Los Angeles trial begins for man accused of Palisades Fire

LOS ANGELES (AP) – A federal arson trial began Monday for the man accused of sparking last year’s deadly Palisades Fire as the area struggles to rebuild and the aftermath reverberates through the Los Angeles mayor’s race.

Democrat Xavier Becerra advances to general election in race for California governor

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – Democrat Xavier Becerra advanced to the general election for California governor Friday after pitching himself as an experienced choice to lead the nation’s most populous state and succeed Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Matsui advances to November ballot in reelection bid for California congressional seat

California Democratic Rep. Doris Matsui advanced to the November ballot on Friday after facing a reelection challenge from a younger Democrat.

UK defense secretary resigns, saying government not willing to spend enough on military

LONDON (AP) – U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey unexpectedly quit on Thursday, saying the government is unwilling to spend enough on the military at a time of “rising threats.” The resignation dealt another blow to embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is already facing demands from Labour colleagues to step down.

A look at the SpaceX IPO by the numbers

Elon Musk is all about big numbers – millions, billions, even trillions – and there are plenty of them associated with SpaceX and Musk’s plans to take the rocket maker public.

US attorney opens investigations into California's elections

LOS ANGELES (AP) – The U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles said Friday it had opened “multiple election fraud investigations” related to California’s elections and sent a prosecutor to the county’s vote-counting center.

James Handy's stabbing death: girlfriend's son charged with murder

LOS ANGELES (AP) – A man was charged with murder Friday in the stabbing of “Jumanji” and “Top Gun: Maverick” actor James Handy, who was in a relationship with the suspect’s mother.

Jury awards $176M for wrongful deaths of young brothers struck by socialite's car

LOS ANGELES (AP) – A Los Angeles jury has awarded $176 million to the parents of two young brothers killed in a hit-and-run collision when a California socialite’s car struck them in a crosswalk nearly six years ago.

US stocks surge, and oil prices ease on hopes for Iran deal

NEW YORK (AP) - U.S. stocks rallied to their best day in two months, and oil prices fell. The S&P 500 jumped 1.8%, coming off a back-to-back drop that had yanked it back to where it was in early May. The Dow Jones Industrial Average leaped 1.9%, and the Nasdaq composite rallied 2.5%.