AP source: Drone attack kills al-Qaida member
11:38
A U.S. government official says a top al-Qaida operative has been killed in a drone attack in western Pakistan. The official would not immediately identify the target of the attack, which he said occurred very...
Black lawmakers grow impatient with White House
9:14
Black lawmakers who have largely held their tongues during President Barack Obama's first year in office are stepping up their demands that the nation's first black president do more for minority communities hit hardest...
House Roll Call: How they voted on spending bill
8:11
The 221-202 roll call Thursday by which the House passed a year-end spending bill that would boost funding for domestic programs and foreign aid. A "yes" vote is a vote to pass the bill. Voting yes were 221 Democrats...
A parent's dilemma: a child with ties to terrorism
7:09
It's a dilemma no parent wants to face _ fearing a son or daughter may be mixed up in terrorism, wondering whether to turn in a loved one. It was Washington-area parents who helped authorities find the young American...
House approves compromise on GM, Chrysler dealers
6:19
The House has approved a compromise plan to give General Motors and Chrysler dealers an appeals process to keep their showrooms open. A $1.1 trillion spending bill approved Thursday includes provisions to give 789...
A guilty pleasure for first lady: 'really bad TV'
5:54
Michelle Obama says curling up with the first family's dog and clicking through food and design shows on television provide moments of peace amid a busy schedule. During an interview to mark her selection as Barbara...
2009 was trying for Obama; Dems fret over 2010
4:58
Even if President Barack Obama's lofty ratings were bound to recede, 2009 has been a politically bruising year for Democrats, who now approach 2010 with deep anxieties. They lost both governors' races and their party's...
Bill protecting journalists' sources gets boost
3:48
A bill to protect reporters' confidential sources in federal court cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, ending months of stalemate. The panel sent the so-called media shield bill to the full Senate on a...
Mullen: 16,000 troops have orders to Afghan war
3:28
The Pentagon's top military officer says 16,000 troops have received their orders for Afghanistan since President Barack Obama announced his new war strategy. Adm. Mike Mullen said at a news conference Thursday that...
After walkout, black caucus gets what it wanted
3:07
Call it the $6 billion boycott. By boycotting a key House committee vote last week and threatening to abandon support for banking regulations, members of the Congressional Black Caucus got $4 billion added to a Wall...
LaHood: Ban lobbyists, earmarks in second stimulus
3:05
The latest government effort to create jobs should have the same tough restrictions on lobbyists and lawmakers' pet projects as the $787 billion stimulus plan did, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Thursday. ...
SPIN METER: Hopeful for Obama seat changes tune
2:47
As Mark Kirk campaigns for the Senate seat once held by President Barack Obama, the Republican congressman casts himself as a scourge of the pork-barrel, special-interest congressional spending known as "earmarks." It...
Judge finds Pentagon in contempt in Gitmo case
2:04
A federal judge on Thursday ruled the Defense Department in contempt of court for failing to videotape the testimony of a Guantanamo Bay detainee so that the public and the news media could see it. U.S. District Judge...
NOAA: El Nino changes in Pacific getting stronger
12:41
The El Nino climate phenomena has strengthened and is expected to last into spring, potentially affecting weather around the globe for the next few months, the government said Thursday. El Nino (el NEEN-yo) is a...
GOP questions plans to try terror suspects in US
12:06
A group of lawmakers is questioning plans to try terror suspects in the United States and move Guantanamo Bay detainees to prisons on U.S. soil. House Republicans say the Obama administration has failed to provide...
Health care issues: The cost of health insurance
10:16
A look at key issues in the health care debate: THE ISSUE: How much do Americans who have employer-sponsored health insurance pay in premiums? What do their employers pay? Would that change if the system is overhauled?...
Debating Wall Street regulations not easy for Dems
6:38
House debate over a vast rewrite of Wall Street regulations kicks off in a charged partisan atmosphere, with plenty of pressure from big bank and business lobbies determined to change it. At the same time, moderate and...
White House Christmases: mistletoe and chain saws
3:10
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...
CAPITAL CULTURE: Obama Christmas: no small feat
3:09
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...
Petraeus reveals boost in US counterterror effort
9:34
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...
House Roll Call: How they voted on tax break bill
8:58
The 241-181 roll call Wednesday by which the House voted to extend $31 billion in popular tax breaks, including an income tax deduction for sales and property taxes. A "yes" vote is a vote to pass the bill. Voting yes...
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....
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...
Pell Grant program will fall $18 billion short
4:54
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 says the program will cost $18 billion more...
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...