In The News

WASHINGTON - In a case with implications to both maritime transportation and international trade, the Supreme Court ruled a firm that contracted for a delivery of oil was obligated to provide “safe berth” for the vessel carrying it. The underlying... Read More

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear a challenge to Seattle's "Democracy Voucher Program," leaving in place the city's public financing program for local elections. Though the justices offered no explanation for their decision not to... Read More

New York is postponing its April 28 presidential primary until June 23, a late date that places it at risk of forfeiting some of its delegates at the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee. The reason for the delay, which was... Read More

WASHINGTON - Presidential Donald Trump announced Sunday that federal social distancing guidelines that were set to expire March 30 will be extended another month, this after aggressive lobbying by his coronavirus task force. In recent days President Trump has repeatedly... Read More

A federal judge called on the U.S. government to speed the release of migrant children in detention centers to suitable adult guardians, saying there are serious questions about whether the facilities are safe amid the coronavirus pandemic. In an order... Read More

WASHINGTON - Reps. Joe Cunningham, D-S.C., and Mike Kelly, R-Pa. are the latest members of Congress to test positive for the coronavirus. The representative from Charleston had already been in self-quarantine after learning from the attending physician of the House... Read More

Less than a week after Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo approved a board of elections request to move the state's presidential primary from April 28 to June 2, a plan to have a mostly mail-in election in the wake of... Read More

WASHINGTON - The U.S. House of Representatives passed a $2.2 trillion economic stimulus package in what had to be record time on Friday, speedily sending the bill on to the White House for the president's signature. “This will deliver urgently... Read More

WASHINGTON - Although it barely caused a ripple given the understandable focus on the worldwide coronavirus outbreak, a historic new chapter in North American commerce began two weeks ago Friday, when Canada became the third and final country to ratify... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration will temporarily relax civil enforcement of various environmental regulations, a move it says is necessary given worker shortages and travel restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic. In a memo issued Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency... Read More

WASHINGTON - U.S. unemployment claims reached a historic high of 3.28 million last week due to a wave of layoffs and business closures stemming from the coronavirus outbreak, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The figure shattered the previous record of... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate passed an unparalleled $2.2 trillion economic rescue package steering aid to businesses, workers and health care systems engulfed by the coronavirus pandemic. The unanimous vote Wednesday came despite misgivings on both sides about whether it goes too far... Read More

WASHINGTON - As of this week, eight states - Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Ohio and Rhode Island - and one territory - Puerto Rico - have postponed their presidential primary elections due to the coronavirus outbreak. Additionally, three... Read More

WASHINGTON -The Justice Department is asking Congress to authorize courts to detain criminal suspects indefinitely without trials until the coronavirus subsides. The request would give chief federal judges the power to alter procedures for arrests, investigations and how the cases... Read More

WASHINGTON - Despite the fact the White House and Senate were able to reach a deal on a roughly $2 trillion stimulus bill early Wednesday, the U.S. economy is still facing a huge shock to its system, the president of... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House and Senate leaders of both major political parties announced agreement early Wednesday on unprecedented emergency legislation to rush sweeping aid to businesses, workers and a health care system slammed by the coronavirus pandemic. The urgently... Read More

WASHINGTON - With the latest economic stimulus bill stalled on Capitol Hill since Sunday, both the Blue Dogs and New Democrat coalitions in the House are calling for an end to the partisanship that is preventing the roughly $2 trillion... Read More

WASHINGTON - Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has abandoned plans to form a new super PAC dedicated to defeating President Donald Trump and is instead donating $18 million to the Democratic National Committee to achieve the same ends.... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Federal Communications Commission's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau has granted requests from AT&T and Verizon to use additional spectrum to help meet escalating wireless demand during the coronavirus outbreak. AT&T has been granted authority to operate in the AWS-4... Read More

WASHINGTON -- All K-12 schools in Virginia will remain closed "at least" for the remainder of the current academic year, and all restaurants must end dine-in service, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Monday. Northam announced the new measures as the number... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court ruled Monday that state governments cannot be sued for copyright infringement, rejecting a case filed against North Carolina over footage of a pirate shipwreck. In a unanimous ruling, the justices held North Carolina is shielded... Read More

WASHINGTON - A federal judge put a lawsuit by Congress against President Donald Trump on hold Friday until other legal action against the White House is resolved. The lawsuit filed by congressional Democrats seeks six years of Trump’s federal tax... Read More

ATLANTA (AP) — U.S. elections have been upended by the coronavirus pandemic. At least 13 states have postponed voting and more delays are possible as health officials warn that social distancing and other measures to contain the virus might be in place... Read More

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — First, Oklahoma lawmakers excluded the public from the Capitol because of coronavirus concerns. Then with the public gone, lawmakers made an emergency change to the state's open-meetings law to let all governmental entities meet via... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court ruled Monday that states can prevent criminal defendants from pleading insanity without violating their constitutional rights. The justices' 6-3 decision came in the case Kahler v. Kansas. As recounted in the decision, James Kraig Kahler... Read More

As a labor leader with more than two decades of experience in the turbulent airline industry, I urge our government leaders to move with speed to provide immediate grants to keep this vital national industry alive.  The U.S. government has... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Canada-U.S. border will close to all non-essential travel in both directions Friday night, and officials are set to impose similar restrictions at the U.S. border with Mexico later today. It was only two months ago President Donald... Read More

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump, facing a national outcry over the lack of available coronavirus testing and an imminent spike in positive cases, tried to inject some optimism into the situation Thursday, suggesting that two existing drugs may be effective... Read More

The emerging $1 trillion aid package intended to help weather the COVID-19 economic storm appears likely to deliver $1,000 to every U.S. adult, plus $500 per child, according to Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and a GOP senator involved in the drafting.... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the three weeks since his blowout win in the South Carolina primary, Joe Biden has emerged as the Democratic presidential nominee-in-waiting. But, amid the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic, put the emphasis on waiting. Biden holds... Read More