CNN US

A rapidly moving brush fire destroyed at least 20 homes and forced the evacuation of nearly a thousand homes in a tony neighborhood in Orange County, California, on Wednesday in a foreboding sign of the new normal for the region.

As California battles a historic drought and a water crisis looms, the state's coastline protection agency on Thursday unanimously rejected the development of a $1.4 billion desalination plant in Huntington Beach that would have converted ocean water into municipal water for Orange County residents.

Back in March, an off-duty police officer was seen on video putting his knee on the neck of a 12-year-old girl in Kenosha, Wisconsin, for more than 20 seconds in an attempt to break up a school fight.

Temperatures more common to mid-July will fuel another round of strong storms on Thursday across the Midwest and eastern Plains.

A soldier in Alaska died Tuesday after being attacked by a bear who wildlife officials say may have been trying to protect her cubs.

Senate Democrats are struggling to find a path forward to pass a fresh round of Covid-19 aid as they grapple with a difficult choice over whether to allow a vote on a contentious Trump-era pandemic restriction on the border that divides their party and puts vulnerable moderates in a tough spot.

California's Orange County wildfire is the latest example of disasters exacerbated by climate change.