CIA said to have won turf war against intel chief
7:31
The CIA has won a turf battle over which government agency controls U.S. intelligence operations around the world. CIA Director Leon Panetta and National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair squared off in May over...
Obama orders intel review on Fort Hood shooting
6:58
President Barack Obama has ordered a review of all intelligence related to Fort Hood shooting suspect Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, and whether the information was properly shared and acted upon within government agencies. ...
Centennial of Scouting to be honored on stamp
5:11
From Cub to Eagle, the world of scouting is being honored with its own U.S. postage stamp. The stamp design, unveiled Thursday at the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum, depicts a backpacking boy scout surveying the...
Gates: Obama picking best ideas among many options
2:35
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday that President Barack Obama wants to take the best elements from several options for the next steps in Afghanistan. Gates told reporters that the decision is near on whether...
Winning margin in upstate NY US House race shrinks
2:18
It turns out that the special election in New York for a U.S. House seat may not be over after all. After last week's election, Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman conceded and Democrat Bill Owens was sworn in. ...
Obama announces December forum on finding jobs
1:50
President Barack Obama announced Thursday that he'll host a White House summit next month on fighting the chronic joblessness that continues to be a drag on a struggling economy. "We are open to any demonstrably good...
Army: Fort Hood suspect charged with murder
1:21
The Army psychiatrist suspected in a deadly rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, has been charged in a military court with 13 counts of premeditated murder. U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command spokesman Chris Grey told a...
Health care issues: Controlling medical costs
9:22
A look at key issues in the health care debate: THE ISSUE: How can Americans control medical costs without it leading to rationing of health care? THE POLITICS: There's broad agreement that health care costs are too...
AP source: US envoy objects to troop increase
7:53
The U.S. envoy in Afghanistan, a former Army general who once commanded troops in the country, has objected strongly to emerging plans to send tens of thousands of additional forces to the country, a senior U.S....
10:56
Taylor Swift wins CMA entertainer of the year. ...
Mrs. Obama says veterans' skills can help at home
10:47
First lady Michelle Obama said on Wednesday that many veterans want to serve their communities and nation in ways that "make their entire life a tour of duty." Mrs. Obama also acknowledged the sacrifices that troops...
Obama uses school dollars to prod states to change
10:46
States are jockeying for a new $5 billion pot of education money even before the contest has begun. The Obama administration was opening the competition Thursday for grants for ideas like charter schools or judging...
AP Sources: Reid eyes payroll tax hike on wealthy
9:21
Majority Leader Harry Reid is considering a plan for higher payroll taxes on the upper-income earners to help finance health care legislation he intends to introduce in the Senate in the next several days, numerous...
Death penalty rare, executions rarer in military
8:57
Though the suspect in the shooting rampage at Fort Hood could face the death penalty, he will be prosecuted in a military justice system where no one has been executed in nearly a half-century. Maj. Nidal Hasan, the...
Gov't says brown pelicans are endangered no longer
8:46
Much like its death-defying dives for fish, the brown pelican has resurfaced after plummeting to the brink of extinction. Interior Department officials on Wednesday announced that they were taking the bird off the...
Decorated, cigar-smoking Marine runs for Congress
8:20
A decorated Marine veteran famously photographed smoking a cigar after the fall of Baghdad is running for Congress in California's most southern district. Nick Popaditch announced Tuesday that he is seeking the...
AP source: Probers didn't pass on early Hasan info
7:54
A law enforcement official says a terrorism task force did not refer early information about the Fort Hood shooting suspect to superiors because they concluded he wasn't linked to terrorism. The official says a Defense...
Retired Justice O'Connor's husband dies
7:34
John J. O'Connor III, the husband of retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, has died. The court said that O'Connor, 79, died Wednesday in Phoenix, Ariz., of complications arising from Alzheimer's disease. ...
Biden hosts luncheon for military and veterans
7:31
Vice President Joe Biden says it is the "sacred duty" of the United States to provide for active-duty members of the military as well as care for their families. Biden spoke Wednesday to a group of 240 active-duty...
Number of wounded troops in Afghanistan increasing
7:09
Far from winding down, the numbers of U.S. soldiers coming home wounded have continued to swell. The problem is especially acute among those fighting in Afghanistan, where nearly four times as many troops were injured...
Petraeus: Decision near on troops to Afghanistan
7:06
The commander of the U.S. Central Command says a decision is near on sending more American forces to Afghanistan. Gen. David Petraeus spoke to CNN on Wednesday shortly before heading into a meeting with President...
Obama asks when Afghanistan strategy could start
6:38
The White House says President Obama spent more than two hours with his war council talking about how long it would take to implement various strategies he has been presented. Obama met Wednesday in the White House...
Gitmo detainee challenges judge who halted case
5:51
A man from Tajikistan seeking his freedom from the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is challenging a practice among federal judges here who are short-circuiting the cases of some long-time detainees. The Obama...
Abortion rights backers request talks with Obama
5:09
Abortion rights supporters in Congress are asking President Barack Obama for a meeting next week on abortion restrictions included in the House health care bill. Leaders of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus have...
Syrian envoy denies aiding insurgency in Iraq
4:05
Disputing an assertion by the top U.S. general in Iraq, Syria's ambassador to Washington on Wednesday denied that his government allows foreign fighters to cross the Syrian border into Iraq. Ambassador Imad Moustapha...
Recent federal civilian and military executions
1:11
Since the resumption of capital punishment in 1977 after a roughly 10-year hiatus, only three men have been put to death by the federal government, all for murder and all in the civilian justice system. The last...
