First Run News

For years before North Korea fired its first intercontinental ballistic missile this week, the Pentagon and intelligence experts had sounded a warning: Not only was the North making progress quickly, spy satellite coverage was so spotty that the United States might not see a missile being prepared for launch. That set off an urgent but quiet search for ways to improve America’s early-warning ability — and the capability to strike missiles while they are on the launchpad.

CHICAGO — After more than two years of political sparring, missed payments to creditors and plunging credit ratings, Illinois did on Thursday what most states do every year. It finished a budget. Yet as some lawmakers and state officials cheered an end to the longest state budget impasse in the nation’s modern history, at least one prominent and unyielding critic remained. Gov.

CHICAGO — After more than two years of political sparring, missed payments to creditors and plunging credit ratings, Illinois did on Thursday what most states do every year. It finished a budget. Yet as some lawmakers and state officials cheered an end to the longest state budget impasse in the nation’s modern history, at least one prominent and unyielding critic remained. Gov.

HAMBURG, Germany — Over her 11 years in power, Chancellor Donald J. Trump. Mr. Trump and Ms. Merkel — estranged by widely diverging temperaments, worldviews, leadership styles and visions of Europe — had a breakthrough of sorts just before their brief meeting on the eve of the Group of 20 conference in Hamburg on Thursday night.

Walter Shaub, the director of the United States Office of Government Ethics (OGE), is expected to resign from his post later this month, according to a post on his personal Twitter account. In a resignation letter to the White House, Shaub praised the OGE’s work, saying that it is “committed to protecting the principle that public service is a public trust, requiring employees to place loyalty to the Constitution, the laws and ethical principles above private gain.” In a separate press release, the Campa

Amid President ABC News’ “Powerhouse Politics” podcast. “It is incredibly clear that Russia was trying to interfere in our election,” the Oklahoma Republican said.

Vladimir Putin tomorrow at the G-20 summit in Germany, in what is sure to be a high-stakes first meeting between the two leaders. An administration official told ABC News that the only attendees for the meeting will be Trump, Putin, Secretary of State Tillerson, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and two translators and it is expected to last just over 30 minutes. The official also told ABC News that the president has a single briefing binder that he is using for the entire

Most popular on bostonglobe.com Based on what you've read recently, you might be interested in theses stories WASHINGTON - House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, who was wounded by a gunman in Alexandria last month, was readmitted to Medstar Washington’s Intensive Care Unit Wednesday, said officials from the hospital and his Congressional office. The hospital tweeted a brief statement late Wednesday explaining that the Louisiana Republican was listed in serious condition as doctors feared new dangers for infection after he underwent several surgeries after being shot in the hip June 14.

Most popular on bostonglobe.com Based on what you've read recently, you might be interested in theses stories If this morning’s press conference was any indication, we now now have some indication of how the one-on-one meeting at the G-20 summit will go.   In a statement annoucing he will join Campaign Legal Center as a senior director for ethics, Shaub appeared to criticize the Trump administration.  Representative Steve Scalise was wounded by a gunman last month and was readmitted to an intensive care unit Wednesday.

Most popular on bostonglobe.com Based on what you've read recently, you might be interested in theses stories DATA: Twitter Daniel McLaughlin / Globe Staff © 2017 Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC Continue reading by subscribing to BostonGlobe.com for just 99¢. Continue reading by subscribing to Globe.com for just $.99¢