Dec. 1 (UPI) -- A self-professed good friend of Jussie Smollett testified Wednesday that the former Empire actor had recruited him and his brother to stage a hate crime in the winter of 2019.

Dec. 1 (UPI) -- A woman accusing Ghislaine Maxwell of grooming her to be sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein said the late financier brought her to meet President Donald Trump at his Palm Beach, Fla., resort when she was 14.

Dec. 1 (UPI) -- The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted Wednesday to deny clemency for a man convicted of killing four people in 2005.

Dec. 1 (UPI) -- District Judge Amy Berman Jackson said Wednesday that former President Donald Trump and others "stoked the flames of fear" in rallies ahead of the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Another five jurors were seated Wednesday in the manslaughter trial of a former Minnesota police officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright during a traffic stop earlier this year.

Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Stacey Abrams announced Wednesday that she will run for governor of Georgia in 2022 following successful organizing efforts for Democrats in the state after her 2018 loss to Gov. Brian Kemp.

Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Rep. Peter DeFazio announced Wednesday he's not seeking re-election next year after 18 terms representing Oregon in the House.

Dec. 1 (UPI) -- A detective testified Wednesday that a computer at an Arkansas car dealership owned by reality star Josh Duggar was used to download child pornography images.

Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Public health official Dr. Anthony Fauci on Wednesday confirmed that the first case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has been identified in the United States.

Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Authorities have arrested a man who they believe to be the killer of a young Florida woman almost 40 years ago -- a cold case that may now have been solved with new forensic technology.