politics
Minnesotans' spending helps flip state budget to surplus, for now
A $1.3 billion shortfall is forecast for the next budget cycle.
Trump has discussed with advisers pardons for his 3 eldest children, Giuliani
Trump has told others that he is concerned that a Biden Justice Department might seek retribution against the president by targeting the oldest three of his five children.
Minnesota restaurants push to-go cocktails for COVID-19 relief
Limited beer, wine sales allowed with to-go orders of food, but cocktails still prohibited.
Nurses wanted: Swamped hospitals scramble for pandemic help
U.S. hospitals slammed with COVID-19 patients are trying to lure nurses and doctors out of retirement, recruiting students and new graduates who have yet to earn their licenses and offering eye-popping salaries in a desperate bid to ease staffing shortages.
Illinois speaker's friend, 3 others enter bribery case pleas
Four people, including a close friend of Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, entered not guilty pleas Wednesday in a federal bribery case alleging a scheme with the state's largest utility in which they provided do-nothing jobs to Madigan loyalists in exchange for the speaker's help with legislation.
US appeals court rules judge wrongly halted NC voter ID
A federal judge wrongly blocked North Carolina's latest photo voter identification law, an appeals court ruled Wednesday, deciding she erred when declaring the requirement was tainted by racial bias because a previous voter ID law had been struck down on similar grounds.
Fed and Treasury urge Congress to approve more virus relief
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin urged Congress to approve COVID-19 relief funds without further delay, though Democrats continued to attack a decision by Mnuchin to allow five Fed lending programs to expire during the pandemic.
San Francisco bans smoking inside apartments; pot smoking OK
City officials in San Francisco have banned all tobacco smoking inside apartments, citing concerns about secondhand smoke. But lighting up a joint inside? That's still allowed.
BLOGS + COLUMNISTS
Jennifer Brooks
Brooks: In some states, they bury the hatchet — literally
A Delaware tradition offers a template for the rest of us in times when we agree on very little.
Jennifer Brooks
Flap over Minneapolis deputy chief's 'white boys' comment missed point
Minneapolis Police Deputy Chief Art Knight gave half a quote to the paper the other week.He was talking about a defunct diversity program that used…
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Trump teases 2024 run at White House Christmas party
President Donald Trump teased running again for president in 2024 as he hosted a holiday reception at the White House.
Arizona's Kelly is sworn into Senate, narrowing GOP edge
Arizona Democrat and former astronaut Mark Kelly was sworn into the Senate on Wednesday, narrowing Republican control of the chamber and underscoring his state's shift from red to blue.
OAS head urges international prosecutor to act on Venezuela
The leadership of a broad coalition of Western Hemisphere nations on Wednesday accused the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor of failing to take swift action on allegations that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's government committed crimes against humanity.
Major stocks indexes hover near record highs on Wall Street
U.S. stock indexes are mixed in afternoon trading Wednesday, easing off a fresh set of record highs reached on optimism that coronavirus vaccines could soon…
Police guide that calls BLM a terrorist group draws outrage
A prominent law enforcement training group is promoting a lengthy research document riddled with falsehoods and conspiracies that urges local police to treat Black Lives Matter activists as terrorists plotting a violent revolution.
US lawmakers unveil anti-slavery constitutional amendment
National lawmakers introduced a joint resolution Wednesday aimed at striking language from the U.S. Constitution that enshrines a form of slavery in America's foundational documents.
The Latest: Red Cross seeks equitable access to vaccines
The International Committee of the Red Cross is urging "equitable access" to vaccines for people affected by conflict and violence.
Senate GOP leader sticking with partisan virus relief plan
Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell said he's largely sticking with a partisan, scaled-back COVID-19 relief bill that has already failed twice this fall, even as Democratic leaders and a bipartisan group of moderates offered concessions in hopes of passing pandemic aid before Congress adjourns for the year.
Iowa Democrat to challenge 6-vote loss in appeal in US House
A Democratic congressional candidate in Iowa who trailed by six votes after a recount said Wednesday she will forgo further legal challenges in the state and instead appeal directly to the U.S. House for review.
Prosecutors seek to have 3 tossed Pilot convictions restored
Federal prosecutors are seeking to restore the tossed convictions for the former president of Pilot Flying J and two of his former employees related to a rebate scheme to cheat trucking companies out of millions of dollars.