An enormous wildfire in Northern California has destroyed buildings, left at least two people injured and prompted evacuation orders for thousands of people as it raged in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. As of early Friday, the fire had burned more than 164,000 acres, making it the state’s largest fire this year.

Jessica Cuevas loved her job as a college counselor at a high school. But after giving birth to a son in January 2021, she switched to a remote corporate job at a grocery store chain because it gave her more flexibility and saved her commuting time. After her second son was born two years later, she quit that job, too.

Homicides in the United States are continuing to dramatically decrease from the surge in violent crime in the first years of the coronavirus pandemic, according to an analysis released Thursday by the nonpartisan Council on Criminal Justice.

WASHINGTON — Former President Barack Obama has been in regular touch with Vice President Kamala Harris since she emerged as the likely Democratic nominee to share his experiences — and is expected to endorse her soon, according to people familiar with the situation.

Southwest Airlines will start assigning seats to passengers, ending its long-standing policy of allowing passengers to pick their seats once they have boarded, the airline said Thursday.

For the more than 310,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer every year, no matter how well the treatment goes, there is always a lingering fear. Could the disease come back, even years later? And what if it comes back in the other breast? Could they protect themselves today by having a double mastectomy?

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Typhoon Gaemi lashed the northeastern region of Taiwan on Wednesday night, bringing fierce winds and heavy rain in what was forecast to be the most powerful storm to hit the island in eight years.

An act of political violence in a small Michigan town left an 80-year-old man in critical condition over the weekend, local officials said. His assailant, who called the police to confess, later killed himself.

If the prospect of sharks lurking just off the beach wasn’t frightening enough, researchers in Brazil have discovered a new reason to be unnerved: Some of them have cocaine in their system.