administration of President-elect Donald Trump.

The prominent foreign policy hawk said Trump’s lack of focus and inability to stick to policy decisions could trigger an overseas disaster. ...Read more

Former President Bill Clinton is home for the holidays following a brief hospital stay in the nation’s capital.

The 42nd president’s Deputy Chief of Staff Angel Ureña said Monday that the 78-year-old Democrat was under observation at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital where he was running a fever and undergoing testing. Ureña posted ...Read more

A New Mexico prosecutor has withdrawn her appeal of the dismissed involuntary manslaughter case against Alec Baldwin, officially ending the years-long criminal case against the "Rust" actor in the 2021 on-set shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

In a filing Monday with the 1st Judicial District Court of New Mexico, special ...Read more

Nippon Steel Corp.’s proposed $12.3 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel Corp. moved a step closer to being blocked after a U.S. national security panel deadlocked on its review and left the final decision with President Joe Biden, who has repeatedly indicated his opposition to the deal.

The case was referred by the Committee on Foreign ...Read more

France’s new premier Francois Bayrou vowed to sharply narrow the nation’s deficit to close to 5% of GDP, a plan that threatens a repeat of the stand-off which toppled the last government.

Bayrou, who presented his new cabinet on Monday, will lay out his new policy agenda to parliament on Jan. 14 and has pledged to have a 2025 budget by mid-...Read more

ATLANTA — An all-out battle for one of Georgia’s most lucrative public contracts is underway as a group of insurers competes for the multibillion-dollar award from Gov. Brian Kemp’s administration to manage health care for roughly 2 million state Medicaid patients.

The Department of Community Health earlier this month granted new ...Read more

NEW YORK — A witness recently testified before the federal grand jury that indicted Mayor Eric Adams on corruption charges this fall, his attorney revealed in a court filing Tuesday — indicating the Turkey-related investigation into the mayor is still very active.

The filing from Alex Spiro, Adams’ lead defense attorney, identified the ...Read more

Iran said it will start easing some of the world’s tightest internet restrictions by lifting its ban on WhatsApp and Google Play — a sign that authorities want to placate domestic opponents as the Islamic Republic faces major economic and foreign-policy challenges.

Earlier on Tuesday, Iran’s Supreme Council of Cyberspace approved the ...Read more

President-elect Donald Trump slammed President Joe Biden on Tuesday for commuting the death sentences of 37 federal prisoners in an act of holiday clemency.

Trump said relatives of victims are angry that Biden spared the lives of some of the “worst killers in our country,” including inmates convicted in the slayings of police and military ...Read more