President Donald Trump is weighing an administration-wide shakeup as he looks to prepare his White House for divided government, with Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen expected to be among the next to go, perhaps as soon as this week. Trump has soured on Nielsen and White House chief of staff John Kelly, in part over frustration that his administration is not doing more to address what he has called a crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to two people with knowledge of the issue. Get More

Ernest Foss was a musician who gave lessons out of his home when he lived in San Francisco, where an amplifier that ran the length of a wall served as the family's living room couch. Carl Wiley refurbished tires for Michelin. Jesus Fernandez, known as "Zeus," was described as a loving father and loyal friend. They were among the first victims identified in the aftermath of the deadliest, most destructive wildfire in California history, an inferno blamed for at least 48 deaths, with authorities ramping up the search Tuesday for still more souls. The flames all but obliterated the Northern California town of Paradise, population 27,000, and ravaged surrounding areas last Thursday. About 7,700 homes were destroyed. Get More

The Justice Department has issued an internal legal opinion supporting the legality of Matthew Whitaker's appointment as acting attorney general. The Office of Legal Counsel's opinion is aimed at addressing concerns from Democrats and even some Republicans that President Donald Trump violated the law by naming Whitaker over Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Whitaker had been chief of staff to now-ousted Attorney General Jeff Sessions — a job that didn't require Senate confirmation. The state of Maryland has challenged Whitaker's appointment. Get More

The New Jersey homeowners who started receiving threatening letters from someone identified as "The Watcher" after they bought a home in Westfield have spoken out and shared the letters in a new interview. Derek and Maria Broaddus had just purchased the home for nearly $1.4 million in 2014 when they started receiving letters from someone who claimed to be its rightful owner and said he or she was watching the house. In an interview with New York Magazine published this week, the Broadduses spoke out about the terrifying ordeal. Get More

The U.S. government said it was starting work Tuesday to "harden" the border crossing from Tijuana, Mexico, to prepare for the arrival of a migrant caravan leapfrogging its way across western Mexico. Customs and Border Protection announced it was closing four lanes at the busy San Ysidro and Otay Mesa ports of entry in San Diego, California. Get More

More than 40 people have died and tens of thousands of Californians have been forced from their homes as huge wildfires continue to rage in the northern and southern ends of the state. The Camp Fire has become the most destructive and deadliest wildfire in recorded state history, killing at least 42 people and destroying more than 6,600 residential structures. The 150-square-mile Woolsey Fire north of Los Angeles, meanwhile, has killed at least two killed and wiped out hundreds of structures. Burning near the Woolsey fire, the Hill fire is smaller and nearly 100 percent contained. Get More

Jason Coffman didn't plan out what he was going to say when he spoke Tuesday night at a vigil for his son Cody, who was killed last week when a shooter opened fire in the Borderline Bar in Thousand Oaks. But the 12 red roses the mourning father clutched in his hand filled the spaces where words failed to express his grief and the compassion for those who shared his agony. After saying a few words between sobs to the more than 1,000 people who gathered on a chilly and windy night in Newbury Park, Coffman handed a rose to each family of the 12 victims in last Wednesday's mass shooting. "I have 12 roses, and I would absolutely be honored to meet the families, right now, one by one," Coffman said. Get More

Fire crews appeared to make major progress Tuesday on the deadly Woolsey Fire in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, with a series of evacuation orders lifted, but a large flare-up near Westlake Village served as a reminder that the battle was far from over. The flare-up occurred around 9:15 a.m. near Lake Sherwood and Carlisle Canyon and was originally estimated at about 50 acres but grew rapidly, eventually reaching an estimated 1,000 acres. Ventura County Fire Department Chief Mark Lorenzen said Tuesday morning the flames were moving through some unburned canyons, and winds pushed the flames toward Boney Mountain, "up and away from the populated area." Get More

The next generation of biotech food is headed for the grocery aisles, and first up may be salad dressings or granola bars made with soybean oil genetically tweaked to be good for your heart. By early next year, the first foods from plants or animals that had their DNA "edited" are expected to begin selling. It's a different technology than today's controversial "genetically modified" foods, more like faster breeding that promises to boost nutrition, spur crop growth, and make farm animals hardier and fruits and vegetables last longer. The U.S. National Academy of Sciences has declared gene editing one of the breakthroughs needed to improve food production so the world can feed billions more people amid a changing climate. Yet governments are wrestling with how to regulate this powerful new tool. And after years of confusion and rancor, will shoppers accept gene-edited foods or view them as GMOs in disguise? Get More

The speaker's gavel now out of reach, Republican Kevin McCarthy is poised to take over the shrunken House GOP caucus in closed-door elections that will determine party leadership and set the tone for the new Congress. The race for minority leader is McCarthy's to lose Wednesday, but the Californian, who is an ally of President Donald Trump, must fend off a challenge from conservative Rep. Jim Jordan, who has support from the right flank and outside groups as a co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus. "We've got a plan," McCarthy told reporters as he ducked into a closed-door meeting of House Republicans late Tuesday. Get More

Cabbage Patch Kids dolls, Pillow Pets and Nerf guns may all seem like good holiday gifts for children, but one group is warning otherwise. World Against Toys Causing Harm, also known as WATCH, released the 2018 top 10 list of "worst" holiday toys and featured all of the above. The nonprofit organization says the toys included in its list pose choking hazards, risk blunt injuries and have the potential to cause facial injuries. For more than four decades, WATCH has released these lists to warn parents of the potential dangers that come with their children’s selection of toys on their holiday wish lists. Get More