The Brief

A woman holds a poster bearing the portrait of Sandra Bland, a 28-year-old black woman who killed herself in a Texas jail cell on July 13th, during a Michael Brown memorial rally in Union Square in New York on Aug. 9, 2015.
Kena Betancur—AFP/Getty Images
Ammon Bundy, one of the sons of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, arrives for a news conference at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Ore. on Jan. 6, 2016.

Sheriff: Oregon Militia to Face Charges After Standoff

The anti-government activists who took over a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon are going to face federal charges when the siege is over, the local sheriff said. The group has been holed up at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon

A sales assistant watches TV sets broadcasting a news report on North Korea's nuclear test, in Seoul

U.S. Skeptical About North Korea's H-Bomb Claims

North Korea's claims that it detonated a hydrogen bomb are not consistent with independent analysis, the White House press secretary said. The nuclear test was widely condemned, including by the U.N. Security Council

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., walks through Statuary Hall just before the GOP-controlled House of Representatives votes to eliminate key parts of President Barack Obama's health care law and to stop taxpayer funds from going to Planned Parenthood, at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2016.

Congress Sends Health Care Repeal to Obama

The GOP-led Congress for the first time sent legislation to President Barack Obama repealing his signature health law, fulfilling a promise to Republican voters in a presidential election year but inviting a certain veto

The boundary of Southern California Gas Company property, where Aliso Canyon Storage Field is located, is seen as people continue to be affected by a massive natural-gas leak in the Porter Ranch neighborhood of the of the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles on Dec. 22, 2015.

Huge Gas Leak Puts L.A. in a State of Emergency

California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency over a massive natural-gas leak that has been spewing up to 1,200 tons of methane daily into a Los Angeles neighborhood for months, along with other gases

US-BUSINESS-CHIPOTLE

Chipotle Under Federal Investigation for Norovirus Outbreak

Chipotle has been served with a federal subpoena as part of a criminal investigation tied to a norovirus outbreak at one of its restaurants in California. The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Attorney's Office in conjunction with the FDA

Roy Moore

Alabama Chief Justice Orders Stop to Gay Marriage

The chief justice of Alabama's supreme court ordered state officials to stop issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, but legal experts say the effect of his order is likely to be minimal and short-lived

Vehicles travelling through a vast desert landscape,

Scientists Find Meteorite 'Older Than Earth' in Australia

A team of Australian geologists have unearthed a 4.5 billion-year-old meteorite that appears to have traveled from farther away than Mars, retrieving it just hours before heavy rainfall would have washed it away. The 3.7-lb. (1.7 kg) meteorite plunged to Earth in late November

An estimated $450 million Powerball jackpot is up for grabs

$500 Million Powerball Jackpot Up for Grabs

Millions of Americans will vie for a chance to win an estimated $500 million Powerball jackpot, which grew by $50 million just hours before the drawing due to high ticket sales. The big winner will have beat incredible — one in 292.2 million — odds