Riven by partisanship, the Republican-controlled House passed legislation Friday night to prevent a threatened government default and bundled it off to a swift and certain defeat in the Senate.

Employees enrolled in limited-benefit medical plans may be blocked from participating in the federal high-risk pool created by the PPACA.

An estimated 1,200 people have sought unemployment benefits in the Joplin, Mo. area after their workplaces were damaged or destroyed by a deadly tornado two months ago, according to the local chamber of commerce.