It has all the hallmarks of an only-in-Los Angeles crime: A thief stole a hearse — with a body inside — that went on a wild ride, ending with a chase and a crash on a busy freeway.

The only place in the world where fighters linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group are cooperating is in West Africa's sprawling Sahel region, giving the extremists greater depth as they push into new areas, according to the commander of the U.S. military's special forces in Africa.

Officials in a central Georgia county say they will pay to test water wells for coal ash contamination.

A utility company will pay the largest criminal fine ever imposed for breaking a federal pipeline safety law — $53 million — and plead guilty to causing a series of natural gas explosions in Massachusetts that killed one person and damaged dozens of homes, federal officials said Wednesday.

A Republican congressman's decision to challenge freshly appointed Sen. Kelly Loeffler is pitting two visions of the GOP's future against each other. So far, it's divided voters and been anything but polite.

About 4 in 10 American adults are obese, and nearly 1 in 10 is severely so, government researchers said Thursday.

A female wrestler has made history by winning a state high school wrestling championship in North Carolina.

A small plane that crashed in the north Georgia mountains, killing four people on board, was on what was listed as a training flight and broke up in the air after a pilot reported problems, federal investigators said.

Investigators identified human remains found by deer hunters in Georgia as a man who had been missing since 2018.

Tennessee's wildlife agency says three boaters who have been missing for several days after participating in a weekend fishing tournament are no longer believed to be alive.

Relatives of four inmates who killed themselves inside Alabama prisons are suing the state over the men's suicides, adding to the legal problems for an agency already in court over its treatment of prisoners.

A Georgia Senate bill backed by Republicans aims to take on the tall task of limiting lawsuits in state courts, citing high legal costs faced by businesses.

Some key Kobe Bryant memorabilia, including two of his Los Angeles Lakers uniforms and cement handprints from his induction into the Grauman's Chinese Theater hall of fame gallery, are going up for sale in April.

Meharry Medical College in Tennessee and health care provider Remote Area Medical are offering free dental care at an event this week.

The U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of 2.1% in the final quarter of last year, but damage from the spreading coronavirus is likely depressing growth in the current quarter and for 2020 as a whole.

A Tennessee man has been sentenced to 44 years in prison without the possibility for parole in the fatal shootings of two high school students.

Saudi Arabia on Thursday halted travel to the holiest sites in Islam over fears about a viral epidemic just months ahead of the annual hajj pilgrimage, a move that came as the Mideast has over 220 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus.

One of the nation's largest labor unions is unveiling plans to invest $150 million in a nationwide campaign to help defeat President Donald Trump, a sweeping effort focused on eight battleground states and voters of color who typically don't vote.

Sen. Bernie Sanders' ascendancy as Democrats' leading presidential hopeful fueled growing unease Wednesday, as lawmakers openly expressed anxiety that the self-proclaimed democratic socialist could cost them House control and questions abounded over what party leaders should do.

Lawyers for "Full House" actress Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, said Wednesday that new evidence shows the couple is innocent of charges that they bribed their daughters' way into the University of Southern California.

A new coronavirus case in California could be the first in the U.S. that has no known connection to travel abroad or another known case, a possible sign the virus is spreading in a U.S. community, health officials said.

The campaign to re-elect President Donald Trump sued The New York Times for defamation Wednesday, saying it was responsible for an essay by a former executive editor for the newspaper that claimed the campaign made a deal with Russian officials to defeat Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Mike Bloomberg's stockpile of cash, swarm of employees and paid social media influencers are testing the abilities of online platforms — and his Democratic challengers — to keep up with an expensive internet campaign.