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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — During the longest-ever government shutdown, the federal judiciary has remained open, allowing the wheels of justice to keep turning in most criminal cases. But many civil cases have come to a halt because the U.S. Department of Justice doesn't have enough attorneys working to handle them. Judges have granted the government delays after the Justice Department explained that without funding, its attorneys are barred from working on cases except in limited circumstances, including "emergencies involving the safety of human life or the protection of property." Among the cases that have been put off:- —A lawsuit challenging...

U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah said Friday he supports President Donald Trump's push for a border wall that has led to a government shutdown and questioned why Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi won't agree to "another few miles" of barriers on the U.S.-Mexico border. Romney also said he plans to keep working with other senators to find interim solutions, such as legislation that would make sure essential government employees still working get paid now. The 2012 GOP presidential nominee and new Utah senator acknowledged that it "takes two to tango" but backed Trump's position and chided Pelosi for hers....

Bob emailed me, "As of January 20, we can compare two years of Trump to forty-eight years of Nixon through Obama." These are the best two years. Bob listed his reasons. I double checked. 1. "Jobless claims fall to 203,000. They haven’t been this low since Dec. 6, 1969." 2. "Record $300 billion repatriated to USA." 3. "U.S. job openings hit a record 7.1 million, exceed number of unemployed Americans." 4. "Dow blows past 24,000 for the first time ever." 5. "The black unemployment rate has never been closer to the white rate." 6. "For blacks and Latinos, record low...

President Trump latest action of denying Pelosi use of military planes within hours of departure overseas in light of the shutdown, puts Nancy and the Democrats in a goading box If Pelosi acquiesce and allow Trump to speak before all of Congress in the House then she will appear as groveling and weak as she backs down from her supposedly power move praised by the media. The radical leftists in the House wouldn’t like it either and would slam Pelosi as a weakling and not standing up to Trump. President Trump wins If Pelosi denies Trump to speak before all...

Confused Democrat lawmakers were left sitting idle on a military bus near the Capitol after President Donald Trump postponed their seven-day foreign trip as the partial government shutdown continues. Photos shared to social media purport to show Democrats on a U.S. Air Force bus traveling to the airport when they received word that their access to a military plane had been blocked: ...House Members sitting on an Air Force bus b/t the Longworth and Rayburn House Office Buildings waiting to see if they are still going overseas after Trump cancelled the trip. ...The bus went around the block and back...

When it comes to Super Bowl LIII, air traffic controllers are flying blind. The government shutdown has already resulted in canceled planning meetings for the Feb. 3 game in Atlanta, and if the federal budget impasse continues, airport screeners and flight controllers at the busiest airport in the world will be working on game day for no pay. Dan McCabe, a National Air Traffic Controllers Association representative, told NBC News that his colleagues had been holding meetings over the past year to prepare for the surge in travelers to the area. But now the planning meetings, which included officials from...

China is still the world’s No. 2 economy and is still the monster of emerging markets, but regardless of those bonafides, Xi Jinping’s country is losing the trade war in nearly every way imaginable.

Volkswagen is investing $800 million in its plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, a move that will add 1,000 jobs to the factory, the company announced Monday. It plans to build electric cars there. Volkswagen's investment in Tennessee comes weeks after General Motors announced plans to close three North American plants and shift its production focus away from sedans, to free up money to develop to electric and self-driving vehicles. The move also comes amid talks between Volkswagen and Ford about pooling resources to make the next generation of vehicles. The new Tennessee jobs and production should begin in 2022, according to the company's statement. "The US...

Despite constant one-sided negative news coverage by the big three TV networks, President Donald Trump's public approval rating rose slightly in 2018, according to a new report from the Media Research Center (MRC). MRC analyzed the ABC, CBS, and NBC evening newscasts, which were seen by approximately 23 million people each night."The tone of coverage remains incessantly hostile: 90% negative, vs. just 10% positive (excluding neutral statements)," MRC's Rich Noyes reported Tuesday. "Yet despite the media's obvious disapproval, public opinion of the President actually improved slightly during 2018, from an average 40% approval on January 1 to 42.7% approval on December...

RUSH: Perhaps the greatest example of Trump derangement syndrome today and what, in a sane world, would be a profoundly embarrassing piece of journalism, which is saying a lot given everything that’s happened during the Trump administration. The Washington Post is beside itself. And if you happen to receive the Washington Post daily email blast that is supposed to tell you what’s hot and what’s interesting and what’s leading the day in Washington Post news coverage, this story is at the top of all the news out there. This story is what the Washington Post apparently is the most proud...

