The Navy has determined that its proposed drone squadron won’t significantly affect the environment, according to a memo released Thursday.

Naval Station Norfolk is set to house the East Coast’s first carrier-based unmanned aircraft squadron. The MQ-25A Stingrays provide midair refueling to fighter jets and can assist with surveillance.

...Read more

A Miss Universe contestant who stunningly fell off stage Wednesday during a preliminary round of the pageant was doing OK and recovering in the hospital, the organization’s leader said.

Miss Jamaica, Gabrielle Henry, was walking across the stage when she stepped directly off the elevated surface during Wednesday’s portion of the competition...Read more

LAS VEGAS — For Las Vegas to keep its taps flowing, Rep. Susie Lee says this one drought measure must survive federal spending purges: water recycling.

Lee, D-Nev., and Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., introduced the Large-Scale Water Recycling Reauthorization Act in Congress on Thursday to reauthorize a federal grant program that will sunset in...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has altered its website on autism and vaccines, removing unequivocal statements that immunizations don’t cause the neurodevelopmental disorder and replacing them with inaccurate and misleading information about the links between the shots and autism.

Until Wednesday, the CDC ...Read more

One of the most powerful Republicans in the state is talking about why the Border Patrol is in North Carolina, what he thinks of their tactics and why he hopes they come back.

Republican House Speaker Destin Hall, who was behind the state law requiring sheriffs to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, spoke with The News & ...Read more

NORFOLK, Va. — An assistant principal at Kempsville High School and his brother were arrested Wednesday and accused of making threats against Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and local police.

According to a news release from the Virginia Beach Police Department, John W. Bennett, 54, and Mark Bennett, 59, both of Virginia Beach, ...Read more

The Trump administration released new plans Thursday that could push offshore oil drilling closer to Florida shores in a move that many environmental critics argue will be detrimental to the state’s coastal economy and further threaten imperiled wildlife.

The plan calls for opening up a swath of the eastern Gulf of Mexico that has been ...Read more

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said Wednesday her office is awaiting the go-ahead from the U.S. State Department to begin identifying Chinese properties to seize to satisfy a $24 billion judgment against the country.

Hanaway, in comments to reporters, said her office expects to receive approval from the U.S....Read more

LOS ANGELES — A state judge has thrown out a lawsuit filed by former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva that alleged the county defamed him, violated his rights and unfairly flagged his personnel file with a "do not rehire" tag.

In a 26-page order, Superior Court Judge Gary D. Roberts on Wednesday granted a request by the county to ...Read more

The Trump administration released new plans Thursday that could push offshore oil drilling closer to Florida shores in a move that many environmental critics argue will be detrimental to the state’s coastal economy and further threaten imperiled wildlife.

The plan calls for opening up a swath of the eastern Gulf of Mexico that has been ...Read more

CHICAGO — A federal judge on Thursday issued a scathing opinion that takes a deep dive into the use of force by immigration agents during “Operation Midway Blitz,” revealing new information gleaned from body-worn cameras and other evidence showing how agents used tear gas and flash bang grenades on fleeing protesters, shot praying ...Read more

CHICAGO — A federal appeals court has temporarily halted the release on bond of hundreds of immigrants whose arrests during Operation Midway Blitz are being challenged under a consent decree that limits so-called warrantless arrests that occur without a prior warrant or probable cause.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings had allowed their ...Read more

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday said he believed Democratic lawmakers who publicly urged active service members to "refuse illegal orders" amounted to seditious behavior, which he said should be punishable by death.

"It's called SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. Each one of these traitors to our Country should be ...Read more

DENVER — A yearslong effort to purchase two of the most powerful water rights on the Colorado River has cleared another hurdle after the state water board agreed to manage the rights alongside Western Slope water officials.

The Colorado Water Conservation Board voted unanimously Wednesday night to accept the two water rights tied to the ...Read more

The Trump administration on Thursday announced plans to open the Pacific Ocean to new oil and gas leases for the first time in more than four decades.

The draft plan released by the U.S. Department of the Interior confirms rumors that have been swirling for weeks. The proposal would see as many as 34 offshore lease sales across 1.27 billion ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Two more former employees are taking legal action against Motown legend Smokey Robinson and his wife Frances Robinson, adding their allegations of sexual assault against the singer to a $50 million lawsuit filed earlier this year.

The women who sued the spouses in May for sexual assault and failure to pay overtime filed a motion...Read more

NEW YORK — The Trump administration and New York City’s public schools have reached a deal to allow some funds flow to local magnet programs while their legal battle over school gender policies plays out.

The order, which was approved Thursday by a Manhattan federal court, lets the magnet schools draw down reimbursements from $12 million in...Read more