Pakistan to reopen supply routes after U.S. apology for troop deaths

Pakistan agreed Tuesday to reopen supply routes to the U.S.-led NATO force in Afghanistan after the United States apologized for the first time for inadvertently killing 24 Pakistani troops who were manning two border posts last November, signaling a new attempt by the nominal allies to repair their severely damaged relationship. | 07/03/12 19:05:18 By - By Jonathan S. Landay

Supreme Court health care ruling allows states to cut off Medicaid to those now enrolled

Starting in 2014, things could get worse for people on Medicaid: Not only might some states opt out of increasing the number of adults in the government health-insurance program for the poor as a result of the Supreme Court’s ruling, but they also might cut people who now are enrolled. | 07/03/12 17:23:03 By - By Phil Galewitz

Lawrence Hutchins murder case raises question of unlawful command influence

A San Diego-based Marine who was convicted of murder in wartime now will shine a light on how much influence politicians can exert on military justice. | 07/03/12 16:58:51 By - By Michael Doyle

Onetime aide to Muslim Brotherhood founder is witness to inauguration

Once the personal secretary to Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan al Banna, al Khaleq said Morsi’s election was a culmination of the Muslim Brotherhood dream even as he conceded Morsi must share power with the ruling military council, that he governs with no parliament or permanent constitution, and that Egypt is far from the kind of state his one time mentor envisioned. | 06/30/12 17:27:48 By - By Nancy A. Youssef

Health care law’s mandate unlikely to affect many people

Despite all the spin and punditry about the national health care law’s mandate that Americans buy health insurance or pay a penalty, the vast majority wouldn’t be forced to buy anything or pay any penalty. | 06/29/12 19:16:54 By - By Tony Pugh

It ain’t over – more legal challenges to health care law coming

Legal challenges will continue even after the Supreme Court’s landmark decision Thursday upholding the Obama administration’s signature health-care law. | 06/29/12 17:22:32 By - By Michael Doyle

Chief Justice John Roberts is health care ruling’s biggest surprise

At his confirmation hearings in 2005, Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. said he saw himself as an “umpire,” and that “nobody ever went to a ball game to see the umpire.” No doubt nobody did Thursday, either, when spectators packed the U.S. Supreme Court and clogged the front steps awaiting its ruling on the health care law, one of the more anticipated and possibly politically pivotal decisions in recent years. | 06/28/12 19:11:08 By - By David Goldstein

CNN, Fox jump gun on Supreme Court health care ruling

The shortcomings of instantaneous technology became evident Thursday as CNN and Fox News both incorrectly reported the historic Supreme Court decision on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. | 06/28/12 18:15:28 By - By Alex Kane Rudansky

Supreme Court rejects ‘Stolen Valor’ law, says lying about military honors isn’t a crime

The Supreme Court Thursday struck down a federal law that makes it a crime to lie about being a military hero. In fact, the justices ruled that many lies are protected by the First Amendment. | 06/28/12 17:48:06 By - By Michael Doyle and Matthew Schofield

Republican hopes dimming to repeal health care law

Congress is highly unlikely to repeal the entire 2010 federal health care law this year. And it’s going to be difficult if not impossible to do it next year, even if Mitt Romney wins the presidency. | 06/28/12 17:41:17 By - By David Lightman

Supreme Court upholds health care law, calls mandate’s fee a tax

The Supreme Court upheld nearly all of President Barack Obama’s health care law Thursday, ratifying the signature domestic achievement of his presidency and affirming the broad overhaul that Democrats had sought for more than six decades. | 06/28/12 18:20:59 By - By Michael Doyle

Consumers who benefit from health care law relish Supreme Court ruling

Having survived its most serious threat, the 2010 health care law moves forward, dented and dinged by the Supreme Court’s forensic-style ruling but still standing as the most comprehensive, costly and controversial overhaul that the nation’s fractured medical system has ever known. | 06/28/12 16:49:52 By - By Alex Kane Rudansky and Tony Pugh

House headed toward contempt vote on Holder, could be bipartisan

An eleventh-hour deal elusive, the House of Representatives was poised to vote Thursday on whether to hold Attorney General Eric Holder, the nation’s highest-ranking law enforcement officer, in contempt of Congress. | 06/27/12 18:48:57 By - By William Douglas, David Lightman and Lesley Clark

Yosemite visitors center may go to Mariposa

A long-awaited new Yosemite National Park visitors center could land in Mariposa, under a bill getting its first congressional hearing Thursday. | 06/27/12 17:51:29 By - By Michael Doyle

Rumor mill grinds overtime for Supreme Court health care ruling

Read these tea leaves: Conservative justices on the Supreme Court sound angry in their dissents this week because they already know that the court on Thursday will uphold the Obama administration’s health care law. | 06/27/12 17:35:07 By - By Michael Doyle and David Lightman

