WASHINGTON — The unemployment rate fell in two-thirds of the nation’s states last month, the latest evidence that the strengthening economy is encouraging many employers to boost hiring. The Labor Department said Tuesday that the unemployment rate dropped in 34 ...

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WASHINGTON — The nation’s courts may be forced to close down if the current budget battle between Republicans and Democrats leads to a government shutdown, a federal judge said Tuesday. If the government shuts down, “litigation might be grinding to ...

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SPARROWS POINT — The federal Environmental Protection Agency says a Pennsylvania firm has agreed to pay a $62,130 penalty to settle allegations it did not report ammonia releases as required by law. The EPA announced Monday that Allentown, Pa.-based Air ...

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ANNAPOLIS — A federal appeals court has rejected an effort to overturn a federal court ruling requiring reforms in the Baltimore city foster care system. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision was issued Wednesday in the 26-year-old L.J. ...

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MIAMI — Federal health officials announced new security measures Monday to combat Medicare fraud, including tougher screenings for providers and the ability to withhold payments during investigations. Authorities recovered $2.5 billion in health care fraud judgments last year — a ...

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A man accused of plotting to kill military recruiters with a car bomb was a victim of entrapment and was incapable of building or detonating explosives, his attorney said Monday. Antonio Martinez, 21, was arrested last week in an FBI ...

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WASHINGTON — Americans should be prepared for two more years of verbal combat over health care reform when the new Congress is seated in January, but wholesale changes to the law are unlikely before the next election, experts say. Republicans ...

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The “live burn” training exercise that cost Racheal Wilson her life does not create grounds for a civil rights action in U.S. District Court, a federal judge has ruled. Although it would have meant failing the program, Wilson could have ...

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WASHINGTON — A government watchdog says the Federal Aviation Administration didn’t follow rules or made errors two years ago when awarding $161 million to airports for improvement projects. The Transportation Department’s inspector general’s office released a report Friday that says ...

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WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department says it has received another $1.8 billion in net proceeds from the sale of additional stock in General Motors. Treasury said the revenue received Thursday brought the total amount the government has earned from an ...

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