National News

(Photo by Justin Lane-Pool/Getty Images) (NEW YORK) -- President-elect Donald Trump is scheduled to be sentenced in his New York hush money case after a jury in May convicted him on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in order to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election.Judge Juan Merchan has signaled his intention to […]

(WASHINGTON) -- A jobs report to be released on Friday will provide a key gauge of the nation’s economic health, just days before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.The findings could also help determine whether the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates when officials meet later this month.U.S. hiring has defied doomsayers for much of President Joe Biden’s term in office. Stubborn inflation, high interest rates and a contentious presidential […]

(NEW YORK) -- Ten days ahead of his presidential inauguration, Donald Trump is scheduled to be sentenced Friday morning in New York for committing what the judge in his case characterized as a "premeditated and continuous deception" to illegally influence the 2016 presidential election.President-elect Trump -- who plans to attend the 9:30 a.m. hearing virtually from his Mar-a-Lago estate -- is expected to receive the lightest possible sentence allowable under […]

(LOS ANGELES) -- As thousands of firefighters battled a series of raging wildfires across Los Angeles County, California officials warned the public that fire season should now be considered a yearlong event.Multiple fires destroyed thousands of homes and prompted some 180,000 evacuations in January demonstrates that the so-called "fire season" is no longer just a spring and summer event, they said. They also emphasized that homeowners outside of fire-prone areas […]

(LOS ANGELES) -- At least 10 people are believed to be dead -- with the LA County sheriff saying he expects that number to rise -- as a series of devastating fires grow uncontained across Southern California amid dry and windy conditions, leaving officials scrambling to contain the historic destruction.Thousands of firefighters are battling at least five sprawling wildfires spread around the Los Angeles area. The largest, the Palisades Fire, […]

(LOS ANGELES) -- As firefighters work to contain the slew of brush fires spreading across Los Angeles County, among the emergency responders on Thursday were nearly 800 incarcerated individuals, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) confirmed to ABC News.The prisoners, who voluntarily sign up to be a part of the Conservation (Fire) Camps program, are embedded with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection crew members (CalFire).The […]

(LOS ANGELES) -- A perfect storm of weather and climate conditions made the California wildfires nearly impossible to contain once they ignited, according to experts.In a typical fire management scenario, containing the fire by setting up a perimeter and trying to keep it from spreading further is often the first line of defense for firefighters to get the blaze under control, according to Lenya Quinn-Davidson, director of the University of […]

Spencer Platt/Getty Images (NEW YORK) -- A New York City construction company and its owner were indicted Thursday on wage theft charges for depriving ten recent immigrant workers of wages totaling $67,000."These cases come down to greed," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said. "They are preying on those who they don't think will come forward."KEP Construction and its owner, Kendis Paul, are charged with a scheme to defraud and grand […]

(WASHINGTON) -- President Joe Biden on Thursday announced the federal government would cover 100% of costs for the initial disaster response to the Los Angeles wildfires.Meeting with federal officials at the White House, Biden said the funds would go toward debris removal, temporary shelters, salaries for first responders and more for 180 days."We are with you," Biden said. "We are not going anywhere. To the firefighters and first responders, you […]