Obama delays Capitol Hill pitch on health care
10:27
President Barack Obama is pushing back a trip to Capitol Hill aimed at discussing the proposed health care overhaul with lawmakers. Obama had planned to head to the Capitol on Friday. Now the White House schedule shows...
Congressman: 2 soldiers released from custody
10:12
The office of a Texas congressman says two soldiers who were taken into custody following a deadly rampage at Fort Hood have been released. A spokesman for Rep. John Carter says Fort Hood officials informed Carter's...
Southern Dems cast wary eye at election results
10:00
Southern Democrats who watched the trouncing of their party's gubernatorial nominee in Virginia this week are starting to worry that a rising anti-Democratic tide in the South may reverse their hard-fought gains from...
'Kill the bill' protesters target health care
9:49
Chanting "Kill the bill," thousands of conservatives incensed over the Democrats' health care overhaul protested at the Capitol on Thursday, arguing that the legislation amounts to a government takeover of the nation's...
Fiorina: 'Shame on me' for not voting more
9:44
Weeks after Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman was criticized over her poor voting record, U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina tried to fend off a similar line of questioning by owning up to her spotty past....
First lady praises employees at Energy Department
8:51
On a visit to the Energy Department on Thursday, first lady Michelle Obama quizzed middle-school students about red blood cells and nanotechnology during a practice science quiz competition. Mrs. Obama also praised...
Gay partnership measure approved by voters
8:39
Washington voters have approved the state's new "everything but marriage" law, expanding rights for domestic partners and marking the first time any state's voters have approved a gay equality measure at the ballot box....
Obama laments 'horrific outburst of violence'
8:38
President Barack Obama on Thursday called a mass shooting at a Texas Army base "a horrific outburst of violence." "We will make sure that we get answers to every single question about this horrible incident," the...
Brewer running for full term as Arizona gov.
8:13
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has announced her candidacy for a full term in next year's elections, saying she'll be the strong leader the state needs to tackle its budget crisis. Brewer said during a Thursday news...
New Afghan violence makes Obama decision tougher
8:05
President Barack Obama's next move on Afghanistan is growing more difficult by the day. Deadly attacks this week deepened British and U.N. alarm over their commitments, and fresh worries about Iraq could delay the exit...
Senate rejects bid aimed at Sept. 11 terrorists
7:38
The Democratic-controlled Senate on Thursday turned back a GOP-led effort to bar Sept. 11 terrorists from being prosecuted in civilian federal courts. Instead, senators voted 54-45 to support a request by Defense...
AP NewsBreak: NYC mayor's Dem foe might run again
7:01
The Democrat who came within 50,000 votes of unseating billionaire New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is open to running again and said he's not bitter that many in his party deserted his campaign when it seemed like a...
Conn. anti-war candidate weighs run for governor
5:41
While Ned Lamont's entry into Connecticut's governor's race has created a stir, some question whether the businessman can generate the same enthusiasm he did in 2006 when he challenged Sen. Joe Lieberman. Gary Rose,...
Northwest pilots appeal license revocation
5:39
The Northwest Airlines pilots who overshot Minneapolis by 150 miles are appealing their license revocations with the National Transportation Safety Board. The appeals were filed late Wednesday, said board spokesman Ted...
Liberal lawmakers defy Obama on Patriot Act
5:36
Defying the Obama administration, the House Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to remove from the USA Patriot Act a tool for tracking non-U.S. citizens in anti-terrorism investigations. The committee, dominated by...
Obama: US must reverse course with Indians
5:32
President Barack Obama assured American Indians on Thursday that they have a place in his White House and on his agenda, telling tribal leaders their marginalized community deserves more from its government. "I get it....
US mulls DNA tests for some refugees
5:02
The Obama administration is considering using DNA tests for some foreign refugee applicants following a Bush-era pilot program that found massive fraud among those claiming family links to join relatives already in the...
Anti-abortion activists arrested at Pelosi's suite
4:37
U.S. Capitol Police have arrested a dozen anti-abortion activists outside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office after a massive protest against the Democrats' health care bill. The charges ranged from unlawful conduct to...
AP sources: Suicide eyed in Ky. census worker case
3:55
Investigators probing the death of a Kentucky census worker found hanging from a tree with the word "fed" scrawled on his chest increasingly doubt he was killed because of his government job and are pursuing the...
Clinton sees families of hikers detained in Iran
3:42
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had an emotional meeting on Thursday with the families of three American hikers detained in Iran since late July and renewed appeals to Iranian authorities to release them. ...
Senate blocks census citizenship question
2:44
Senate Democrats Thursday blocked a GOP attempt to require next year's census forms to ask people whether they are U.S. citizens. The proposal by Louisiana Republican Sen. David Vitter was aimed at excluding...
Fiorina's record at HP will be key to Senate race
2:11
Carly Fiorina's claim to fame _ her five-and-a-half years as chief executive at Hewlett-Packard Co. _ could also be her greatest vulnerability in next year's U.S. Senate race in California. Hours before Fiorina made...
Lax laws allow US companies to be used for crimes
1:54
Lax state laws allow arms traffickers, drug kingpins and money launderers to use U.S. companies to hide their illicit activities from investigators, government officials said Thursday. An example is the case of Viktor...
Health care issues: What are GOP's reform ideas?
10:16
A look at key issues in the health care debate: THE ISSUE: Republicans are the minority party in both houses of Congress. What health care proposals have they advanced, and are they going anywhere? THE POLITICS: The...
