Defense secretary sees progress in Afghanistan
8:03
Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he is seeing signs of progress in the war in Afghanistan days after President Barack Obama announced a planned surge of 30,000 additional troops. Appearing on ABC's "This Week,"...
Clinton doubts Taliban will give up violence
8:02
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expressing strong doubts that Taliban leaders will change the path of violence they are now following. The secretary of state said she is highly skeptical that Taliban leaders...
Gay House members say gay-friendly bills are near
12:21
Two of Congress's three openly gay members said Saturday that the U.S. House is poised to pass bills to provide health coverage for the same-sex partners of gay federal workers and to protect all gay and transgender...
Gates: Afghan relationship will begin to change
9:24
Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the United States' relationship with Afghanistan is going to begin changing in July 2011. Gates made the comments in an interview to be aired Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation. When...
Gates: No good intel on Osama bin Laden in years
7:48
Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the United States has not had good intelligence on the whereabouts of terrorist Osama bin Laden in years. Gates made the comment in an interview to be aired Sunday on ABC's "This...
Lawmakers get little reaction to Obama's war plan
5:45
The switchboards and e-mail inboxes of members of Congress are not seeing much of a surge from President Barack Obama's plan to send more U.S. troops into Afghanistan. Health care and Wall Street bailouts? Those issues...
CAPITAL CULTURE: When folks swarmed People's House
5:32
The folks who sneaked into the president's state dinner are part of a long tradition of people showing up as they please at the People's House. It's just that the tradition vanished ages ago. Americans staked their...
At war, honored for peace: Obama's tricky moment
5:28
He's the Nobel Peace Prize winner who just ordered 30,000 more troops to war. He's the laureate who says he doesn't deserve the award. He's not quite 11 months on the job and already in the company of Mother Teresa and...
Obama administration seeks to kill Gitmo lawsuit
2:52
A 2008 Supreme Court ruling giving Guantanamo Bay prisoners the right to challenge their indefinite detention does not apply in the case of two detainees who committed suicide, the Obama administration says in newly...
'Not a step is heard ... The President sleeps'
1:51
The residence floor of the White House was heavy with sleep and "quiet as death." Through open windows the listener could hear the splash of a fountain, a distant barking dog. In an office on the second floor a...
Timeline of White House access and security
1:04
A glance at changing public access and security at the White House through history: ___ 1790s _ People wander with impunity through the construction site while the Executive Mansion is being built. Eventually, a pass...
Obama plans to talk health care with Dem senators
12:16
President Barack Obama plans to go to Capitol Hill on Sunday to rally Democratic senators at a crucial time in the health care debate. Obama plans to speak at the caucus meeting, scheduled for 2 p.m., as senators work...
Pawlenty, other aspirants travel for foreign cred
6:28
Gov. Tim Pawlenty can't see Russia from his house. Neither could former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, of course, but her suggestion that Russia's proximity to her home state made for foreign policy chops was spoofed...
Lawmakers get little reaction to Obama's war plan
5:06
The switchboards and e-mail inboxes of members of Congress are not seeing much of a surge from President Barack Obama's plan to send more U.S. troops into Afghanistan. Health care and Wall Street bailouts? Those issues...
Lawmakers rally to sailors' aid in court martial
10:03
Lawmakers are seeking a reprieve for three Navy SEALs facing court-martial because one allegedly punched a suspect after arresting him for an ambush killing of U.S. contractors in Iraq. Rather than accept a reprimand,...
Senate Roll Call: GOP effort to restore cuts
9:01
The 57-41 roll call Friday by which the Senate turned back a Republican effort to restore $120 billion in cuts to Medicare Advantage, the private insurance plan within Medicare that provides seniors with better benefits...
Kremlin agrees with US to maintain expiring pact
8:19
The United States and Russia said Friday they had agreed to maintain the provisions of a major nuclear arms control treaty just hours before the pact expired after being in force for 18 years. In a joint statement by...
GOP cautions Obama against climate commitment
8:06
Even as he prepares to argue for action at the international climate conference, President Barack Obama is getting some reminders of the domestic political divide _ and anxiety _ over climate change. Twenty...
Rockefeller aide nominated to lead DOT agency
6:58
The White House on Friday named a top aide to Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia to lead a federal agency that regulates the auto industry. The Obama administration nominated David Strickland as...
Ethics panel checking Homeland Security Committee
5:55
The House ethics committee is investigating complaints by a fired Homeland Security Committee employee, who alleged that a lobbyist made improper requests to the panel chaired by Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss. The...
Pawlenty, other aspirants travel for foreign cred
5:52
Gov. Tim Pawlenty can't see Russia from his house. Neither could former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, of course, but her suggestion that Russia's proximity to her home state made for foreign policy chops was spoofed...
AP sources: Gates signs troop surge orders
5:48
Officials say Defense Secretary Robert Gates has signed the first orders deploying troops to Afghanistan under President Barack Obama's new surge strategy. The defense and military officials say Gates signed orders for...
AP sources: US may widen drone strikes in Pakistan
5:44
The Obama administration is considering widening missile strikes on al-Qaida and the Taliban inside Pakistan and is planning to bolster the training of Pakistan's forces in a key border battleground where militants fuel...
AP sources: US eyes January for new Iran sanctions
5:30
The Obama administration is looking to press in early January for a new round of United Nations sanctions against Iran for its continued defiance of demands to come clean about its nuclear program, U.S. officials said...
Senate Roll Call: Long-term care in health bill
5:12
The 51-47 roll call Friday by which the Senate rejected a Republican-led effort to eliminate a long-term care program from the health care bill. The measure required 60 votes. A "yes" vote is a vote to to strike the...
