by Will Graves PITTSBURGH  — Pittsburgh quarterback Aaron Rodgers and his fractured left wrist could still play on Sunday when the Steelers visit Chicago. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday the team will evaluate Rodgers’ availability later in the week and that the key to Rodgers’ potential return will be whether he can function safely with a brace protecting the wrist. Mason Rudolph, who filled in capably in the second half of Sunday’s 32-14 over Cincinnati, would start for AFC North-leading Pittsburgh (6-4) when it faces the NFC North-leading Bears (7-3) if Rodgers cannot. The 41-year-old Rodgers, the oldest active…

SALT LAKE CITY  — Keyonte George made 3-pointer with 2 seconds remaining in the second overtime, Lauri Markkanen scored 47 points and the Utah Jazz beat the Chicago Bulls 150-147 on Sunday night in the NBA’s highest-scoring game of the season. George finished with 32 points — including six in the second OT. Isaiah Collier and Brice Sensabaugh each had 16 points, and Kevin Love and Svi Mykhaiuluk each added 10 as the Jazz won for the second time in three games after losing six of seven. Coby White scored 27 points and Josh Giddey had 26 points, 12 rebounds…

by Rio Yamat and Josh Funk CHICAGO-The Federal Aviation Administration said Sunday it is lifting all restrictions on commercial flights that were imposed at 40 major airports during the country’s longest government shutdown. Airlines can resume their regular flight schedules beginning Monday at 6 a.m. EST, the agency said. The announcement was made in a joint statement by Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. Citing safety concerns as staffing shortages grew at air traffic control facilities during the shutdown, the FAA issued an unprecedented order to limit traffic in the skies. It had been in place…

by Dave Campbell MINNEAPOLIS  — The Chicago Bears have built this breakthrough season on the simplest and most effective way to win with a work-in-progress quarterback — a turnover margin that’s become the envy of the league. The Bears are all take and no give these days. Devin Duvernay’s 56-yard kickoff return in the final minute set up Cairo Santos for his fourth field goal of the game, a 48-yarder as time expired that gave the Bears a 19-17 victory on Sunday after the Minnesota Vikings scored the go-ahead touchdown with 50 seconds left. “This isn’t the same old Bears,”…

by Olivia Diaz, Mike Catalini and Maya Sweedler FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — Virginia Democrat Nicole Cole and her team spent much of their 2025 campaign for the state legislature standing in places like Weis Markets in Spotsylvania County, railing against prices that she said were too high: at least $3.79 for a dozen eggs, up to $7.99 for a pound of ground beef, $9.39 for coffee beans. Her effort paid off when she ousted a 36-year Republican from his state House seat. She was one of 13 Virginia Democrats to flip competitive House seats and contribute to big election wins in…

by Curtis Yee, Bernald Mcghee Carley Petesch and Nell Clark President Donald Trump signed a government funding bill Wednesday night, ending a record 43-day shutdown that caused financial stress for federal workers who went without paychecks, stranded scores of travelersat airports and generated long lines at some food banks. The signing ceremony came just hours after the House passed the measure on a mostly party-line vote of 222-209. The Senate had already passed the measure Monday. The shutdown magnified partisan divisions in Washington as Trump took unprecedented unilateral actions — including canceling projects and trying to fire federal workers —…

by Alanna Durkin Richer and Michael R. Blood LOS ANGELES  — The Justice Department on Thursday sued to block new congressional district boundaries approved by California voters last week, joining a court battle that could help determine which party wins control of the U.S. House in 2026. The complaint filed in California federal court targets the new congressional map pushed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in response to a similar Republican-led effort in Texas backed by President Donald Trump. It sets the stage for a high-stakes legal and political fight between the Republican administration and the Democratic governor, who’s seen…

by Kevin Freking, Joey Cappelletti and Matt Brown WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed a government funding bill Wednesday night, ending a record 43-day shutdown that caused financial stress for federal workers who went without paychecks, stranded scores of travelers at airports and generated long lines at some food banks. The shutdown magnified partisan divisions in Washington as Trump took unprecedented unilateral actions — including canceling projects and trying to fire federal workers — to pressure Democrats into relenting on their demands. The Republican president blamed the situation on Democrats and suggested voters shouldn’t reward the party during next year’s…

by Michael R. Sisak and Eric Tucker WASHINGTON  — Jeffrey Epstein wrote in a 2019 email to a journalist that Donald Trump “knew about the girls,” according to documents made public Wednesday, but what he knew — and whether it pertained to the sex offender’s crimes — is unclear. The White House quickly accused Democrats of selectively leaking the emails to smear the president. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released three emails referencing Trump, including one Epstein wrote in 2011 in which he told confidant Ghislaine Maxwell that Trump had “spent hours” at Epstein’s house with a sex trafficking…

by Kevin Freking, Joey Cappelletti and Matt Brown BY KEVIN FREKING, JOEY CAPPALLETTI AND WASHINGTON  — The House passed a bill Wednesday to end the nation’s longest government shutdown, sending the measure to President Donald Trump for his signature after a historic 43-day funding lapse that saw federal workers go without multiple paychecks, travelers stranded at airports and people lining up at food banks to get a meal for their families. House lawmakers made their long-awaited return to the nation’s capital this week after nearly eight weeks away, with Republicans using their slight majority to get the bill over the…