Industrials

Union miners and others opposed to stricter pollution rules for coal-burning power plants proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency clashed inside and outside the city's federal building on the first of two days of public hearings on the new regulations.

Congress ran full-tilt into election-year gridlock over immigration Thursday and headed toward a five-week summer break with no agreement in sight on legislation to cope with the influx of young immigrants flocking illegally to the United States.

Applications for U.S. unemployment benefits rose last week, but they remain close to pre-recession averages.

Alpha Natural Resources said Thursday it expects to lay off 1,100 workers at 11 southern West Virginia surface coal mines by mid-October, citing dismal markets and federal regulation.

Eager to begin a monthlong break, Congress leavened its customary heavy partisanship on Wednesday with a pinch of compromise, advancing legislation to repair the deeply troubled Department of Veterans Affairs and working to clear funds for highway construction at home and missile defense in Israel.

Republican senators have blocked an election-year bill limiting tax breaks for U.S. companies that move operations overseas.

Opponents of expanding a natural gas pipeline through northwestern Massachusetts rallied on Boston Common on Wednesday, asking Gov. Deval Patrick to rescind his support for a new tax on New Englanders' electricity bills to help subsidize it.

Congressional investigators say the government is underestimating the threat of a chemical attack on America's densely populated cities and has failed to inspect virtually all of the chemical facilities that it considers particularly vulnerable to terrorists.

Gov. Tom Corbett is expected in Pittsburgh at a rally of coal industry supporters who oppose stricter Environmental Protection Agency regulations for coal-fired power plants.

The European Union's sanctions against Russia are bound to inflict pain on the country's ailing economy.

The Senate is scheduled to take up legislation Tuesday to keep federal highway money flowing to states, with just three days left before the government plans to start slowing down payments.

European Union ambassadors are meeting to discuss a dramatic toughening of the trade bloc's sanctions against Russia.

It's a battle pitting the nation's airlines against their passengers, and the first round has gone to the industry.

The U.S. nuclear industry has started building its first new plants in decades using prefabricated Lego-like blocks meant to save time and money.

European Union ambassadors have reached a preliminary deal on stepped-up sanctions against Russia, targeting its access to European capital markets and trade in the defense sector, dual-use goods and sensitive technologies.

FRIDAY, Aug. 1 WASHINGTON — Labor Department releases employment data for July, 8:30 a.m.; Commerce Department releases personal income and spending for June, 8:30 a.m.; Institute for Supply Management releases its manufacturing index for July, 10 a.m.; Commerce Department releases construction spending for June, 10 a.m.

United Airlines will be the first U.S. carrier to resume flights to Israel after a two-day hiatus caused by combat in the Gaza Strip.

The Federal Aviation Administration has lifted its ban on U.S. flights in and out of Israel, which the agency had imposed out of concern for the risk of planes being hit by Hamas rockets.

Delta Air Lines is canceling all flights to Israel until further notice, citing reports that a rocket landed near Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport.

Fewer people applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week, evidence that recent job gains should continue.