The USS Cole returned to Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia on Monday after a seven-month combat deployment that took the crew into the tense conflicts of the Middle East.

Two Navy aviators were rescued after the fighter jet they were flying was shot down this week in an apparent “friendly fire” incident were responding to incoming one-way aerial attack drones and anti-ship cruise missiles threatening U.S. forces in the Red Sea.

A retired police officer in the nation’s capital was convicted Monday of lying to authorities about leaking confidential information to the leader of the Proud Boys extremist group.

Lava began bubbling Monday through the crust of one of the world’s most active volcanoes — Kilauea, on Hawaii’s Big Island.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore received a Bronze Star for his deployment to Afghanistan 18 years ago, several months after a controversy arose when a newspaper reported he had claimed to have received it on a 2006 White House fellowship application when the paperwork had not been fully processed.

Close calls are becoming more common as low Earth orbit becomes more and more crowded with satellites and debris.

Researchers at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi found traces of human pharmaceuticals, including fentanyl, in dolphins swimming in the Gulf of Mexico. Also detected were a muscle relaxer and an anti-anxiety drug.

Activists are calling for an investigation into Ukraine’s top defense institutions over accusations that tens of thousands of locally made mortar rounds are failing to fire, or badly misfiring.

A U.S. Marine Corps veteran pretended to serve several more years in the military than he actually did and faked positions and awards he held to support job applications and a disability benefits claim, federal prosecutors said.

The upheaval triggered by Bashar al-Assad’s ouster has raised urgent questions about the 2,000 troops who serve as a bulwark against ISIS and Iran.

The study highlighted interventions to reduce heart failure risk — most notably hypertension control and weight loss.

More than a hundred sailors assigned to this rural outpost in the Polish countryside help protect Europe against ballistic missile threats much the same as if they were at sea.

The man accused of fatally shooting the CEO of UnitedHealthcare pleaded not guilty on Monday to state murder and terror charges while his attorney complained that statements coming from New York’s mayor would make it tough to receive a fair trial.

France marked a day of mourning Monday for victims of Cyclone Chido, which devastated its poorest territory, Mayotte, over a week ago.

Donald Trump hinted he still wants to buy Greenland, a self-ruling territory of Denmark, saying that U.S. ownership and control of the island is an “absolute necessity” for national security.

Mourners laid flowers near the scene of the deadly Christmas market attack on Monday as investigators puzzled over the motive of the suspect and fears swirled that the rampage could deepen divisions in German society.

President Joe Biden announced on Monday that he is commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump, an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment, takes office.

The House Ethics Committee on Monday accused Matt Gaetz of “regularly” paying for sex, including with a 17-year-old girl, and purchasing and using illicit drugs as a member of Congress, as lawmakers released the conclusions of a nearly four-year investigation that helped sink his nomination for attorney general.

The choice of Stephen Feinberg of Cerberus Capital Management comes as Pete Hegseth continues to face questions in the confirmation process for the top Pentagon post.