Congress avoided a government shutdown before heading home for Thanksgiving but partisan divisions on topline spending numbers, Republican in-fighting in the House and limited time to finish full-year spending bills means that another shutdown scenario is just around the corner.

New York police have identified the two victims who died in an explosion on the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls this week. The Niagara Falls Police Department said in a release that a husband and wife were killed in the explosion: 53-year-old Kurt Villani and 53-year-old Monica Villani, both of Grand Island, N.Y. Police said...

Hamas released 13 Israeli hostages Friday in the first exchange of prisoners with Israel that will take place over the next four days. The first group of Israeli hostages have crossed into Egypt and are expected to be transferred soon to hospitals in Israel, where they will be treated for any injuries, according to the...

In the U.S., “populism” is not always used to praise a leader or movement, but the word has a refreshing connotation.

Oscar Pistorius, a former Paralympic gold medalist and Olympic runner from South Africa, was granted parole Friday, 10 years after he shot and killed his girlfriend in his home. The runner will be released from prison Jan. 5 and begin five years of parole monitoring, South African officials said.  Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend,...

Former Obama administration official Stuart Seldowitz pleaded not guilty Thursday to hate crime and stalking charges, court records show, after he was accused of harassing the operator of a New York City food cart with racist and Islamophobic language. Seldowitz previously worked in the State Department and was a national security adviser under former President...

Thailand's prime minister said 12 Thai hostages have been released from Gaza and are safely in Israel's custody in what appears to be the first exchange of prisoners since a four-day truce began Friday. Thailand Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said Friday morning in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that he confirmed with his Ministry...

Just more than a third of Americans believe the American dream — that anyone can get ahead through hard work — is still true, according to a new poll, marking a sharp decline from years past. About 36 percent of Americans still believe in the American dream, according to a poll from The Wall Street...

Make no mistake — the riot on Jan. 6 should never have happened. But voters doubt they have the whole story; they are probably right.

Amazon workers in multiple countries went on strike for Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year, to protest the e-commerce giant's labor practices. The strike is organized by the UNI Global Union, which represents workers around the world and said it has mobilized workers from more than 30 countries, including Italy, Germany and...