WASHINGTON — Longer lines at airports, missed paychecks, shuttered national parks and delayed economic data — those are some of the potential impacts of a looming federal government shutdown.

Infighting among House Republicans is driving the government to the brink of a potentially protracted shutdown this weekend. Barring a breakthrough, ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Republicans have plenty of ideas on how to stop a shutdown. They just can’t agree on one plan, much less get Democrats to go along.

Hard-line conservatives on Friday defeated House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s proposal, which was in itself a bit of a fantasy. It demanded that in return for keeping the government open just one ...Read more

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Former President Donald Trump, opening up the California Republican Party’s fall convention, assailed Gov. Gavin Newsom, “California radicals” and “tech tyrants” on Friday in a rambling speech that drifted from mandated vaccines for schoolchildren to the quality of his Palos Verdes golf course.

The clear front-...Read more

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Speaking to a friendly crowd in Anaheim, former President Donald Trump vowed “to bring back law” to California if elected back to the White House.

In a speech riddled with Republican talking points but few specifics, Trump vacillated between praising California’s Republicans — from former Presidents Ronald Reagan and...Read more

WASHINGTON — Republicans have plenty of ideas on how to stop a shutdown. They just can’t agree on one plan, much less get Democrats to go along.

Hard-line conservatives on Friday defeated House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s proposal, which was in itself a bit of a fantasy. It demanded that in return for keeping the government open just one ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Efforts to pass a stopgap funding measure before Saturday night’s deadline were sputtering in both chambers Friday, with lawmakers openly predicting a partial government shutdown was inevitable. The only question appeared to be how long the funding lapse would last.

Border security talks in the Senate stalled Friday ahead of a ...Read more

ATLANTA — Bail bondsman Scott Hall on Friday became the first defendant in the Fulton County election interference case to take a plea agreement with prosecutors, signaling the probe has entered a dynamic new phase.

During an impromptu hearing before Fulton Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, Hall, with his attorney by his side, pleaded guilty...Read more

BOISE, Idaho — A federal appeals court has reversed a lower court’s decision that shielded emergency room physicians from prosecution under Idaho’s abortion ban when a pregnant patient’s health is in jeopardy.

Last year, the U.S. Justice Department won a partial injunction on Idaho’s criminal abortion penalties, after federal ...Read more

Nikki Haley drew nasty taunts from former President Donald Trump Friday in a sign she is gaining some traction in the still one-sided Republican presidential race.

Trump derided Haley as “birdbrain” and vowed that neither he nor his loyal supporters would back his former U.N. ambassador for the White House or any other position.

“MAGA, ...Read more

ATLANTA — Bail bondsman Scott Hall on Friday became the first defendant in the Fulton County election interference case to take a plea agreement with prosecutors.

During an impromptu hearing before Fulton Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, Hall pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to commit intentional interference with the...Read more

WASHINGTON — House Republicans are starting to come around to the idea of a very short-term stopgap funding measure — keeping the government open for perhaps one extra week — as they seek to buy time for more progress on spending bills.

The GOP conference was set to discuss next steps at a 4 p.m. meeting after the chamber rejected, 198-...Read more

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Tuesday in a case that threatens to wipe out funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and limit Congress’ ability to fund agencies outside of normal appropriations.

The Biden administration wants the justices to overturn a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit that ...Read more

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee on Friday denied a motion by former Donald Trump campaign attorney Kenneth Chesebro to toss out emails and memos he wrote detailing a plan to use a Republican slate of electors in Georgia and six other swing states won by Democrat Joe Biden.

Chesebro’s lawyers had argued that the documents were ...Read more

ATLANTA — As what was then known as House Bill 481 made its way through Georgia’s legislative process in 2019, abortion rights activists repeatedly said that enacting new restrictions would disproportionately affect Black women.

That prediction looks to be coming true, with state Department of Public Health data showing that Black women ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court said Friday it will rule on how the 1st Amendment applies to social media and decide whether Texas and Florida can impose heavy fines on Facebook, YouTube and other popular sites for allegedly discriminating against conservatives.

The justices said they would review the new and never-enforced laws from the two ...Read more

When the Supreme Court is in the news for overturning a long-standing precedent or violating standard judicial ethics, the news is often accompanied by the description of one or more justices as liberal or conservative.

You’d think it would be easy to tell the difference between the two, but judicial scholars will tell you it’s ...Read more

Barbie dolls and “Star Wars” movies and toys have entertained generations of American children – in many cases, well into adulthood. But these brands’ influence stretches beyond a penchant for hot pink and lightsaber battles.

In particular, both the “Barbie” movie, released in July 2023, and a “Star Wars” franchise ...Read more