House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune have announced a plan to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security and try to end a record partial government shutdown. According to the plan, most of the department could be funded through an agreement with Democratic senators, with the exception of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Border Patrol. Republicans would then later try to fund those agencies through party-line spending legislation. Neither outcome is guaranteed, and the strategy could potentially still face opposition from the GOP’s own ranks.
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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
Sen. Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., speaks during a news conference after a policy luncheon on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
AP
Wisconsin lawmakers are taking a shot at expanding sports betting in the state. The state legislature gave final approval Tuesday to a measure that could allow tribes to offer online sports betting available to people anywhere in Wisconsin. The move comes just at the NCAA basketball tournaments get underway — one of the most popular betting times in the U.S. But the Wisconsin measure still needs the signature of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. And it would not take effect immediately. Wisconsin would become the 32nd state to allow online sports betting. A total of 39 states already allow at least some type of sports betting.
AP
A turf war over a football team is developing between two Midwestern states with a long rivalry. Indiana has made a serious bid to lure the storied Chicago Bears across the border. The Bears want to leave Soldier Field, their home for 50 years. They previously proposed a $5 billion campus featuring a domed stadium in suburban Arlington Heights. But Indiana has a new law that would allow for financing and building a stadium in Hammond to lease to the Bears. Illinois lawmakers have responded with legislation that would give property and sales tax breaks to any so-called megaproject — such as a Bears stadium — of at least $100 million.
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Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto has introduced a piece of legislation on Capitol Hill to help small business owners.
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The Nevada Ethics Commission has agreed to a stipulated settlement to settle a yearslong ethics case with then-gubernatorial candidate Joe Lombardo.
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Nevada’s attorney general joins a renewed push to expand banking access for legal cannabis businesses.
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A program that has been praised by experts as one means of addressing Nevada's persistently high uninsured population.
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The bill will help expand local economic and housing development, support Tribal communities, and protect public lands among other things.