Court won't get involved in Hamas financier suit
10:46
The Supreme Court won't let parents of an American teenager killed in a terrorist attack in Israel collect damages from a man accused of funding Hamas. The court on Tuesday refused to hear an appeal from the parents of...
Virginia governor race a snapshot of US attitudes
10:03
Just a year after this one-time Confederate state helped elect a black man president, Democrats are desperately trying to hang onto the governorship. A lot has changed: Loyal Democrats are more subdued than last fall....
Obama welcomes Karzai standing again for election
9:36
President Barack Obama says President Hamid Karzai's decision to accept a runoff election is a key step in "a credible process" for the people of beleaguered Afghanistan. Karzai said earlier Tuesday he had accepted a...
Obama to meet with Iraqi leader, honor vets
7:26
President Barack Obama meets with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki (NOO'-ree ahl-MAHL'-ih-kee) in the Oval Office on Tuesday morning. Afterward, Obama holds a ceremony to honor recipients of a Presidential Unit...
Obama meets with Iraqi PM, honors vets, visits NYC
6:34
President Barack Obama meets with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki (NOO'-ree ahl-MAHL'-ih-kee) in the Oval Office on Tuesday morning. Afterward, Obama holds a ceremony to honor recipients of a Presidential Unit...
Poll: Corzine, Christie tied in NJ governor's race
6:30
In another indication that the New Jersey governor's race will go down to the wire, a new poll finds Gov. Jon Corzine and Republican Chris Christie tied among likely voters at 39 percent each. The Monmouth...
Obama heads to New York for campaign fundraisers
6:28
Nearly one year removed from his own election, President Barack Obama is dashing into campaign mode again, devoting coveted time toward getting Democrats elected in November and generating cash for his party in 2010. ...
AP source: Karzai expected to accept he fell short
3:41
U.S. officials expect Afghan President Hamid Karzai to concede on Tuesday that he fell short of the 50 percent vote share in August's election that he needed to win outright, but it was unclear Monday whether that would...
Analysis: Courting doctors in special interest war
3:08
In the special interest war over health care, the White House and congressional Democrats have the nation's drug makers and hospitals generally on their side; the insurance industry, not so much. Now the bill's...
Pot advocates: Looser guidelines leave questions
12:52
A new Obama administration policy loosening guidelines on federal prosecution of medical marijuana on Monday signaled to users that they had less to fear from federal agents but still left their suppliers to contend...
Report: Students need more veggies, fewer calories
12:19
School lunches need more fruits, veggies and whole grains and a limit on calories, says a report urging an update of the nation's 14-year-old standards for cafeteria fare. But the changes won't come cheaply. Schools...
Playing the White House: music on a higher scale
12:18
MELANCHOLY BALLAD The first East Room concert for an invited audience took place on Feb. 23, 1883, when Chester Arthur had more than 100 guests hear members of Her Majesty's Opera Company sing Mozart, Verdi and Wagner....
CAPITAL CULTURE: Obamas big on White House gigs
12:18
Michelle and Barack Obama sat one table over from J. Lo and Marc Anthony, and all four of them were rocking in their seats as Sheila E. shook the house _ well, really the tent. The latest installment of the White House...
Gates: Afghanistan war strategy should come first
9:36
The Obama administration needs to decide on a war strategy for Afghanistan without waiting for a government there to be widely accepted as legitimate, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday. Gates' comments put him...
Shunned Illinois senator suddenly relevant
9:29
For Democrats determined to get a health care bill, Sen. Roland Burris is like the house guest who couldn't be refused, won't soon be leaving and poses a plausible threat of ruining holiday dinner. Suddenly, he can no...
Justice blocks names in gay rights ballot measure
9:21
Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy has temporarily blocked Washington state officials from releasing the names of people who signed a ballot measure on gay rights. Kennedy's ruling Monday temporarily blocks a...
Soldier's dad: Kamdesh troops were 'sitting ducks'
8:54
Stationed at a remote, undermanned Army outpost in a dangerous patch of northeastern Afghanistan, Stephan Mace knew trouble was brewing. His father says U.S. military commanders should have known that the troops there...
School bus manufacturer to recall small buses
5:53
A New York-based school bus manufacturer has agreed to recall nearly 6,000 small school buses after the government alleged that the company tried to shift responsibility for the recalls by changing its name. Rae Tyson,...
Obamas attend daughters' parent-teacher meetings
5:28
President Barack Obama means it when he says parents need to be involved in their children's education. Obama and first lady Michelle Obama made an early Monday morning trip to the private Sidwell Friends School for...
Obama sets new policy to nudge Sudan toward peace
4:33
The Obama administration, after months of fierce internal debate, outlined a new approach Monday to settling the conflicts in Sudan, asserting a moral obligation to end "a vast sea of human misery" and a need to prevent...
FBI: Police officer deaths fell sharply in 2008
3:10
The number of police officers slain in the line of duty fell sharply last year, according to FBI data released Monday. Bureau statistics list 41 law enforcement officers killed in 2008, down from 58 in 2007. The list...
USDA confirms H1N1 in Minnesota pigs
2:50
At least one pig from Minnesota has tested positive for the H1N1 virus, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Monday, the first case of a pig contracting the virus in the United States. Agriculture Secretary Tom...
Obama spends time with students in Maryland
1:53
President Barack Obama visited a Maryland school Monday to congratulate the students and teachers on their hard work. Obama stopped by Viers Mill Elementary School outside Washington, where he met with third- and...
Dodd offers protection from bank overdraft fees
1:35
Bank customers who overdraw their checking accounts would get new protections from excessive penalties under legislation proposed Monday by the Senate banking committee chairman. The measure unveiled by Sen....