70 years gone, Montford Point Marines get their due

Soon after finishing boot camp at Montford Point in 1949, John Phoenix joined other new Marines on a visit to nearby Jacksonville, N.C. Dressed in their newly pressed khaki uniforms, they proudly strolled off the train. They’d taken only a few steps when they were confronted by a large sign. | 06/27/12 00:00:00 By - By Franco Ordonez

Democrats push to give attorney general new election powers

At a time when the Republican House of Representatives is poised to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt, Democrats in the Senate want to give him broad new powers in elections. | 06/26/12 19:25:27 By - By Annika McGinnis

Congress’ fight with Holder could drag on past vote

The debate will be explosive Thursday when the House of Representatives decides whether to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress. What happens next could be the opposite – a long, arduous legal struggle over the roles of the executive and legislative branches. | 06/26/12 18:27:30 By - By David Lightman and William Douglas

Texas hopes to keep C-130 squadron after Panetta halts aircraft transfers

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has ordered the Air Force to suspend all aircraft transfers and retirements scheduled for this fiscal year, bowing to fierce congressional opposition to significant changes in the Air National Guard and restoring hope that Texas may get to keep a squadron of C-130 aircraft. | 06/26/12 07:31:52 By - Chris Vaughn

Court keeps Arizona law in campaign, pressure on Romney

Mitt Romney’s uphill bid for stronger support in the Latino community, already wounded by his tough talk about illegal immigration, faces new challenges thanks to the Supreme Court decision on Arizona’s controversial law. | 06/25/12 18:06:58 By - By David Lightman

Coming ‘fiscal cliff’ in Congress affects hiring, even firing

Both major political parties talk a good game on the need to help create jobs. But their refusal to agree on a plan to stop the government from going over a “fiscal cliff” at the end of the year is driving American businesses to delay hiring and in some cases to actually trim their payrolls. | 06/25/12 16:54:40 By - By Kevin G. Hall

Supreme Court strikes down mandatory life sentences for juveniles

Some teenage murderers may eventually gain their freedom, as a divided Supreme Court on Monday struck down mandatory life sentences without parole for juveniles convicted of capital crimes. | 06/25/12 19:26:54 By - By Michael Doyle

Despite flood of cash, Supreme Court won’t rethink campaign spending decision

Amid a torrent of campaign spending, a divided Supreme Court on Monday declined to take another look at a controversial 2010 ruling that helped open up the political floodgates. | 06/25/12 19:26:24 By - By Michael Doyle

Supreme Court upholds part of strict Arizona immigration law

The Supreme Court on Monday upheld part of Arizona’s strict border-control law, which compels the state’s law enforcement officers to check the residency status of people they suspect are in the country illegally. | 06/25/12 16:59:09 By - By Michael Doyle and David Lightman

Obama’s immigration maneuver could box in Romney, GOP

In the week since President Barack Obama announced a plan that would allow some young illegal immigrants to stay in this country, Republicans have struggled to embrace any version of immigration reform. | 06/24/12 00:00:00 By - By Erika Bolstad

U.S. Bureau of Prisons to arm some guards with pepper spray

Corrections officers at U.S. Penitentiary Atwater in California and six other tension-racked federal prisons now will be armed with pepper spray, prompted in part by a 2008 murder that still haunts a California court. | 06/22/12 14:19:41 By - By Michael Doyle

Romney to Hispanics: Vote your wallet

Unwilling to promise the kind of immigration overhaul many Hispanics want, Mitt Romney urged an unenthusiastic crowd of Latino elected officials Thursday to look closely at his plans to boost job creation in their embattled communities. | 06/21/12 16:28:19 By - By David Lightman

Senate passes farm bill, but House debate yet to come

The Senate handily approved a farm bill Thursday, giving Californians a lot to chew over. | 06/21/12 16:19:32 By - By Michael Doyle

Supreme Court health-law ruling will only begin more debate

The Supreme Court soon will pull the trigger on the epic health-care case. Better be ready to rumble. Everyone else is, as the court should announce Monday or by the end of next week whether the Obama administration’s signature health-care law lives or dies, in whole or in part. | 06/21/12 15:04:02 By - By Michael Doyle and David Lightman

Supreme Court lets networks off hook for ‘fleeting expletives’

The Supreme Court on Thursday let two television networks off the hook for broadcasting “fleeting expletives” years ago, but it avoided making any big decision about indecency and the First Amendment. | 06/21/12 13:08:19 By - By Michael Doyle

