House debates bank oversight changes
8:15
The House on Wednesday night began debating legislation that would overhaul Wall Street regulations, overcoming a last-minute revolt by moderate Democrats that had stalled one of the Obama administration's priorities. ...
Five missing Americans probed for terror links
8:01
Five young American Muslims captured in Pakistan are under investigation for possible links to terrorism after their families found a disturbing farewell video the missing men left behind showing scenes of war and...
Petraeus reveals boost in US counterterror effort
8:01
The rapid U.S. build up in the Afghan war will include more terrorist-hunting forces to chase down militants deemed too extreme to change sides, a top U.S. general revealed on Wednesday. "There's no question you've got...
Obama to note irony of peace prize in wartime
7:54
President Barack Obama is accepting the world's best-known peace award as a wartime president, an incongruity that he will directly speak to when he receives the Nobel Peace Prize on Thursday, White House officials say....
AP Exclusive: Pell Grant program faces shortfall
6:50
The Pell Grant program for needy college students is facing a massive shortfall as the country's bleak job market drives people back to school. An administration official told The Associated Press the program will cost...
Lawmakers agree to subpoena WH gate-crashers
6:41
Congress authorized subpoenas Wednesday for the White House gate-crashers to testify about how the couple got into a state dinner without an invitation. Lawmakers on the House Homeland Security Committee voted...
WA Rep. Baird says he will not seek re-election
5:59
Democratic Rep. Brian Baird of Washington state says he will not seek re-election next year. Baird, in his sixth term, said his job as congressman has been the highest honor and greatest responsibility of his life. In...
CLARIFICATION: Spy Coins story
5:05
In a Dec. 3 story about secret Pentagon e-mails describing a bogus espionage scare over commemorative Canadian coins, The Associated Press reported that Pentagon spokesman Col. David Lapan declined to identify the...
Feds go global to fight cybercriminals overseas
4:57
The tip came from another country's law enforcement officials: Eight major banks in the U.S. were being targeted by cybercriminals operating there. FBI agents fanned out that night to warn the branches that hackers...
Imam: No signs 5 missing US men were radicalized
4:50
A Washington-area Islamic leader says there were no early signs that five men who are believed to have been arrested in Pakistan had been radicalized in the United States. Five U.S. men disappeared from the Washington...
US sends Gitmo detainee home to Kuwait
4:48
U.S. officials say a Kuwaiti citizen held at Guantanamo Bay has been brought back to his home country. Justice Department officials say Fouad Mahmoud al-Rabiah was handed over to Kuwaiti authorities. A federal judge...
Islamic leader 'disturbed' by missing men's video
4:33
The head of an Islamic human rights group says five U.S. men who disappeared from the Washington area recently left behind a disturbing video. The five men are believed to be under arrest in Pakistan, where officials...
TSA puts 5 employees on leave over online posting
3:49
Five Transportation Security Administration employees have been placed on administrative leave since it was discovered that sensitive guidelines about airport passenger screening were posted on the Internet. The move...
WH reviews no-letter policy for military suicide
2:52
The White House says it is reviewing a long-standing policy that prevents President Barack Obama from sending a condolence letter to families of service members who have committed suicide. Some families want the policy...
US says negotiations continue on nuke treaty
2:06
The White House says the United States is continuing negotiations with Russia over a nuclear arms treaty that expired last week. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said on Wednesday that negotiators continue to work to...
CAPITAL CULTURE: Obama Christmas: no small feat
1:30
Christmas at the White House isn't for sissies. Take quantities that might work in a private home _ guests, cookies, parties, cards, whatever _ and add some extra zeros to get a feel for a White House-sized holiday...
White House Christmases: mistletoe and chain saws
1:06
Scenes from White House Christmases past, as recounted in the book "Christmas at the White House," by Jennifer B. Pickens: FIRST TREE The first known Christmas tree at the White House was in the tenure of Benjamin...
State Department employee placed on probation
12:47
A State Department employee was put on probation for a year for accessing more than 125 confidential passport applications of celebrities. Kevin Young, of Temple Hills, Md., is the eighth current or former State...
Lawmakers slam office overseeing Afghan rebuilding
11:43
The U.S. inspector general's office overseeing Afghanistan's reconstruction has failed to hire enough staff and issued too few audits and investigative reports, three senators are warning President Barack Obama. The...
Health care issues: Keeping what you have
11:15
A look at key issues in the health care debate: THE ISSUE: If I like the coverage I have, would I really be able to keep it if Washington changes the health care system? THE POLITICS: One of the underlying fears in...
Petraeus says progress will be slow in Afghanistan
10:57
A top-ranking American warned Congress Wednesday that the military situation in Afghanistan likely will "get harder before it gets easier." Yet Gen. David Petraeus, who executed the Iraq surge in 2007, told the Senate...
Kennedy special election puts GOP in spotlight
9:58
A state senator's victory in the Republican primary for the special election to fill the late Edward M. Kennedy's Senate seat gives the Massachusetts GOP something it's sorely missed: a place in the political spotlight....
Obama keeps focus on economy
6:01
President Barack Obama keeps his focus on economic issues Wednesday before an evening departure for Europe. The president meets with a bipartisan group of congressional leaders in the morning. They'll discuss Obama's...
Congress readies huge year-end spending bill
11:36
Congressional negotiators sealed agreement Tuesday night on sweeping spending legislation that boosts housing and heating subsidies but curbs President Barack Obama's requests for aid to Afghanistan and Pakistan. The...
Gate-crashers to take the Fifth if subpoenaed
9:51
The White House gate-crashers plan to invoke their Fifth Amendment rights and refuse to testify if they are subpoenaed to appear on Capitol Hill about the security breach. Reality TV hopefuls Michaele and Tareq Salahi...
