HARTFORD, Conn. — Democrats Chris Murphy and John Larson go way back.

When Murphy was an up-and-coming politician who defeated longtime Republican Rep. Nancy Johnson in 2006 in an upset that surprised some insiders, he started a new career as a member of Connecticut’s Congressional delegation in Washington, D.C.

Larson was one of his ...Read more

President Donald Trump’s hardball tactic of ordering permanent layoffs Friday amid a government shutdown hardened Democrats’ deep distrust of Republicans and risks prolonging a standoff that is already the fourth longest in U.S. history with no end in sight.

Sen. Patty Murray, a senior Democrat, slammed the firings announced by Trump budget...Read more

President Donald Trump said he is directing the Defense Department to use funds his administration has identified to deliver paychecks to U.S. troops on Oct. 15 despite the ongoing government shutdown.

“I am using my authority, as Commander in Chief, to direct our Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to use all available funds to get our Troops ...Read more

President Donald Trump’s hardball tactic of ordering permanent layoffs Friday amid a government shutdown hardened Democrats’ deep distrust of Republicans and risks prolonging a standoff that is already the fourth longest in U.S. history with no end in sight.

Sen. Patty Murray, a senior Democrat, slammed the firings announced by Trump budget...Read more

Former President Joe Biden started radiation treatments for an aggressive form of prostate cancer diagnosed in May.

“As part of a treatment plan for prostate cancer, President Biden is currently undergoing radiation therapy and hormone treatment,” a spokesperson for Biden said. NBC News reported earlier that the radiation treatment is ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration plans to lay off more than 4,100 federal workers from seven departments in response to the partial government shutdown, according to a court filing submitted Friday.

The administration filing, on behalf of the Office of Management and Budget, came in response to a court order stemming from a lawsuit filed...Read more

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced his plans to travel to Cairo and Jerusalem to herald an agreement that has halted the fighting in Gaza and set the stage for Hamas to release hostages the militant group is holding.

Trump told reporters Friday he would be meeting with “a lot of leaders from all over the world” who had been ...Read more

​WASHINGTON — The Trump administration made good on its threat to begin mass firings of federal civilian employees Friday while exploring creative avenues to make sure military personnel don’t miss their paychecks slotted to go out next week.

With no end in sight to the partial government shutdown that began 10 days ago, White House ...Read more

The deployment of the Texas National Guard to Chicago at the order of President Donald Trump this week is dividing state governors and sowing discord within the National Governors Association, a long-standing group committed to bipartisanship.

As reported by The New York Times, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, both ...Read more

President Donald Trump’s budget chief Friday said mass layoffs of federal workers have begun as the government shutdown stretches on with no end in sight.

There was no immediate further confirmation and scant details about how many workers might be fired nor a breakdown of the impact on various government departments.

“The RIF’s have ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As her office fights in court to preserve Missouri abortion restrictions, Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has issued subpoenas demanding patient medical records, incident reports, and communication about patient care from Planned Parenthood.

The attorney general’s office is defending the state in a case brought by ...Read more

President Donald Trump Friday headed to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for what he described as a “semiannual physical” examination amid ongoing questions about his health.

Trump took a short helicopter ride to Walter Reed in suburban Bethesda, Maryland, where he said he was getting a fresh checkup just six months after his ...Read more

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson once again reiterated Friday he’s not bringing the House back to Washington as the federal government shutdown continues.

Rep. Kevin Kiley objects.

The California Republican, in a rare act of defying the Republican leadership, has been calling on Johnson to bring the House back.

“The Speaker ...Read more

President Donald Trump Friday headed to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for what he described as a “semiannual physical” examination amid ongoing questions about his health.

Trump took a short helicopter ride from the White House to Walter Reed in suburban Bethesda, Maryland, where he said he was getting a fresh checkup just ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The Democratic National Committee is getting into the ad fight over the ongoing government shutdown.

The DNC on Friday is rolling out digital spots on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook, along with billboards and bus shelter ads near hospitals and clinics in a handful of Republican-held battleground House districts. The ads, shared ...Read more

WASHINGTON — As artificial intelligence companies race to change workplaces, energy use and the economy, concerns over the impact of the technology have only grown on Capitol Hill.

A number of bills and proposals have emerged this year that would impose safety regulations on its use or try to offset job losses. Some of those have come out ...Read more

WASHINGTON — More than many lawmakers, former Rep. Brad Wenstrup was well positioned to make an easy transition from Congress back to “civilian” life.

For one thing, he still keeps a foot in Washington, visiting roughly once a month and crashing on a couch in the same house where he used to live with a handful of fellow Republican ...Read more

NORFOLK, Va. — Virginia gubernatorial candidates Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger participated in the first and only face-to-face debate this election season. Right off the bat, it got contentious.

Republican Earle-Sears was first asked about how she would finance getting rid of the state’s car tax. She ...Read more

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals appears poised to recognize President Trump’s authority to send soldiers to Portland, Oregon, with members of the court signaling receptiveness to an expansive new read of the president’s power to put boots on the ground in American cities.

A three-judge panel from the appellate court — including two ...Read more

CHICAGO — A federal judge in Chicago on Thursday blocked the Trump administration from deploying National Guard troops to the city and state as part of its ongoing immigration enforcement push, saying she had no faith in the government’s claims of out-of-control violence and that it was federal agents who started it by aggressively targeting...Read more