Not that long ago, China’s economy was seen as a juggernaut that would soon overtake America’s to become the world’s largest. “Made in China 2025,” the Chinese government’s blueprint to take over manufacturing, was seen as an existential threat to U.S. technological leadership. Speculation had the Chinese yuan replacing the United States dollar as the world’s reserve currency. What a difference a trade war makes. No one marvels at the Chinese economy today. Car sales in China, the world’s largest car market, plummeted by 19 per cent in December, capping a six-per-cent decline in sales for the 2018 year, the...

Robert J. Luck, a highly respected rule-of-law conservative on the 3rd District Court of Appeal is Gov. Ron DeSantis' second pick for the Florida Supreme Court. During a recent interview, Luck described his judicial philosophy: “I understand how the judiciary -- what Hamilton called our least dangerous branch -- fits into our system of government ... Having worked in each of the three branches, I understand the modest role of the judge in reviewing the laws enacted by the Legislature, the actions taken by the executive, and the findings of the lower courts ... I conducted myself that way for...

Due to the unavailability of appropriated funds to continue the operations of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the agency has been shut down. Consequently, this website is not being maintained and the information it displays may not be up to date. The Endowment will not be able to update information, process any transactions submitted via the website, or respond to any inquiries until funding for NEH is restored and the agency resumes its operations. Please note that during the government shutdown, the NEH is still receiving grant applications through the usual submission process.

Former Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz, now a Fox News commentator, predicted Sunday the partial government shutdown would continue at least through President Donald Trump's State of the Union address, and Republicans would be seen as the winners. If the current partial shutdown continues through Friday, it would be the longest on the books. Chaffetz, speaking on Fox News Sunday, said he believes the shutdown would still be going on at that point, and would likely not end before President Trump gives his speech on January 29. "I think the next pressure point is the State of the Union at the...

With the partial government shutdown on the verge of becoming the longest in U.S. history, many housing advocates fear thousands of low-income Americans are at risk of being evicted. More than 1,000 government-backed housing contracts have already expired and potentially more will do so in the coming weeks. Since the shutdown began last month, approximately 1,150 federal rental assistance contracts have not been renewed due to funding lapses at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. These lapses impact Project-Based Rental Assistance agreements between private property owners and the federal government. These landlords are contracted to house low and very...

As we enter day 18 of the partial government shutdown, President Donald Trump is considering having the U.S. military build his wall if Congress will not give him the money. Arizona Republican Congressman Paul Gosar wants the President to declare the shutdown a national emergency, which would allow him to pursue several options for the wall. "He controls the Army Corps of Engineers," Gosar pointed out, "This is an opportunity to redirect funds from the Army Corps of Engineers to a necessity along the border." That move, Democratic Congressman Ruben Gallego predicted, will likely end up in court. "I think...

President Donald Trump’s planned prime-time address on immigration Tuesday night has put the broadcast networks in a difficult — and familiar — position as they debate whether to carry the address live. The White House has asked the broadcast networks to set aside at least eight minutes at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday for an Oval Office address in which Trump may declare a state of national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border. There is no ideal outcome for the networks. Should they decide to carry the speech, they will receive widespread criticism from Democrats over their decision to pass on...

.@RepCheri Bustos says the border wall has become “nothing more than a symbol,” but notes that “in the end, we might have to give or take a little bit. It’s just the way the world works. Who’s Cheri Bustos? An interesting character, if you’re unfamiliar. Fun facts about her: — She’s the new chair of the DCCC, the committee charged with helping to elect Democratic candidates to the House in 2020. The DCCC chair is also the fifth-highest-ranking member of the caucus. This isn’t some rando floating compromise with Trump on CNN. This is the leadership. — She’s a Pelosi...

December brought the U.S. healthcare industry's largest monthly spike in the number of new hires since at least February 1990. Healthcare added 50,200 jobs last month, the largest numeric increase in new hires in Modern Healthcare's monthly jobs data, which stretches back to February 1990. Hiring in the industry jumped 56% from November, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' December jobs report released Friday. While more than 50,000 new jobs was "an unexpectedly high number," Total nonfarm employment rose by 312,000 jobs in December, and the unemployment rate rose by 0.2 percentage points to 3.9%. Overall in 2018,...

President Trump on Friday threatened to cut foreign aid to Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, accusing the Central American countries of "doing nothing for the United States but taking our money." "Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador are doing nothing for the United States but taking our money," Trump tweeted. "Word is that a new Caravan is forming in Honduras and they are doing nothing about it. We will be cutting off all aid to these 3 countries - taking advantage of U.S. for years!" This is not the first time that Trump has threatened stop providing foreign aid to countries...