Newly empowered House Democrats kicked off a barrage of investigations into President Donald Trump's taxes, real estate business and Russia ties Thursday, raising the pressure on the White House after two years of insulation by a Republican majority.

President Donald Trump needed barely a day after a soaring State of the Union speech to revert to his usual combative self Wednesday, branding an opponent a "hack" and investigations into his allegedly suspicious dealings with Russia "harassment."

The United States on Wednesday blocked a proposed UN Security Council statement expressing regret over Israel's decision to end an international observer force in the West Bank city of Hebron, diplomats said.

President Donald Trump urged Americans to come together in a State of the Union speech seeking to turn the page on two years of divisive turmoil and transform him into a bipartisan national leader.

A medical examiner says a North Texas man was killed when an e-cigarette exploded in his face.

Oscar winning actress Jennifer Lawrence, one of the most popular film stars in the world, is engaged to her boyfriend, an art gallery director, multiple media outlets reports.

Hollywood star Liam Neeson insists he is "not racist" after confessing that he once set out to attack a random black man after a friend of his told him she had been raped.

This year's Oscar ceremony will go ahead without an official host for only the second time in its history, an ABC television executive says.

US President Donald Trump says he would hold his second meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Vietnam on February 27 and 28, while giving himself credit for avoiding a major war on the Korean Peninsula.

The Pentagon is sending 3,750 additional US forces to the southwest border with Mexico for three months to support border agents, the Department of Defense says.

A witness in the trial of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman told the US government the Mexican drug kingpin drugged and raped girls as young as 13, according to court documents unsealed Saturday.

Ralph Northam, the Democratic governor of the US state of Virginia, is facing calls to resign after he confirmed he appeared in a racist yearbook photo and said he is "deeply sorry."

As the US Midwest and East Coast thaws out from days of bitter, deadly cold, Californians batten down the hatches ahead of a fierce winter storm carrying heavy rains and high winds that could touch off urban flooding and mudslides.

The United States will suspend compliance with the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia today and formally withdraw in six months if Moscow does not end its alleged violation of the pact, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said yesterday.

The polar vortex that locked the US Midwest in sub-zero weather and led to the deaths of at least 21 people will give way to milder, snow-melting temperatures this weekend.

A US negotiator called Thursday on North Korea to provide a detailed account of its weapons to seal a peace deal, saying President Donald Trump was ready to offer a future that includes diplomatic relations and economic aid.

The United States and China said their trade war negotiations resulted in major progress as the clock ticks on a March deadline to avert a massive escalation of tariffs that could bruise the global economy.

Elon Musk announced Thursday he had released all of the electric carmaker Tesla's patents, as part of an effort to fight climate change.

The United States will suspend compliance with the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia on Saturday and formally withdraw in six months if Moscow does not end its alleged violation of the pact, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says.

A blast of icy polar air brought dangerously low temperatures to the US Midwest on Wednesday, causing at least three more deaths while halting mail delivery and forcing residents who pride themselves on their winter hardiness to huddle indoors.