WASHINGTON — Why is this shutdown, if one occurs, not like the others in recent history? U.S. military service members, who have to report for duty anyway because of the critical nature of their jobs, wouldn’t get paid.

During the prolonged partial government shutdowns in late 1995-early 1996, 2013 and late 2018-early 2019 — the longest ...Read more

CHICAGO — Stepping to the microphone in an Elk Grove Village conference hall recently, U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi — a burgeoning voice in Illinois’ congressional delegation — made an impassioned argument for fighting back against the extremism he sees in the Republicans running Congress.

While elected as a moderate, the four-term ...Read more

Dr. Nicole Teal was working a night shift in September 2022, when a patient came into UNC Medical Center’s labor and delivery unit with a particularly dangerous set of symptoms.

Her blood pressure had suddenly spiked. Her platelets were decreasing. Liver enzymes in her blood were rising. She had the hallmarks of severe preeclampsia, one of ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Nurses — those indispensable health care workers in desperately short supply nationwide — are streaming into California, a striking contrast to the recent flight of thousands of frustrated residents to other parts of the country.

And in many ways, what’s drawing them to the state is not so different from why others are ...Read more

Despite a megadrought, states in the West have been able to avoid drastic cuts to their allocations of Colorado River water this year not only because of surprising storms but also thanks to generous financial incentives from all levels of government that have encouraged people to conserve.

The temporary Colorado River water-sharing agreement ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — It’s no small task for officials in the Silver State when a U.S. president or another dignitary visits Nevada.

Ensuring the safety of a dignitary once the person arrives at the airport and then getting the dignitary and their entourage to the destination means setting up a motorcade. That includes a mix of state, local and ...Read more

Rick Jaenisch went through treatment six times before his hepatitis C was cured in 2017. Each time his doctors recommended a different combination of drugs, his insurer denied the initial request before eventually approving it. This sometimes delayed his care for months, even after he developed end-stage liver disease and was awaiting a liver ...Read more

SACRAMENTO — School districts that seek to ban textbooks that portray LGBTQ+ people and other historically marginalized groups could face hefty fines under a new California law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday.

The legislation is the culmination of the Democratic governor’s fight against a majority-conservative school board in the ...Read more

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., has resisted calls for him to resign after he and his wife, Nadine, were indicted last week on bribery charges, repeatedly suggesting he is being targeted because of his heritage.

Menendez is accused of using his influence to protect and enrich three New Jersey associates and businessmen and of aiding Egypt’s ...Read more

At its largest expanse this year, sea ice covered less than 17 million square kilometers (6.6 million square miles) of the Antarctic — an area that is 1 million square kilometers (almost 400,000 square miles) smaller than the previous record low set in 1986, according to preliminary figures released Monday by the National Snow and Ice Data ...Read more

​WASHINGTON — Even as Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., preps a last-ditch attempt to get his unruly conference in line behind a spending strategy, there were quiet staff-level talks happening among the “four corners” of the congressional leadership in both chambers to somehow avert a shutdown.

Senate Democratic and Republican leaders ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Senate Republican and Democratic negotiators are nearing a deal on a short-term spending measure intended to keep the government open after Oct. 1, according to a person familiar with the talks.

The legislation would extend funding for four to six weeks, the person said, asking not to be named discussing private negotiations. ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Monday that will increase penalties for those convicted of child sex trafficking, a seemingly straightforward measure that instead divided Democrats over how to handle crimes that disproportionately affect women and children.

Senate Bill 14 will reclassify sex trafficking of ...Read more

North Korea appears to be allowing entry for foreigners for the first time since it shut its borders at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, opening up a source of revenue that once provided the country with hard currency.

North Korea announced foreigners would be allowed to enter the country starting Monday, according to a report ...Read more

Mexico, along with President Joe Biden’s administration and the United Nations, is considering setting up a temporary program to help pre-screen tens of thousands of migrants for U.S. entry eligibility as border crossings increase again.

The program would be focused on about 40,000 migrants from Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua and Cuba who are in...Read more

ATLANTA — Prospective jurors in the racketeering case against former President Donald Trump and his 18 co-defendants got an extra layer of security Monday when the judge overseeing the case ordered additional safeguards to protect their identities.

Once the cases reach trial, defendants, reporters and observers will be prohibited from ...Read more

WASHINGTON — History is repeating itself on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as Chairman Bob Menendez relinquishes his leadership position for a second time because of federal corruption charges, with Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin expected to take the gavel.

Cardin, D-Md., will take over with a few differences compared to the last time the ...Read more

Tropical Storm Philippe weakened slightly Monday afternoon ahead of its projected northwest turn in the open waters of the Atlantic, and a tropical depression is likely to form from a system that is not far behind Philippe.

Showers and thunderstorms associated with a system off Africa increased Monday night, and forecasters expect it to develop...Read more