Supreme Court ruling might undercut California's health care plan

It was just three months ago that the Brown administration, following arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court over the fate of the federal health care overhaul, promised to press forward with provisions of the law even if the court struck part or all of it down. | 06/21/12 07:00:32 By - David Siders

Senate farm bill includes food safety study for specialty crop growers

California fruit and vegetable growers might get a chance to insure themselves against a future food safety scare, under an evolving Senate farm bill poised for passage late Wednesday or sometime Thursday. | 06/20/12 16:27:22 By - By Michael Doyle

Answers to questions about the new health care law

The Supreme Court is expected to rule by the end of this month on some key constitutional challenges brought by states against the 2010 health care overhaul law. The decision will have sweeping ramifications for consumers, state officials, employers and health care providers, including hospitals and doctors. | 06/20/12 15:16:13 By - By Mary Agnes Carey

Fed extends Twist bond program, but delays further action

Shrugging off financial market pleas for more action, the Federal Reserve on Wednesday extended a controversial bond-buying program designed to lower interest rates but declined to expand into new areas even as it downgraded its forecast for employment and growth in the sluggish U.S. economy. | 06/20/12 13:08:59 By - By Kevin G. Hall

Cattle buzzed by government flights – but not by drones

First there was the lore about farm dust and how the Environmental Protection Agency was ordering farmers to control it. | 06/19/12 18:43:18 By - By David Goldstein

House votes to boost Merced River water storage despite ‘wild and scenic’ status

A divided House on Tuesday approved a bill that could increase water storage in California’s Merced River by taking away some long-standing “wild and scenic” river protections. | 06/19/12 17:50:45 By - By Michael Doyle

Panetta: 'Huge gaps' in military's review of mental health cases

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told a Senate panel on Wednesday that he is unsatisfied with the Pentagon's current approach to combating military suicides and that the Defense Department will review its procedures for handling mental health cases. | 06/13/12 18:26:59 By - By Farah Mohamed

Commerce Secretary John Bryson takes medical leave after accidents

Secretary of Commerce John Bryson stepped down Monday for medical leave, hours after reports surfaced that he’d crashed his car into two others over the weekend. Aides said he suffered a seizure. | 06/11/12 18:37:15 By - By Farah Mohamed

Obama on defense after a rough week

Beset by a litany of political headaches, President Barack Obama sought Friday to reassure voters that he’s doing his utmost to boost the anemic economic recovery but is being thwarted by forces beyond his control: defiant Republicans in Congress and economic chaos in Europe. | 06/08/12 17:54:22 By - By Lesley Clark and David Lightman

Bill seeks to reduce errors in medical radiology

A bipartisan bill working its way through the House of Representatives would create a set of uniform standards for the radiologic technicians who treat patients with cancer and illnesses. | 06/08/12 17:46:14 By - By Annika McGinnis

Southern peanut farmers say farm bill proposal would hurt them

Southern peanut growers stand in the way of a massive new farm bill that seeks to cut billions of dollars from the federal subsidy system. | 06/08/12 15:52:46 By - By Franco Ordonez

Obama: Congress ‘should explain to the American people’ its inaction on economy

President Barack Obama Friday branded as “offensive” suggestions that the White House may have leaked classified information. | 06/08/12 11:34:14 By - By Lesley Clark and David Lightman

Holocaust survivors seek help from Congress over pre-WWII insurance policies

They’ve been told no many times before, but Holocaust survivors across the United States aren’t giving up their fight to file suit in U.S. courts against European companies for unpaid life insurance policies sold before World War II worth billions of dollars. | 06/08/12 06:54:57 By - Erika Bolstad

Public employees under scrutiny after recent elections

America’s appetite for austerity in paychecks and benefits for government employees is spreading. | 06/07/12 19:00:57 By - By Tony Pugh

Senate kicks off debate on farm bill that offers mixed benefits for California

The Senate on Thursday started digging into a mega-bucks farm bill that’s a mixed bag for California. | 06/07/12 19:51:14 By - By Michael Doyle

Senator questions why refineries cut production

West Coast oil refiners cut gasoline production after a fire earlier this year at a Washington state refinery, creating a supply shortage that’s left West Coast motorists now paying very high prices at a time when the rest of the nation is seeing prices plunge, according to an influential senator and a veteran energy analyst. | 06/07/12 03:00:00 By - By Kevin G. Hall

Modesto, Calif., native Ann Veneman still promoting healthy food

San Joaquin Valley native Ann Veneman remains quite the globetrotting foodie. | 06/05/12 14:33:40 By - By Michael Doyle

Senate urged to take up pay equity for women

Gender politics takes center stage again this election year as the Senate on Tuesday is urged to consider a pay equality bill that the White House and congressional Democrats say is necessary but Republicans decry as a show vote designed to taint them as anti-women. | 06/04/12 17:31:13 By - By William Douglas

