John Bolton has pleaded not guilty in the Justice Department case accusing him of sharing classified information. Bolton was ordered released from custody after making his appearance before a judge in the third Justice Department case brought in recent weeks against an adversary of the Republican president. Bolton has signaled he will argue he is being targeted because of his criticism of the president, describing the charges as part of a Trump "effort to intimidate his opponents." The case, however, appears to have followed a more conventional path toward indictment than other recent cases against perceived Trump enemies.

Senate Democrats are rejecting for the 10th time a stopgap spending bill that would reopen the government. They are insisting they won't back away from demands that Congress take up health care benefits. The repetition of votes on the funding bill has become a daily drumbeat in Congress. It underscores how intractable the situation has become as the vote has at times been the only item on the agenda for the Senate floor. Senate Republicans also held a vote to proceed to a bill to fund the Defense Department and possibly several other areas of government. But Democrats almost all voted against the procedure.

A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's administration from firing workers during the government shutdown, saying the human cost "cannot be tolerated." U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco on Wednesday granted a temporary restraining order halting the job cuts, saying she believes evidence would show the cuts were illegal. The White House budget office said Friday that mass firings of federal workers had started. That announcement prompted labor unions for federal employees to ask the judge to block the Republican administration from issuing new layoff notices and implementing those already sent out. Emails sent to the White House and the Office of Management and Budget after the judge's ruling haven't been returned.

The government shutdown is entering a third week, and Democrats say they're not intimidated by President Donald Trump's efforts to fire thousands of federal workers or by his threats of more firings to come. In fact, Democrats appear emboldened. And they're showing no signs of caving as they return to Washington from their home states. Senate Democrats, in votes Tuesday and Wednesday, again rejected a Republican bill to open the government. Republicans are now planning additional votes on individual spending bills, starting Thursday with the defense legislation that would fund salaries for the military. It's unclear whether Democrats will support it.

President Donald Trump says the U.S. has struck another boat accused of carrying drugs in the waters off Venezuela. The Republican president said Tuesday in a social media post six people aboard the vessel were killed. It's the fifth deadly strike in the Caribbean as the Trump administration has asserted it's treating alleged drug traffickers as unlawful combatants who must be met with military force. Frustration with the administration has grown on Capitol Hill. Some Republicans want more information from the White House on the legal justification and details of the strikes. Democrats contend the strikes violate U.S. and international law. Venezuela says the U.S. government knows the drug-trafficking accusations are false.

Mass firings of federal workers have begun. That was the announcement Friday from the White House as Republicans worked to exert more pressure on Democratic lawmakers to end the government shutdown. A spokesperson for the White House budget office says the layoffs are "substantial" but did not offer more details. Federal health workers, the Education Department and others were being hit Friday. Democrats blasted the move as unions for federal workers quicklyy took the matter to court. At least one Republican, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, said she strongly opposes the layoffs as harmful for her state and the country.

The federal government shutdown is raising anxiety levels among service members and their families because those in uniform are working without pay. While they would receive back pay once the impasse ends, many military families live paycheck to paycheck. During previous shutdowns, Congress passed legislation to ensure that troops kept earning their salaries. Time is running out before they miss their first paycheck in less than a week. Payday is supposed to be Wednesday, but the House isn't expected to be back until Monday. Support for military families is available through various nonprofits and charities. And some financial institutions are offering zero-interest loans. But families and advocates say that help can only do so much.

As the federal government shutdown enters a second week, there's no discernible endgame in sight. While no negotiations, at least publicly, are underway, quiet talks are emerging. This comes amid signs of political discomfort. Federal worker union leaders are pushing Congress to do its job. Military troops are preparing to go without paychecks. Flight delays are happening nationwide. The Republicans who have majority control in Congress believe they have the upper hand politically, as they fend off Democratic demands to quickly fund health insurance subsidies as part of any plan to end the shutdown. But Democrats are also dug in, convinced that Americans are on their side in the fight to prevent the looming health care price spikes.