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These days, when many people argue for a literal interpretation of the Constitution, the idea that government can't operate until Congress agrees on a spending bill seems obvious. But it wasn't obvious at all until 1980, when Benjamin Civiletti, Jimmy Carter's attorney general, said so.

Historian Michael Willrich was planning to write a book about civil liberties in the aftermath of Sept. 11 when he stumbled across an article from The New York Times archives.

So it's April 1. But it's more than April Fool's Day. It's also the anniversary of America's first policewoman — and no, we're not talking about Angie Dickinson. On April 1, 1908, Lola G.

Native Americans intermarry at higher rates than any other group in the country, according to U.S. Census data.For the Eastern Shoshone of Wyoming, you have to be at least one-quarter Native American to be a tribal member. That requirement could mean a loss of both population and identity.

As engineers in Japan struggle to bring crippled nuclear reactors under control, Americans are marking the anniversary of the worst nuclear accident in U.S. history.The partial core meltdown at Three Mile Island on March 28, 1979, was a major setback for nuclear power in the U.S.

In Japan, efforts to contain the nuclear crisis continue. An official at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said yesterday that the plant appeared to be “on the verge of stabilizing.”

We revisit our occasional series Food Mondays by taking a closer look at bananas. In America, we eat more of the tropical fruit than apples and oranges combined.