National

Congressional leaders hope to pass a deal calling for more than $2 trillion in spending cuts, but the door is still open to a downgrade of the government's top-notch credit rating. Last month, Standard & Poor's put the chances that the U.S. could lose its AAA rating at 50 percent if Congress failed to come up with a "credible agreement to reduce the debt."

Starting a year from now, most new health insurance policies will have to include a comprehensive list of women's preventive health services with no copay or deductible. Under the rule, insurers would have to cover all prescription contraceptives approved by the FDA.

As the Arctic tundra warms up, fires may become more common. And as a giant burn in 2007 shows, those fires could turn the tundra from a carbon sink into a menacing source of atmospheric carbon.

The delay suggests that the House speaker does not have the votes he needs to pass his plan. Boehner may bring the bill back for a vote later or pull the bill from consideration.

The journalist Juan Williams is out with a new book this week. In it, he makes the case that his acrimonious termination last fall by NPR is part of a larger and ominous pattern of suppressing undesired voices.

Citing decreased demand, the U.S. Postal Service said some communities that lose retail locations might get automated locations or a local vendor that sells stamps and flat-rate boxes.

Monday, July 25 at 5:00 pm In case you were wondering if and when President Obama would make a prime time speech from the White House to argue his case on the debt ceiling, wonder no more. The White House announced the president is scheduled to speak to the nation Monday evening from the East Room.