Texas shootout — A paroled Colorado inmate who may be linked to the slaying of the state’s prison chief led Texas deputies on a 100 mph car chase that ended Thursday after he crashed into a semi and then opened fire before being shot down by his pursuers. Evan Spencer Ebel, 28, was driving a Cadillac in Texas that matched the description of the vehicle seen leaving the neighborhood where prisons chief Tom Clements was shot. Ebel was hooked up to equipment for organ harvesting and authorities say he is not expected to survive.

Gun debate — Gun control legislation the Senate debates next month will include an expansion of federal background checks for firearms buyers, Majority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday in a victory for advocates of gun restrictions. The announcement underscores that Democrats intend to take an aggressive approach in the effort to broaden the checks.

GOP budget plan — Moving on two fronts, the Republican-controlled House on Thursday voted to keep the government running for the next six months while pushing through a tea-party flavored budget for next year that would shrink the government by another $4.6 trillion over the next decade. The nonbinding GOP budget plan for 2014 and beyond calls for a balanced budget in 10 years’ time and sharp cuts in safety-net programs for the poor and other domestic programs.

Syria conflict — A suicide bomb ripped through a mosque in the heart of the Syrian capital Thursday, killing a top Sunni Muslim preacher and outspoken supporter of President Bashar Assad in one of the most stunning assassinations of Syria’s 2-year-old civil war. At least 41 others were killed and more than 84 wounded.

Chemical weapons — The United Nations will investigate accusations that chemical weapons were used this week in Aleppo province in northern Syria, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced Thursday. Ban said the investigation would begin “as soon as practically possible.”

Chicago schools — Tens of thousands of Chicago students, parents and teachers learned Thursday their schools were on a long-feared list of 54 the city plans to close in an effort to stabilize an educational system facing a huge budget shortfall. Mayor Rahm Emanuel says the closures are necessary because too many Chicago Public School buildings are half-empty.

Immigration policy — A bipartisan group of senators is nearing agreement on a comprehensive immigration bill that would put illegal immigrants on a 13-year path to citizenship, officials with outside groups keeping up with the talks said Thursday. The legislation also would install new criteria for border security, allow more high- and low-skilled workers to come to the U.S. and hold businesses to tougher standards on verifying their workers are in the country legally.

Colorado unions — Colorado Thursday legalized civil unions for same-sex couples, a major shift for a state where voters outlawed same-sex marriages in 2006. The law makes Colorado the 18th state to allow gay marriage or some form of same-sex union. Activists and gay couples acknowledged the law, which takes effect May 1, fails to grant full marriage equality to same-sex couples.

Kurdish rebels — Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed Kurdish rebel leader, on Thursday called for a cease-fire and ordered all his fighters off Turkish soil, in a landmark moment for a newly energized effort to end three decades of armed conflict with the Turkish government. The long and bloody conflict has claimed nearly 40,000 lives and fractured society along ethnic lines.

Cyprus bailout — As the European Central Bank threatened to shut off crucial financing for banks in Cyprus without a rapid accord on an international bailout, members of Parliament put off a vote Thursday on yet another revamped formula. In Cypriot streets, meanwhile, the mood turned increasingly dark.

Korea threats — North Korea on Thursday threatened to attack U.S. military bases in Japan and on the Pacific island of Guam in retaliation for recent training missions by U.S. B-52 bombers over South Korea. While the North has threatened U.S. forces in Guam before, the latest warning comes amid heightened tension after a North Korean nuclear test last month and the imposition of U.N. sanctions that have infuriated Pyongyang.

Russia talks — Russian and U.S. officials on Thursday reported progress in discussions about nuclear weapons reductions, in a sign that renewed cooperation may be under way just days after the United States canceled part of a Europe-based missile defense program that had infuriated the Kremlin.

— From wire reports