Budget

After Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz ended his 21-hour-plus marathon speech at noon Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid quickly dismissed it as "a big waste of time."

After a dramatic night, senators voted unanimously to move ahead. Democrats control the Senate. They plan to strip a House bill of a provision that defunds Obamcare. The Senate would then send the bill back to the House, setting up another cliff-hanger that could end with a government shutdown.

City lawmakers debate into the wee hours, balloons to fly in hopes for justice, and county officials allowing "Navigators" in their health offices are in…

The Jacksonville City Council ended its meeting at 2:15 a.m. after only getting through about half of more than 40 proposed amendments.They plan to…

Welcome to WJCT First Read, your daily weekday morning round-up of stories from the First Coast, around Florida, and across the country. We'll also…

A measure from the Republican-controlled House to temporarily fund the government while crippling the Affordable Care Act now goes to the Senate. But that chamber, controlled by Democrats, won't follow suit. And the clock is ticking toward a possible government shutdown.

Observers say the president's recent fumbles on Syria and other issues have emboldened Republicans. But President Obama's supporters say he has the upper hand when it comes to showdowns over a possible government shutdown and default on the nation's debt.

The continuing resolution would technically forestall a government shutdown, but Democrats say its provision to defund the Affordable Care Act is dead on arrival in the Senate.

On a day when most in Congress were obsessed with an increasingly likely government shutdown, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held a marathon six-hour hearing on what one Republican called the most important issue to the folks back home: the 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya.

As Florida anticipates an $846 million budget surplus for the 2014-2015 fiscal year, Governor Rick Scott has been traveling the state to drum up support…