Government And Institutions

It's been a year of relative peace in Washington's budget battles.

World stock markets were uneven Friday and Wall Street futures slid ahead of quarterly growth figures that will show whether weakness in China, Japan and Europe has hit the U.S. economy.

There's a good reason the U.S. economy is impressing the world right now despite a slowdown in the final three months of 2014: In a word, steadiness.

A coalition of health and human services advocates expressed support Friday for the governor's pitch to help struggling Ohioans move out of poverty, though the group had concerns about how the goal would be accomplished.

Mayors of several New Jersey shore towns are joining with members of Congress from the state to oppose allowing oil drilling in the Atlantic Ocean.

Seventy-five years ago Saturday, the government cut 65-year-old Ida May Fuller of Vermont a check for about $22 — the first Social Security payout.

Kansas collected $47 million less than anticipated this month, signaling that Gov. Sam Brownback and legislators may have to be more aggressive with spending cuts or other measures to balance the budget.

The ratings agency Fitch says an agreement between Greece's new left-wing government and rescue lenders is still possible but is warning that drawn-out negotiations pose a "high risk" to the country's fragile economy.

Welfare money or food stamps for marijuana? It's an urban legend that won't go away in Colorado, and state lawmakers this year are poised to pass a law clarifying that public benefit cards can't be used at dispensary ATMs.

All times are Eastern MONDAY, Feb. 2 WASHINGTON — Commerce Department releases personal income and spending for December, 8:30 a.m.; Institute for Supply Management releases its manufacturing index for January, 10 a.m.; Commerce Department releases construction spending for December, 10 a.m.

President Barack Obama has told House Democrats he'll give them more information about the specifics in the trade deals he's negotiating overseas.

A quick quiz: Monday is — a) Groundhog Day b) Budget Day c) A day for repeating the same old arguments over spending and taxes, only louder.

Oil pipeline accidents have become increasingly frequent in the U.S. as Congress pushes for approval of the Keystone XL pipeline — a project that would pass near the spot where 30,000 gallons of crude spilled into Montana's Yellowstone River earlier this month.

The state Senate president said Thursday that Republican Gov. Chris Christie is trying to force Atlantic City into bankruptcy, and he threatened to go to court if that's what the men appointed to revive the beleaguered gambling resort's finances try to do.

Russia's Sports Minister says the government will cut the budget for hosting the 2018 World Cup as part of plans to slash state expenditure while recession looms.

Gov. John Kasich on Thursday proposed eliminating nearly all income taxes paid by small businesses to take advantage of the improving economy and help more people get jobs.

President Barack Obama will seek to bust through spending limits for both domestic and defense programs, the White House said Thursday, negating the effects of across-the-board cuts agreed to by both Democrats and Republicans and signed by Obama into law.

There's new leadership at the New York Thruway Authority but no new answers for the state lawmakers who asked Thursday about how the state plans to pay for the Tappan Zee Bridge replacement.

Stars who play at least four nights in Atlantic City would be freed from having to pay state income taxes on all shows in the state that year under the latest proposal to revive the struggling seaside resort.

North Dakota could see a more than $4 billion shortfall in oil and gas tax revenue due to the slumping price of crude under a revised revenue forecast that lawmakers adopted Thursday.