Brian Naylor

President Trump insisted the meeting with congressional leaders was "productive," although he threatened that the government could be closed for a long time. Negotiations will continue this weekend.

A significant power shift begins in Washington with Democrats taking control of the House of Representatives. The incoming speaker plans votes on bills to reopen the government and new rules.

The meeting in the Situation Room comes as the effects of the partial government shutdown are growing across the country, including the closure of the National Zoo and the Smithsonian museums.

On the eve of his swearing-in, the incoming senator from Utah sharply criticized the president in a Washington Post op-ed.

More than 400,000 federal workers deemed essential will have to work without pay come midnight ... unless lawmakers can settle on a way to keep the government funded.

A group of bipartisan lawmakers is continuing to negotiate with Vice President Pence and top White House aides, but a deal to keep the government open ahead of a midnight deadline looks improbable.

The House bill includes $5.7 billion for border wall funding but is not likely to survive in the Senate. The president has said he won't sign any spending measure without funding for border security.

The Senate has approved a short-term measure to fund government agencies at their current spending levels and put off any fight over a border wall until February. The House takes up the bill Thursday.

The government will partially close at midnight Friday, unless Congress and the White House can agree on how to fund several key agencies despite the president's insistence on funding a border wall.

The New York attorney general's office detailed what it called "a shocking pattern of illegality" and said the foundation's decision to shutter was "an important victory for the rule of law."

Even a partial government shutdown would leave some 800,000 government workers without pay over the holidays, although many would remain on the job.

The girl's death underscores the crisis precipitated by large groups of families seeking asylum where there are inadequate facilities to detain them.

The head of Customs and Border Protection testified on Capitol Hill about tear-gassing migrants and family separation. A new poll finds Americans disapprove of President Trump's immigration policies.

A task force looking into U.S. Postal Service prices released its report this week. One recommendation: the postal service charge more to shippers, such as Amazon, to mail their packages.

Former President George W. Bush delivered the main eulogy, saying his father "showed me what it means to be a president who serves with integrity." The body will be laid to rest in Texas on Thursday.

The 41st president, who died Friday at the age of 94, will lie in state until Wednesday.

VOA covers the U.S., warts and all. But is that enough for the president? VOA's director tells NPR it's protected by law, and if it's told to change, she'll respond, "Thank you for your input."

Speaking Monday at a Capitol ceremony, Sen. Mitch McConnell called Bush "a humble servant who loved his fellow citizens." Bush will lie in state in the U.S. Capitol rotunda until Wednesday.

Roberts took issue with the president's calling a federal judge who ruled against the administration's policy toward asylum-seekers "an Obama judge."

Officials are still counting ballots from the midterm elections in several states — in part because of the signature verification process. But signatures change over time, especially young people's.