WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump late Thursday called for Senate Republicans to end the partial government shutdown by using the so-called “nuclear option” to eliminate the legislative filibuster.

Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that Democrats “want Trillions of Dollars to be taken from our Healthcare System and given to ...Read more

Child tax credits are becoming more popular across the country, with more than a dozen states offering them as financial relief toward the cost of raising kids.

But new research suggests cities could significantly reduce child poverty by offering child tax credit programs of their own.

An analysis by the Center on Poverty and Social Policy at ...Read more

In a protected forest of eastern Australia, one of the country’s “rarest mammals” wandered past a trail camera, its pouch bulging slightly from the baby tucked inside. Conservationists later looked at the photos and immediately recognized them as a “major” conservation milestone.

Conservationists began preparations at Powrunna State ...Read more

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A mysterious man-made island with a possible pirate connection in Virginia Beach’s Lake Joyce has piqued the interest of a local real estate attorney who recently bought the land to preserve it.

Hayden DuBay is determined to uncover the origins of “Blackbeard’s Island,” as it is referred to in its legal ...Read more

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump called on Senate Republicans to vote to get rid of the filibuster in the upper chamber, amid a government shutdown that has lasted nearly a month.

“BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT THE DEMOCRATS HAVE GONE STONE COLD “CRAZY,” THE CHOICE IS CLEAR — INITIATE THE “NUCLEAR OPTION,” GET RID OF THE FILIBUSTER ...Read more

The U.S. and Malaysia signed a pact solidifying bilateral defense ties, underscoring a commitment to security in the disputed South China Sea.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth oversaw the signing of the memorandum of understanding with his counterpart on Thursday during a visit to the Southeast Asian nation for a regional defense summit.

The ...Read more

Two days before around 500,000 Nevadans on food stamps are slated to lose nutritional benefits, state lawmakers affirmed $30 million to help food banks stay afloat as the government shutdown enters the one-month mark.

The request by Gov. Joe Lombardo’s administration was approved Thursday afternoon by the Legislature’s Interim Finance ...Read more

Flights into and out of Orlando International Airport were delayed Thursday night because there were no available air traffic controllers, according to federal aviation advisories.

One of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s advisories said the airport was under a ground delay program from 10 p.m. through 3 a.m. Friday because of ...Read more

The partial government shutdown is on track to become the longest in history as the Senate headed home for the weekend Thursday with no funding deal in sight.

The lack of action on a stopgap spending measure means the 30-day-old shutdown will continue at least into next week. The record was set in President Donald Trump’s first term, when a ...Read more

BOSTON — A bill sitting on Maura Healey’s desk would mandate that reports on spending within Massachusetts’ emergency shelter system be published regularly to the public, but there’s no indication whether the governor will sign it into law.

The governor’s office did not respond to a Boston Herald inquiry Thursday on whether Healey ...Read more

A measles outbreak in parts of Utah and Arizona not far from Las Vegas has grown to over 130 cases, according to public health officials in both states.

David Heaton, a public information officer for the Southwest Utah Public Health Department, said there have been 43 measles cases recently confirmed in a five-county area. Those counties ...Read more

U.S. Vice President JD Vance said a prolonged government shutdown would likely snarl travel during the busy holiday period, as the administration seeks to ramp up pressure on Democrats over the funding standoff.

Vance’s comments followed a roundtable at the White House with aviation industry leaders on Thursday.

Attendees included United ...Read more

President Donald Trump’s call to resume U.S. nuclear weapons testing prompted quick condemnation from some Nevada congressional Democrats.

It’s unclear exactly what directive Trump gave in a Wednesday post on his social media platform and whether he meant that a nuclear warhead should be detonated in the testing. But any changes to the ...Read more

China’s commitment to buy at least 87 million tons of U.S. soybeans through the next several years provides long-sought relief to farmers, while at the same time highlighting the limitations of America’s reliance on the trading partner for its exports.

China has agreed to buy at least 12 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans this season, and...Read more

The death toll from Hurricane Melissa in Haiti continued to climb Thursday, with authorities saying that at least 30 people are now dead and 20 others are missing.

The biggest toll occurred in the country’s gang-ridden West region, when a swollen Digue River overflowed its banks and caused widespread flooding in the coastal town of Petit-Goâ...Read more

BOSTON — Massachusetts will send an additional $4 million in emergency food assistance to food banks as SNAP cuts off this weekend amid the ongoing government shutdown, Gov. Maura Healey announced.

But the governor will not release the money some advocates have called for directly from reserves to supplement the aid payments to residents.

�...Read more

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The U.S. Senate on Thursday voted to cancel a Biden-era land-use plan that had boosted environmental protections for the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, a region that has drawn new interest from the oil industry in recent years.

A companion measure from Alaska Republican Rep. Nick Begich has yet to be considered in the ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Nicky Stacy started the Hazel Green Food Project in Wolfe County, and now helps feed people from 35 counties, some of the poorest in the nation.

Thirty-one percent of people in Wolfe County receive benefits from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; in nearby Owsley, it’s 37%. Stacy serves 2,000 households ...Read more

Sean “Diddy” Combs arrived at New Jersey’s FCI Fort Dix to begin serving his prison sentence on Thursday.

The facility is where the 55-year-old music mogul is expected to serve the remainder of his four-year term following his conviction in July on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.

Diddy’s move to the low-security...Read more