Public signing cards for troops on Veterans Day
11:53
Dozens of volunteers and passers-by are stopping by an American Red Cross building on Veterans Day to sign holiday greetings cards for U.S soldiers around the world and veterans. The event in Washington kicks off a...
AP's Davis wins Dirksen Award for bailout coverage
11:28
Julie Hirschfeld Davis, who covers Capitol Hill for The Associated Press, has won the National Press Foundation's 2009 Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for Distinguished Coverage of Congress by a print reporter. The...
Health care issues: Government spending
10:00
A look at key issues in the health care debate: THE ISSUE: Can taxpayers afford new subsidies to provide health insurance for millions in such a weak economy? THE POLITICS: With a comprehensive policy averaging nearly...
AP-GfK Poll: A grouchy public sticking with Obama
8:49
President Barack Obama still has the approval of a majority of Americans, but it's an increasingly pessimistic nation. The public grew slightly more dispirited on a range of matters over the past month, including war...
VA sec'y promises timely response to war illness
7:15
Veterans Secretary Eric Shinseki says he's working to improve the agency's ability to cope with increasing numbers of troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with mental health problems. Shinseki told CBS's "The...
Obamas to host veterans breakfast, visit Arlington
5:42
President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, host a Veterans Day breakfast in the East Room before traveling to Arlington National Cemetery. Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, will join them at both events....
White House: Obama weighs 4 options in Afghanistan
9:41
President Barack Obama is considering four options for realigning U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, his spokesman said Tuesday, while military officials said the choices involve several ways the president could employ...
Obama salutes Fort Hood victims, promises justice
6:42
Somberly reciting 13 names and 13 stories, President Barack Obama saluted the Americans killed at this Army post as heroes who died for their country _ and promised a nation demanding answers that "the killer will be...
Conn. gov's departure gives Dems hope to take seat
6:18
Connecticut Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell's decision not to seek re-election could create big political drama in a small state, where Democrats hope to reclaim the governor's mansion for the first time in nearly two...
US announces NKorea nuclear talks
6:02
A senior U.S. diplomat will travel to North Korea before year's end to try to pull the Koreans back into international negotiations on nuclear disarmament, the State Department said Tuesday. Stephen Bosworth, the...
Text of Obama's remarks at the Fort Hood ceremony
5:33
Text of President Barack Obama's remarks Tuesday during a memorial service at Fort Hood, Texas, as transcribed by the White House: To the Fort Hood community; to Adm. Mullen; Gen. Casey; Gen. Cone; Secretary McHugh;...
White House communications chief to step down
5:14
The White House on Tuesday shuffled its communications team, with Anita Dunn stepping down as expected and her deputy taking over day-to-day management of President Barack Obama's vaunted messaging machine. Dan...
American alleges mistreatment by US officials
4:59
A New Jersey man alleged in a lawsuit Tuesday that U.S. officials were responsible for falsely imprisoning him for several months in Africa on suspicion of having ties to al-Qaida. Amir Meshal of Tinto Falls, N.J.,...
Pentagon: 300 doses of H1N1 vaccine at Guantanamo
2:36
The Pentagon says a small shipment of swine flu vaccine has arrived at the Guantanamo Bay military prison. It's unlikely any of the terror detainees held there will get any of the sought-after vaccine now. The...
AP Sources: Defense Dept worker looked into Hasan
2:25
U.S. officials say a Pentagon worker on a terrorism task force looked into Fort Hood shooting suspect Nidal Hasan's background months ago, and concluded he did not merit further investigation. Two officials say the...
Gates Foundation exec tapped as foreign aid chief
1:21
The Obama administration will nominate a young former executive with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to run America's top foreign assistance program, ending months of speculation and complaints about who would...
Obama narrows Afghan strategy to 4 options
12:11
The White House says President Barack Obama has narrowed down his decision for an Afghanistan strategy to four options. Press Secretary Robert Gibbs says the president will discuss those options with his national...
Health care issues: The public insurance plan
9:37
A look at key issues in the health care debate: THE ISSUE: Should Americans have the option of getting health insurance from a government plan that competes with private companies? THE POLITICS: Many Democrats want to...
CAPITAL CULTURE: Obama pastry chef the Crustmaster
8:03
Poor Bill Yosses. He's the White House pastry chef. He makes desserts for a living. He works for Barack and Michelle Obama. They talk about healthy eating. All the time. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, right? Not...
Obamas to attend Fort Hood memorial service
5:09
President Barack Obama and the first lady will travel to Killeen, Texas, to meet with those most affected by the Fort Hood shootings. The first couple will talk privately with families of those killed and with wounded...
Obama's "crustmaster" shares his pie recipe
12:23
White House pastry chef Bill Yosses' light, flaky pie crusts have earned him the nickname "The Crustmaster" from President Barack Obama. His trick to making fruit pies worthy of a president is to bake the bottom crust...
US to send envoy to NKorea for nuclear talks
10:23
The Obama administration has decided, after months of deliberation, to accept an offer by North Korea to send a special envoy to Pyongyang for direct talks on nuclear issues, two administration officials said Monday. ...
AP sources: Bill Clinton to speak to Dem senators
9:35
Former President Bill Clinton plans to visit Capitol Hill on Tuesday to discuss health care legislation with Senate Democrats. Officials says the former president is scheduled to speak during the Democrats' weekly...
Radical imam praises alleged Fort Hood shooter
9:30
A radical American imam on Yemen's most wanted militant list who had contact with two 9/11 hijackers praised alleged Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan as a hero on his personal Web site Monday. The posting on...