Obama urges major new stimulus, jobs spending
9:51
President Barack Obama called for a major new burst of federal spending Tuesday, perhaps $150 billion or more, aiming to jolt the wobbly economy into a stronger recovery and reduce painfully persistent double-digit...
Lawmakers slam office overseeing Afghan rebuilding
9:28
The U.S. office overseeing billions of dollars for Afghanistan's rebuilding lacks leadership and focus at a time when aggressive, independent oversight of the country's reconstruction is more important than ever, three...
Reid: Abortion should not scuttle health care bill
7:38
Sen. Harry Reid's move to scuttle a fellow Democrat's effort to toughen abortion restrictions in the health care bill was the plain pragmatism of a majority leader who knows where the votes are _ and faces a tough...
White House to release new gov't data collections
6:49
The White House on Tuesday instructed every federal agency to publish before the end of January at least three collections of "high value" government data on the Internet that never have been previously disclosed, an...
Senate Roll Call: Abortion in health care bill
6:33
The 54-45 roll call Tuesday by which the Senate rejected an effort to stiffen abortion restrictions in the health care bill. A yes vote is a vote to reject the tougher restrictions. Voting yes were 50 Democrats, 2...
EPA unveils new policies on water at schools
6:27
The Environmental Protection Agency unveiled a new national strategy to enforce safe drinking water laws in small, rural communities on Tuesday and pledged to redouble efforts to protect children from toxic water in...
Company losing security contract for Kabul embassy
5:31
The State Department is cutting ties with the security contractor protecting the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan following an investigation of allegations that guards engaged in lewd behavior and sexual misconduct at their...
Prison population growth slows in 2008
4:57
The U.S. prison population edged up slightly last year, though the number of total inmates dropped in 20 states, including New York, Georgia and Michigan. Justice Department figures released Tuesday show the overall...
Key parts of Obama job creation package
4:16
Here are the key elements of the job creation package President Barack Obama outlined Tuesday: ____ Small Business Incentives _Eliminating capital gains taxes on new investments in small businesses through 2010, if...
General: Pakistani help could defeat Afghan gang
4:13
The top U.S. general in Afghanistan says the Taliban _ up to 27,000 fighters in the country's south _ is his main focus. Gen. Stanley McChrystal says the insurgents are effective because they can dictate terms to the...
General: Bin Laden is key to defeating al-Qaida
3:00
The general in charge of the war in Afghanistan says capturing Osama bin Laden is the ultimate key to defeating the al-Qaida terror network. General Stanley McChrystal told Congress on Tuesday that bin Laden is an...
Summary of actions by the Supreme Court on Tuesday
2:55
The Supreme Court on Tuesday: _ Appeared inclined to limit federal prosecutors' use of a fraud law that has helped win convictions of high-profile corporate executives and public officials, or throw out the law...
Steele calls Sen. Reid's slavery remark 'ignorant'
2:53
Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele is renewing his demand that Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid apologize for likening health care overhaul opponents to those who resisted putting an end to slavery. The Nevada...
Afghan war commander calls new strategy achievable
2:36
The general in charge of the war in Afghanistan is telling Congress that President Barack Obama's new war strategy is achievable and that combat force levels can be reduced starting in the summer of 2011. Gen. Stanley...
Ex-FBI director to examine Fort Hood
2:35
Ex-FBI director William Webster will conduct an independent review of the bureau's handling of information gathered about the Fort Hood shooting suspect before the deadly rampage, officials said Tuesday. FBI Director...
Feds ask for power to oversee rail transit safety
12:25
The Obama administration asked Congress Tuesday to give the federal government power to oversee the safety of subways, light rail and other urban train systems. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, in testimony before...
Court: Reconsider death sentence for Kindler
11:29
The Supreme Court will let lower courts consider reinstating a death sentence for a convicted murderer who twice escaped from prison after being found guilty of killing a man who was planning to testify against him. ...
Health care issues: Medical malpractice lawsuits
10:02
A look at key issues in the health care debate: THE ISSUE: Would restrictions on medical malpractice lawsuits mean cheaper health insurance? THE POLITICS: Republicans rally around the idea that the health system would...
White House condemns bombings in Iraq
9:57
The White House on Tuesday condemned the coordinated bombing attacks in Baghdad that killed more than 100 people. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Iraqi leaders who recently passed an elections law are...
McChrystal, Eikenberry have differed on strategy
9:13
A look at the differences expressed by the U.S. top commander and top U.S. diplomat in Afghanistan during the Obama administration's three-month review of strategy for the war: _U.S. Afghanistan Ambassador Karl...
Obama talks jobs creation
6:13
President Barack Obama focuses Tuesday on getting Americans back to work and the possibility of using leftover bank bailout money to help do it. Obama was expected to address the subject in a speech on the economy at...
Feds ask for power to oversee rail transit safety
3:06
The Obama administration wants Congress to give the federal government power to oversee the safety of subways, light rail and other urban train systems. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is slated to testify Tuesday...
Obama spokesman: 'Silly' not to allow Va. flagpole
12:46
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday that it is "silly" to think that a 90-year-old Medal of Honor winner is being asked to remove a flagpole from his front yard. Retired Army Col. Van T. Barfoot, a...
House panel to consider subpoenaing Salahis
9:11
The couple who crashed President Barack Obama's first state dinner may be subpoenaed to appear before a House committee looking into the security breach. The Homeland Security Committee plans to vote Wednesday on...
Shoals still in path of Wall Street regulations
7:17
Sweeping regulations to tame Wall Street and protect consumers in dealings with lenders are on the verge of passing the House but their fate is hardly sealed. Crucial pieces are still flashpoints, fiercely opposed by...