BERKELEY BALCONY COLLAPSE

BERKELEY, California — The balcony collapse that killed six college students appears to have been caused by rotted wooden beams, Berkeley's mayor says as the victims' heartbroken loved ones began arriving in the U.S. from Ireland. 

CONGRESS-TRADE

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's trade agenda appears to be back on track after an extraordinary bipartisan rescue operation mounted in the week since it was derailed in the House by rebellious Democrats backed by organized labor. 

GOVERNMENT HACKED

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is increasingly confident that China's government, not criminal hackers, was responsible for the extraordinary theft of personal information about as many as 14 million current and former federal employees and others, The Associated Press has learned. 

RUSSIA-SANCTIONS

WASHINGTON — Determined to prevent another Moscow-led rebel advance, the United States and European governments have prepared a new round of penalties targeting Russia's energy and financial sectors as part of a sanctions-in-waiting strategy that officials hope will help the West respond immediately if insurgents push deeper into Ukraine. 

PRESIDENTIAL RACE-CLINTON

WASHINGTON — Hillary Rodham Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign probably didn't need a reminder of how crucial Latino voters could be to her presidential campaign. She got one anyway from Republican candidate Jeb Bush. The former Republican governor of Florida spoke fluent Spanish during his 2016 campaign kickoff this week. 

UNITED STATES ASIA ANALYSIS

WASHINGTON — Critics have long predicted that President Barack Obama's policy to shift America's focus toward Asia is doomed. The legislative battle over his trade agenda could prove the acid test.