White House: Onus on Afghans to show legitimacy
1:15
The White House on Monday prodded the leaders of Afghanistan to prove to their people and to the watching world that the results of an intensely disputed presidential election are legitimate. That reaction came as...
June 21 retrial set for former lobbyist
12:53
A federal judge Monday set June 21 for the retrial of a former lobbyist who worked for influence peddler Jack Abramoff. U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle set the date after Thursday's mistrial for Kevin Ring. The...
Adviser: Obama waits on finished health care bill
9:00
The White House is waiting for Congress to settle on a final health care bill, even though President Barack Obama has a clear preference in favor of at least one specific _ the much-debated public option, advisers said....
Officials: 250,000 teaching jobs aided by stimulus
8:31
The Obama administration says spending aimed at boosting the economy has created or saved 250,000 teaching or other education jobs this year. A White House report released Monday concludes that money from a $787...
Analysis: Washington's overplayed hand on Russia
4:08
The Obama administration was elated a month ago when the Russian president said sanctions against Iran for its nuclear program could become "inevitable." Washington's reaction may have been significantly premature. ...
Obama looking at all options for creating jobs
8:18
President Barack Obama is considering all options to create jobs, including another stimulus package, while trying to pull the economy out of a deep recession and deal with a record deficit, White House advisers said...
Adviser: Obama awaiting finished health care bill
8:14
The White House will not commit to health care legislation that would cap insurance premiums or tax benefits, taking a wait-and-see approach as congressional negotiators seek a deal, advisers said Sunday. President...
White House advisers say Fox News is not news
2:34
White House advisers pledged on Sunday to book administration officials on Fox News despite claims by the president's inner circle that the cable network is a GOP mouthpiece whose programming "is geared toward making...
White House casts doubt on Afghan reliability
1:23
President Barack Obama will not commit more U.S. troops to Afghanistan until he is convinced that the central government can be a credible and effective U.S. partner, a senior White House aide said Sunday. But it was...
Gates seeking allies' help on Afghanistan war
1:14
The Pentagon's chief is undertaking the tricky task of trying to persuade allies to remain committed to the war in Afghanistan even as the Obama administration debates whether to send more troops to fight. Defense...
Dodd says Wall Street compensation is outrageous
10:46
Financial companies that were shored up by taxpayer money are now paying their employees big bucks in compensation and benefits. The chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee says that's a...
NY House race seen as test for GOP, Obama
9:37
President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton are lending their political star power to an unlikely Democratic bid to win a special congressional election in an area that's been a Republican bastion for more...
White House official says Afghan government is key
9:19
President Barack Obama's chief of staff says the central issue that must be settled before the president makes a decision about troop levels in Afghanistan is whether there is a credible government in Kabul. Rahm...
Kerry: Targeted attacks in Afghanistan not enough
9:01
The U.S. strategy in Afghanistan will require more than targeted missile strikes and use of special operations forces to succeed and should include counterterrorism efforts coordinated closely with ground troops, the...
House, Senate Dems at odds on health care overhaul
4:11
You may think Democrats and Republicans are at odds over health care. Well, they've got nothing on House and Senate Democrats going after each other. The intraparty disputes may prove the most grueling test of all as...
Kerry: too soon to send more troops to Afghanistan
11:08
With Afghanistan's election crisis deepening, Sen. John Kerry says it would be irresponsible for the U.S. to consider sending additional troops to the region at this time. In taped remarks, Kerry said it would be...
Obama, Turkish prez discuss Afghanistan
3:48
President Barack Obama has discussed a range of issues, including the situation in Afghanistan, with Turkish President Abdullah Gul (ab-DOO'-lah gool). The White House says the two leaders talked about historic...
House, Senate Dems at odds on health care overhaul
3:32
You may think Democrats and Republicans are at odds over health care. Well, they've got nothing on House and Senate Democrats going after each other. The intraparty disputes may prove the most grueling test of all as...
Pentagon ends plans to send Army brigade to Iraq
12:14
The Pentagon is canceling plans to send a 3,500-member Army brigade to Iraq, a move that speeds the drawdown there and could free up forces as President Barack Obama considers sending new troops to Afghanistan. The 1st...
Look at health care plans in House, Senate
10:39
Health care legislation is taking shape in both the House and Senate. Details are being negotiated and any final bill would have to meld proposals from both chambers. A look at various proposals: ___ The Senate...
Obama administration shifting policy on Sudan
7:27
In a new effort to engage the government of Sudan, U.S. officials say the White House will shift its policy toward Khartoum, but they warn that the violence and humanitarian abuses in Darfur must stop. Secretary of...
Biden visits Reno to tout stimulus, support Reid
4:02
Vice President Joe Biden visited economically troubled Nevada on Friday to promote the progress of the federal stimulus program and boost the re-election campaign of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who has troubles...
Figure in Abramoff scandal gets a year in prison
9:30
The former top procurement official in George W. Bush's administration was sentenced Friday to a year in prison for lying about his ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman told David...
Feds sign up locals to help enforce immigration
9:23
The Obama administration has signed up 55 state and local law enforcement agencies to help enforce immigration laws, including an Arizona county sheriff under investigation for racial profiling, the Homeland Security...
Minn. pigs may have tested positive for swine flu
9:04
Preliminary tests show three pigs in Minnesota may have contracted the swine flu virus making them the first potential U.S. cases in swine, agricultural officials said Friday. They stressed the finding does not threaten...
Investigators find flaws in Army body armor tests
7:42
The Army made critical mistakes in tests of a new body armor design, according to congressional investigators who recommend an independent review of the trials before the gear is issued to troops in Iraq and...