Commuters drive past Saint Sarkis church and a mural of the late Iranian revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini in downtown Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Nation

california

FBI searches school district, home

LOS ANGELES — The FBI has served at the Los Angeles Unified School District’s headquarters and the home of its superintendent. The nature of the federal investigation involving the nation’s second-largest school district and Superintendent Alberto Carvalho’s home was not immediately clear.

Affidavits laying out details for the basis for Wednesday’s searches were under seal. The Los Angeles district said in a statement that it “is cooperating with the investigation and we do not have further information at this time.”

new york

Weinstein hires high-profile lawyers

NEW YORK — Harvey Weinstein has hired Luigi Mangione’s and Sean “Diddy” Combs’ lawyers to represent him at his third New York rape trial, recasting his legal team after declining to end the matter with a guilty plea.

The lawyers, Jacob Kaplan, Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos, confirmed the move in court papers Tuesday. They take over for Weinstein’s longtime lawyer, Arthur Aidala, who ceded his courtroom role to focus on the ex-studio boss’ appeals.

nevada

Toucan flying in city rescued

LAS VEGAS — A toucan seen flying around the Las Vegas desert has been captured by a bird rescue group.

The group has been trying to catch the bird for months since he escaped from his owner in November. The toucan named Sam flew into a garage, where the homeowners trapped it until the rescue group could come.

World

United arab emirates

Iran accuses Trump of ‘big lies’

DUBAI — Iran has pushed back against U.S. President Donald Trump’s pressure tactics ahead of critical talks in Geneva over Tehran’s nuclear program.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman dismissed Trump’s remarks at the State of the Union as “big lies.” Meanwhile, Iran’s parliament speaker said on Wednesday that the U.S. could either engage in diplomacy or face the wrath of Iran if it attacks.

indonesia

American freed after 11 years in jail

JAKARTA — Indonesia has freed and deported an American man after 11 years in prison for killing his girlfriend’s mother, in a case that became known as the Bali “suitcase murder.” However, U.S. charges await him back home.

On Tuesday, Indonesian officials said they deported Tommy Schaefer after finishing his 18-year sentence with time off for good behavior. Authorities found the mother’s body in a suitcase in the trunk of a taxi at a luxury resort in 2014.

senegal

Bill would toughen homosexuality law

DAKAR — Senegal’s Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has introduced legislation in parliament that would toughen the prison term for homosexuality in the West African nation to at least five years from the current minimum of one year.

The bill also seeks to broaden the scope of what is defined as “unnatural acts” under the law that has criminalized homosexuality in the conservative country since its independence from France in 1960.