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By ERIC TUCKERWASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden spoke Sunday with relatives of three Americans the U.S. government is looking to bring home from Afghanistan, but no agreement has been reached on a deal to get them back, family members said.Biden’s call with family members of Ryan Corbett, George Glezmann and Mahmood Habibi took place in the waning days of his administration as officials try to negotiate a deal that could bring them home in exchange for Muhammad Rahim, one of the remaining detainees at Guantanamo Bay.Corbett, who had lived in Afghanistan with his family at the time of the…

Here are the latest IE Varsity boys basketball rankings for the 2024-25 season.Records are through Sunday, Jan.12.IE VARSITY BOYS BASKETBALL RANKINGS1. Roosevelt (21-1)The Mustangs pulled away from Etiwanda at the SoCal Showdown showcase event in Irvine.Previous ranking: 12. Riverside Poly (12-7)The Bears took down Rancho Verde and Arlington to remain unbeaten in Ivy league play.Previous ranking: 23. Damien (15-6)The Spartans began defense of their Baseline League title with a 74-29 victory over Upland.Previous ranking: 34. Etiwanda (13-8)The Eagles host Rancho Cucamonga in a key Baseline League game Wednesday evening.Previous ranking: 45. Rancho Cucamonga (16-7)The Cougars kicked off Baseline League play…

By TARA COPP and LOLITA C. BALDORWASHINGTON (AP) — If Pete Hegseth were still in uniform, his extramarital affairs and a decision to flatly ignore a combat commander’s directive would not just be drawing the attention of senators — they could have run afoul of military law.That is raising questions among current and former defense leaders and veterans about whether Hegseth would be able to enforce discipline in the ranks if confirmed as President-elect Donald Trump’s defense secretary. Hegseth would oversee more than 2 million troops who could be disciplined or kicked out of the service for the same behavior…

President-elect Donald Trump’s second tour in the White House can be a glorious last hurrah or the last flicker of a dying comet. The choice is his.Mr. Trump will enter the White House on Jan. 20 free from customary political obligations or ambitions. He has no political debts to pay. He defeated Democratic nominee Kamala Harris decisively despite the handicap of four felony prosecutions. Campaign contributions were largely superfluous. Mr. Trump’s notoriety and prime colors campaign left no voter uninformed about his political agenda without any paid advertising.The 22nd Amendment prohibits Trump from a third term. Further, Mr. Trump is…

By TERRY TANG, JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER and JAE HONGALTADENA — The sight of celebrity mansions and movie landmarks reduced to ashes can make it seem like the wildfires roaring through the Los Angeles area affected a constellation of movie stars.But a drive through the charred neighborhoods around Altadena shows that the fires also burned through a remarkable haven for generations of Black families avoiding discriminatory housing practices elsewhere. They have been communities of racial and economic diversity, where many people own their own homes.Some now fear the most destructive fires in California’s history have altered that for good. Recovery and…

By LOLITA C. BALDORWASHINGTON (AP) — Pete Hegseth will try to convince members of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that he should be the next secretary of defense, following weeks of meetings with lawmakers who peppered him with questions about his character and views on a range of military issues.As author of several books and a former Fox News Channel host, Hegseth has been forced to defend himself against a long record of his own public comments, including in his most recent book, “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free.”His wide-ranging…

LOS ANGELES — In mid-December, a week after their signings were minted, Corona Centennial’s Husan Longstreet sat on a bench after a workout in Lake Forest and marveled at fellow incoming freshman Jahkeem Stewart.“That guy’s,” Longstreet smiled, “a beast.”If quarterback Longstreet is poised as the future of Lincoln Riley’s offense at USC, Stewart is the future of USC’s defense, a heaping weight of responsibility on a fairly high-risk five-star profile. The Louisiana product will enter spring ball, as a Trojan, at 17 years old. He has played 12 games of varsity football in his high school career, in total, according…

The devastation of the fires in Los Angeles has been hard to fathom. Thousands have lost their homes, priceless personal items, memories, and in some cases the very neighborhoods where they lived most of their lives. Some have even lost their lives.And in the aftermath, we will be left with a problem that will impact millions of Californians: California’s collapsing market for home insurance.Reports say that 1,600 people in the Pacific Palisades were kicked off of their insurance last year because it’s simply too expensive for insurers to cover some of these homes. California has a backstop plan, the FAIR…

By LINDSAY WHITEHURSTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court said Monday it won’t hear an appeal from oil and gas companies trying to block lawsuits seeking to hold the industry liable for billions of dollars in damage linked to climate change.The order allows the city of Honolulu’s lawsuit against oil and gas companies to proceed. The city’s chief resilience officer, Ben Sullivan, said it’s a significant decision that will protect “taxpayers and communities from the immense costs and consequences of the climate crisis caused by the defendants’ misconduct.”The industry has faced a series of cases alleging it deceived the public about…

By DARLENE SUPERVILLEWEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Incoming first lady Melania Trump says she’s packed and ready to move back into the White House, where son Barron will have a bedroom, and she plans to revive her Be Best children’s initiative.Trump also said in a taped interview broadcast Monday on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” that an upcoming documentary on her life that is set to be distributed by Amazon Prime Video later this year was her idea based on the reception to the memoir she released last year.“So I had an idea to, to make a movie, to…