Employee-Paid

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton signed a new budget Wednesday, ending the nation's longest state government shutdown in the past decade.

NFL Players Association president Kevin Mawae says his group is "not tied" to a Thursday deadline for getting a deal done to end the league's lockout.

With the NFL working to end its lockout and save preseason, the struggling United Football League announced Tuesday it would push back the start of its games from August to September.

The NFL wants team executives ready to be schooled in the ins and outs of a new labor contract as early as Thursday.

Two people familiar with talks to end the NFL lockout tell The Associated Press that if an agreement is ratified by Thursday, team executives will be briefed starting that day on how the deal's terms affect league business.

Talks to end the NFL lockout will resume with the court-appointed mediator in New York on Monday and could continue through Thursday, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.

Congressional Republicans are rallying behind a long-shot bid for a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget.

Until recently, the Minneapolis-based discounter largely had avoided the labor disputes and public relations challenges that have plagued Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer. But now Target could face the same union opposition as its much bigger rival.