Obama meets with Native American leaders
5:18
President Barack Obama discusses Native American issues Thursday with representatives of the 564 federally recognized tribes. In the morning, Obama will deliver opening remarks and participate in an interactive...
Voters to pols: Give us jobs, results, not spats
3:18
Voters' memo to politicians: We're angry and fearful, mostly about jobs and the economy. We want tangible solutions, not partisan bickering or intraparty spats. And we'll vote either party out of office if we don't...
3 senators join forces to rescue climate bill
11:43
Three senators with differing political views are working behind the scenes to rescue troubled climate legislation. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., together with Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Sen. Joe Lieberman, a...
Classical music has its day at the White House
9:11
Classical music took over the White House on Wednesday as Barack and Michelle Obama used two concerts and a series of workshops for young musicians to send a clear message that the music of the masters isn't just for...
Former HP CEO Fiorina targets Boxer's Senate seat
8:36
Former Silicon Valley executive Carly Fiorina announced Wednesday she is running for the chance to seize liberal stalwart Barbara Boxer's U.S. Senate seat, depicting the three-term Democrat as a Capitol Hill do-nothing...
AP source: Clinton to commission USS New York
8:28
A White House official says Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will represent the administration at Saturday's commissioning of a Navy assault ship built with steel from the felled World Trade Center towers. ...
Former surgeon general's letter prompts scare
6:42
An unstamped letter from former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop turned into a security scare Wednesday as U.S. Capitol Police closed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's office for about 45 minutes. Police officials...
Democrats say elections won't stop health care
6:30
Far from chastened by off-year election setbacks, congressional Democrats vowed no let-up in the drive to pass controversial health care Wednesday, arguing that the way to regain voter trust was to complete what they...
White House: Tuesday's GOP wins not about Obama
5:45
The White House says that Republican wins in two governors' races were not referendums on the president. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters Wednesday that voters went to the polls in Virginia and...
Details on health care bills in House, Senate
4:47
House Democratic leaders have presented a new health overhaul bill that melds legislation passed by three committees over the summer. And House Republicans have unveiled their own alternative, after months of...
Young voters who helped elect Obama stayed home
4:19
Last year, 23-year-old Rashida Hill watched the presidential debates, visited the college political party meetings and put a Barack Obama bumper sticker on her townhouse door. She voted for Obama because she felt like...
Govt criticizes Toyota press release on floor mats
4:03
The government says Toyota Motor Corp. is misleading consumers about an investigation into problems with stuck gas pedals that led to a massive Toyota recall. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said...
White House monitoring crackdown in Iran
3:55
The White House on Wednesday expressed concern about a violent crackdown on anti-government protesters in Iran as President Barack Obama said he wanted the U.S. and Iran to move beyond "suspicion, mistrust and...
Democrats agonize over what might have been in NYC
3:49
Democrats who saw how close their candidate came to unseating New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg agonized Wednesday about what might have happened if the national party had not abandoned the party's little-known...
A look at credit card interest rate increases
3:41
Credit card interest rate increases are behind the House's vote Wednesday to make new rules on credit card companies immediately, accelerating the February enactment date in legislation previously passed by Congress. ...
Court worries about stifling prosecutors
2:17
The Supreme Court on Wednesday seemed worried that allowing people to sue prosecutors who fabricate evidence to win convictions might chill other prosecutions _ even if those prosecutors are doing their jobs correctly...
Economy is big issue in Va. GOP governor's victory
2:15
A Republican who promised to create jobs won the Virginia governor's office just a year after state voters helped a Democrat who promised change _ and jobs _ win the White House. Bob McDonnell, a former state attorney...
US disappointed in Italian verdict on CIA kidnap
1:59
The United States expressed disappointment over an Italian court's conviction of 23 Americans in absentia of the 2003 kidnapping of an Egyptian cleric from a Milan street. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said...
STIMULUS WATCH: Salary raise counted as saved job
1:39
The government's latest count of stimulus jobs significantly overstates the effects of the $787 billion program under a popular federal preschool program, raising fresh questions about the process the Obama...
GOP sweep: Big governor victories in Virginia, NJ
1:13
Independents who swept Barack Obama to a historic 2008 victory broke big for Republicans on Tuesday as the GOP wrested political control from Democrats in Virginia and New Jersey, a troubling sign for the president and...
Steele: Election returns show 'transcendent' GOP
11:42
An ebullient Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele asserted Wednesday that GOP victories in governors' races in New Jersey and Virginia demonstrate "a transcendent party" on the move again. The White House said the...
White House hoping violence in Iran won't spread
10:39
The White House is calling for an end to violence in Iran as security forces there crack down on anti-government protesters. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Wednesday that Obama administration leaders are...
Government agrees to pay $3 million in CIA lawsuit
9:50
The government has agreed to pay $3 million to a former agent of the Drug Enforcement Administration who sued CIA officers for illegal eavesdropping. The proposed settlement followed a ruling by U.S. District Judge...
Health care issues: Other presidents have tried
9:45
A look at key issues in the health care debate: THE ISSUE: Which former presidents have attempted comprehensive health care reform and why hasn't anyone succeeded? THE POLITICS: Many have tried. Only Lyndon Johnson...
GOP rides wave of discontent to NJ governorship
7:35
Republican Chris Christie, a former corruption-busting prosecutor, tapped into deep voter discontent over stubbornly high taxes and chronic financial problems to unseat New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine on Tuesday, despite...
Obama speaks at WI school, hosts music event
6:27
President Barack Obama travels to Madison, Wis., to speak about the importance of strengthening America's educational system. Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan will also meet with students at Wright Middle...