California has become the first state to ban most law enforcement officers from covering their faces while conducting official business. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the measure into law Saturday. The measure prohibits neck gaiters, ski masks and other facial coverings for local and federal officers, including immigration enforcement agents, There are some exceptions, however. It’s a direct response to recent immigration raids in Los Angeles where federal agents covered their faces while making arrests. Critics say California does not have authority over federal agents and the ban would put agents at risk. A top Homeland Security official calls it “despicable and a flagrant attempt to endanger our officers.”

Democratic leaders in Congress demand a meeting with Trump as government shutdown looms

On the eve of New York Climate Week, activists and members of the public have gathered to protest the financial institutions that are “making our lives more expensive while profiting off the climate crisis, war and genocide,” the organizers say. The protests are part of a larger week of events and a weekend of demonstrations around the world called “Draw The Line,” demanding from world leaders “rights, jobs, justice, democracy, and a fulfilling life on a safe planet” ahead of this year’s United Nations climate summit in November.

California governor signs a law banning most law enforcement officers from wearing masks during some operations.

A possible federal shutdown is looming at month's end, and the Democratic leaders of Congress are demanding a meeting with President Donald Trump to negotiate. Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries said Saturday that Republicans, at Trump’s insistence, have refused to enter talks. The leaders want a meeting with Trump to prevent what they call “your decision” to shutter federal offices if no action is taken by month's end. A Trump administration official, who wasn't authorized to comment on the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, was dismissive of the Democrats' demand.

A vintage rock 'n' roller who wrote both the rebel anthem “I Fought the Law” and the theme to “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” Sonny Curtis has died at 88. His wife Louise Curtis confirmed to The Associated Press that he died Friday. Curtis was a childhood friend of Buddy Holly and early member of his band the Crickets. Starting as a teenager, he wrote or co-wrote hundreds of songs, from Keith Whitley's country smash “I'm No Stranger to the Rain” to the Everly Brothers' “Walk Right Back.” He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 as a member of the Crickets.

Sonny Curtis, member of Buddy Holly's Crickets and creator of 'Mary Tyler Moore Show' theme song, dies at 88.

The three detectives killed this week in one of Pennsylvania’s deadliest days for police officers this century are men who are missed for their humility, hard work and willingness to help others. The detectives — Mark Baker, Cody Becker and Isaiah Emenheiser — are being lauded as pillars of the Northern York County Regional Police Department where they had served nearly six decades combined. They had saved lives before walking into an ambush set by a man wanted in a stalking case. A friend says Emenheiser was a perfectionist who had dreams of opening his own gym complex and Baker joked last year that he was counting down the days to retirement.

An immigration enforcement operation in the Chicago area is troubling immigrants and activists because of what they say are increasingly aggressive tactics. But a top official with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement denies that officers are using excessive force. The operation began Sept. 8 and has led to the arrests of nearly 550 people. The aim is to enforce President Trump's immigration policies in a city known for strong laws against local cooperation with federal immigration efforts. A Chicago alderman accuses immigration enforcement agents of trying to provoke activists into overreacting in order to justify calling in a greater use of force such as National Guard troops.

Families of some of the victims of violent crime in Chicago say that although it's been a largely intractable problem for the city for decades, they don't think sending in National Guard troops is the answer. Delphine Cherry, whose daughter and son were shot and killed 20 years apart and who now sits on the board of an antiviolence nonprofit, says President Donald Trump's promise to deploy troops to Chicago probably won't help, and it may end up making the streets more dangerous. Trump has said he plans to send troops and a wave of agents to enforce his administration's immigration policies in Chicago, which is a sanctuary city. Details of the planned operation are still largely unknown.

Luigi Mangione’s lawyers are urging a judge to bar federal prosecutors from seeking the death penalty in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. They argued in court papers Saturday that authorities prejudiced his case by turning his arrest into a “Marvel movie” spectacle and by publicly declaring their desire to see him executed. Fresh from a legal victory that eliminated terrorism charges in Mangione’s state murder case, his lawyers are now fighting to have his federal case dismissed. They cited U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s declaration prior to his April indictment that capital punishment is warranted for a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America.” Federal prosecutors have until Oct. 31 to respond. Mangione has pleaded not guilty.

Drugstores are ready to deliver COVID-19 vaccines this fall, and insurers plan to cover them, despite the shots no longer being recommended by a key government committee. Vaccine advisers selected by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have declined to specifically recommend the shots in a series of votes, but said people could make individual decisions on whether to receive them. Recommendations from these advisers normally trigger insurance coverage and allow drugstores in many states to deliver the shots. But insurers and government officials have said coverage will continue. Several states have allowed for vaccine access through drugstores.

President Donald Trump likes to project dominance and confidence on the world stage, but lately he's been expressing more frustration and disappointment. Russian President Vladimir Putin is showing no end to his war in Ukraine, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expanding operations in Gaza and complicating diplomatic efforts by striking U.S. ally Qatar. Trump says his goal for the upcoming U.N. General Assembly is “world peace,” but conflicts appear to be escalating instead. Critics say the Republican president's approach has been ineffective so far.

President Donald Trump calls him a “communist.” His critics say he wants to defund the police. Zohran Mamdani insists he’s just a guy trying to make New York City more affordable. Mamdani’s meteoritic rise to become the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor has put his policy positions unde scrutiny. He’d be the city’s most liberal mayor in generations. But as he tries to broaden his support ahead of the November election, the state lawmaker has shifted more to the center on certain issues. He says he no longer wants to defund the NYPD. And Mamdani says that while he believes government should play a role in reducing economic disparity, he's no communist.

Today is Saturday, Sept. 20, the 263rd day of 2025. There are 102 days left in the year.

It took two decades for Utah Valley University to evolve from a small community college into the state’s largest school that boasts of having one of the safest campuses in the nation. It took seconds for that image to be shattered with the assassination of right wing activist Charlie Kirk. The sprawling campus of almost 50,000 students beneath the Wasatch Mountains will be forever tethered to the events of Sept. 10. A bullet took down the founder of Turning Point USA as he spoke to a large crowd at an outdoor amphitheater in the middle of campus. The school now faces a thorny question: what to do with its sudden infamy?

Senate rejects competing bills to fund government, increasing risk of shutdown on Oct. 1

Estonia has summoned a Russian diplomat to protest after three Russian fighter jets entered its airspace without permission. The Foreign Ministry said the incursion on Friday lasted 12 minutes. This is the fifth time this year that Russia has violated Estonian airspace, but the Foreign Minister called this incident "unprecedentedly brazen." The airspace violation comes just over a week after NATO planes downed Russian drones over Poland, raising concerns about the war in Ukraine spilling over. Russian officials have not yet commented on the incident.

Sudden heavy rain east of Los Angeles unleashed mudslides that plowed into homes and trapped drivers for hours on roadways while authorities say floodwaters swept away a vehicle carrying a father who was later rescued and his 2-year-old son who drowned. Authorities say the mudslides affected Forest Falls, Oak Glen and Potato Canyon in San Bernardino County on Thursday. A group of about 10 people traveling in at least six vehicles was stranded on state Route 38 near the San Bernardino National Forest. The group was stuck for about 10 hours. No one was hurt or needed medical attention. The route was still closed as of Friday. The mudslides happened after heavy rain.