Senate roll vote on long-term health care
5:09
The 51-47 roll call Friday by which the Senate rejected a Republican-led effort to eliminate a long-term care program from the health care bill. A "yes" vote is a vote to strike the voluntary program from the bill. ...
US general: Helmand push paves way for surge
5:01
Gen. David Petraeus says the Marine Corps offensive launched Friday in southern Afghanistan is part of preparations for the arrival of 30,000 new U.S. reinforcements. Petraeus told The Associated Press that the...
Study: Slowdown in warming last year not permanent
1:34
Cooler temperatures in North America last year do not mean global warming is easing, government and academic scientists said Friday. Their report comes just days before President Barack Obama heads to Copenhagen,...
Health care issues: Medical cost inflation
10:08
A look at key issues in the health care debate: THE ISSUE: Why do medical costs increase at a rate faster than inflation? THE POLITICS: Health care spending over the past year increased by 3.2 percent even as overall...
Lawmakers demand testimony by WH social secretary
7:41
A House Democrat says someone from the White House social secretary's office should have helped the Secret Service clear people into last week's state dinner, saying "even Walmart has a greeter." Continuing a 10-day...
Oprah visits White House for Christmas special
9:14
Oprah and Obama, teamed up again. The billionaire talk show host descended on the White House on Thursday, accompanied by a giant array of personnel and equipment, to interview President Barack Obama for her coming...
Obama family lights National Christmas Tree
8:55
Surrounded by celebrity performers and characters from the North Pole, the Obama family on Thursday led a countdown and lighted the National Christmas Tree. First lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha...
Obama delays moving US Embassy to Jerusalem
8:55
President Barack Obama is delaying moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. A 1995 U.S. law recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital and ordered that the embassy be relocated there. But the law...
Congress worries about Obama's plan for Pakistan
8:43
Facing the prospect of more American deaths in Afghanistan as the war escalates, lawmakers lashed out at neighboring Pakistan on Thursday as an unreliable ally that could spare the U.S. its bruising fight with al-Qaida...
Obama pushes to turn around failing schools
7:50
The Obama administration will spend at least $3.5 billion to push local officials around the country to close failing schools and reopen them with new teachers and principals. Education Secretary Arne Duncan hopes to...
Afghan training mission faces tough obstacles
7:49
America's eight-year effort to build a functional Afghan security force has been a study in slow motion, raising doubts about President Barack Obama's new plan to quickly get the nation's army and police in shape so...
Last American WWI survivor seeks memorial in DC
6:48
Ninety years after surviving World War I and 60 years after enduring a Japanese prisoner of war camp, Frank Woodruff Buckles on Thursday emerged unscathed from a Senate hearing. The only living American-born veteran of...
Secret Service benches 3 over gatecrashing
6:37
Three Secret Service officers have been put on administrative leave after the security breach at last week's White House dinner, an episode President Barack Obama said hasn't shaken his confidence in his protectors. ...
Senate roll call on Medicare cuts amendment
6:00
The 58-42 roll call Thursday by which the Senate rejected an amendment that would have stripped more than $400 billion in Medicare cuts from the health care bill. A "yes" vote is a vote to adopt the amendment. Voting...
Insider, centerfold lead in race for Kennedy seat
6:00
The race for a Senate seat once held by John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster, John F. Kennedy and "liberal lion" Edward M. Kennedy is shaping up as a battle of relative national unknowns, led by a state Democratic insider...
Report: No fault with forest workers in fatal fire
5:49
Federal investigators have found no misconduct by U.S. Forest Service personnel in the deaths of five firefighters in a massive 2006 California wildfire. Under federal law, the inspector general for the Department of...
Gates: 3,000 extra troops could go to Afghanistan
5:42
President Barack Obama said he'd send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. But the actual number could be higher. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he asked the president for flexibility on the number in case military...
No. 2 Justice Dept. official leaving for law firm
5:37
The No. 2 official at the Justice Department announced Thursday he is leaving the job after less than a year. A person familiar with the decision said he was asked to leave by Attorney General Eric Holder. David Ogden,...
Recall news
4:34
The following recalls have been announced: _ 1,200 Hello Kitty zip-up hooded sweatshirts, manufactured in China and distributed by NTD Apparel of Los Angeles, because they have hood drawstrings, posing a strangulation...
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4:24
Ga. House speaker who tried suicide resigns after ex-wife accuses him of affair with lobbyist. ...
House Roll Call: How they voted on the estate tax
3:36
The 225-200 roll call Thursday by which the House voted to permanently extend a 45 percent inheritance tax on estates larger than $3.5 million. A "yes" vote is a vote to pass the bill. Voting yes were 225 Democrats...
Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Eid stamps available
3:36
With the holidays nearing, the post office has two new Christmas stamps and the usual array of postage for other holidays available. Each year, the Postal Service issues what it calls a traditional stamp featuring a...
Obama says 'system didn't work' at state dinner
3:11
President Barack Obama says "the system didn't work the way it was supposed to" at last week's White House state dinner, where an uninvited Virginia couple got in and shook hands with the president. Still, Obama says...
Secret Pentagon e-mails: Trust Canada? 'Who knows'
2:48
Can Canada be trusted? In the midst of what turned out to be a bogus espionage scare over commemorative coins, senior Pentagon officials speculated whether Canadians _ widely considered to be among America's closest...
US delegation to travel to NKorea next week
2:32
A senior U.S. delegation will travel to North Korea next week for talks aimed at restarting nuclear disarmament negotiations. State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters Thursday that two State Department...