Dec 12 California fires insurance claims at $9 billion and expected to rise By Kathleen Ronayne, Associated Press Collectively, the fires destroyed or damaged more than 20,000 structures, with the vast majority in and around Paradise. On Tuesday, state and federal authorities estimated it will cost at least $3 billion just to clear debris. Continue reading
Dec 12 House passes farm bill and sends it to Trump’s desk By Juliet Linderman, Associated Press The House has easily passed the farm bill, a massive legislative package that reauthorizes agriculture programs and food aid. Continue reading
Dec 12 6 ways officials failed to stop Larry Nassar’s abuse By Joshua Barajas Larry Nassar, the former sports doctor who sexually assaulted hundreds of women and girls, “did not operate in a vacuum,” but “acted within an ecosystem that facilitated his criminal acts,” according to a report released Monday. Continue reading
Dec 12 WATCH: UK’s Theresa May says she’s ‘grateful’ for vote keeping her in office By Associated Press The result means May can keep her positions as party leader and prime minister while continuing an uphill battle to win parliamentary approval for her Brexit plan. Continue reading
Dec 12 WATCH: Trump signs executive order on ‘opportunity zones’ By Stephen Braun, Jeff Horwitz, Bernard Condon, Associated Press President Donald Trump is expected to sign the order at the White House at 2:30 p.m. ET today. Watch the president's remarks here. Continue reading
Dec 12 ‘A Star Is Born’ tops SAG Awards nominations By Jake Coyle, Associated Press The other nominees for the group's top award, best ensemble, were: "Black Panther," ''Bohemian Rhapsody," ''BlacKkKlansman" and "Crazy Rich Asians."… Continue reading
Dec 12 CIA briefs House leaders on Khashoggi killing as Senate nears votes By Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press CIA Director Gina Haspel briefed House leaders on Wednesday on the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi as the Senate prepared for a possible vote on two resolutions that would rebuke Saudi Arabia for its role in the slaying. Continue reading
Dec 12 Health insurance sign-ups lagging as Saturday deadline looms By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Associated Press Barring an enrollment surge, the nation's uninsured rate could edge up again after a yearslong coverage expansion that has seen about 20 million people obtain health insurance. Continue reading
Dec 12 Judge gives former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen 3 years in prison By Larry Neumeister, Tom Hays, Associated Press Michael Cohen, who as President Donald Trump's personal lawyer and fixer once vowed he would "take a bullet" for his boss, was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison for an array of crimes that included arranging the payment of… Continue reading
Dec 12 Suspected Strasbourg gunman had criminal history, French police say By Lori Hinnant, Sylvie Corbet, John Leicester, Associated Press Police union officials identified the suspected assailant as Frenchman Cherif Chekatt, a 29-year-old with a thick police record for crimes including armed robbery and monitored as a suspected religious radical by the French intelligence services. Continue reading