Report: GSA handed out $1 million to workers under investigation

The federal General Services Administration has handed out more than $1 million in taxpayer-funded bonuses since 2008 to dozens of employees who were under investigation for misconduct. | 06/04/12 15:23:58 By - By David Goldstein

Congress split over San Joaquin River funding in California

An ambitious San Joaquin River restoration plan once again divides the House and Senate. | 06/01/12 16:04:13 By - By Michael Doyle

Florida contestants out of the Spelling Bee

Vaidya Govindarajan, 14, and Christal Schermeister, 12, were eliminated in the semifinals Thursday at the Scripps National Spelling Bee and didn’t appear in the finals broadcast in prime time on ESPN — but Schermeister, of Pembroke Pines, was OK with it. | 05/31/12 00:00:00 By - By Meghann Myers

African-American clergy divided over gay marriage

They love President Barack Obama. But when it comes to his support for same-sex marriage, some of the nation’s leading African-American clergy are divided, sometimes passionately. | 05/31/12 20:02:19 By - By William Douglas

Miami pair advance in Scripps National Spelling Bee

Crystal Schermeister, 12, from Pembroke Pines, Fla., and Vaidya Govindajaran, 14, from Miami competed Wednesday against 278 other spellers ages 6 through 15 from around the world in the preliminary rounds at the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Both students advanced to Thursday's semifinals. | 05/30/12 20:32:20 By - By Meghann Myers

Seventh-grader takes her turn in National Spelling Bee

Visalia, Calif., resident Bridget Byerlee left her humongous dictionary at home this week. It’s awfully cumbersome to lug around, even for someone competing in the National Spelling Bee. | 05/30/12 18:24:05 By - By Michael Doyle

Sacramento-area student returns to National Spelling Bee

Sacramento, Calif.,-area student Jack Maglalang entered the 2012 National Spelling Bee with the savoir-faire of a seasoned veteran. | 05/30/12 18:18:29 By - By Michael Doyle

Oil industry opened the checkbooks to influence Alaska legislators

The oil industry spent more than $1 million lobbying in Alaska as it tried to lower state oil taxes this year, including a $3,120 dinner in Washington, D.C., when the Alaska Legislature shut down for lawmakers’ “Energy Break” trip to the nation’s capital. | 05/30/12 17:43:54 By -

Obama awards medals to Bob Dylan, Toni Morrison, others

President Barack Obama took a point of personal – and professional – privilege Tuesday, bestowing the nation’s highest civilian honor on a group of people whom he said included some of his own heroes. | 05/29/12 19:46:36 By - By Lesley Clark

Fifty years on, Dylan awarded Medal of Freedom

Few recipients of the presidential Medal of Freedom have carried more cultural and artistic weight than Bob Dylan, who received the recognition from President Barack Obama on Tuesday at the White House for contributions to American life and culture. | 05/29/12 18:55:53 By - By Kevin G. Hall

Justice: No misconduct in declining to prosecute Ted Stevens witness Bill Allen on sex charges

The Justice Department said Friday that its investigators had found no misconduct in the decision by federal prosecutors to abandon the teen sex-crime case against disgraced former Veco Corp. Chairman Bill Allen, the government’s star witness in the failed prosecution of then-Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens. | 05/25/12 17:46:03 By - By Sean Cockerham

Justice Dept.: Two Sen. Ted Stevens trial prosecutors acted with reckless misconduct

The Justice Department's internal watchdog office has concluded that two federal prosecutors acted with reckless misconduct in the botched case against then-Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens and should be suspended without pay but not fired. | 05/25/12 06:54:10 By - Sean Cockerham

Feds struggle with getting elderly, disabled back into community

A multibillion-dollar federal initiative to move low-income elderly and disabled people from long-term care facilities into the community has fallen far short of its goals, as many states have struggled to cobble together housing and other services. | 05/24/12 18:51:04 By - By Jenni Bergal

Video: Students give Congress a mouthful in healthy cooking contest

Students from around the country visited Washington to compete in the Cooking Up Change contest and ask Congress for additional funding for healthier food in schools. (Video by Elise Brown, Medill News Service) | 05/22/12 17:34:33 By -

Obama addresses Joplin High School grads on eve of tornado's anniversary

President Barack Obama told the graduating seniors of Joplin High School Monday night that they and their city had inspired the world. Speaking on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the mile-wide tornado that shredded their city, Obama said Joplin’s lesson is that lives are defined not by what happens to people, but by how they respond. | 05/22/12 07:00:14 By - Steve Kraske

New national registry lists exonerations from wrongful convictions

Obie Anthony served hard time in California prisons for a crime he didn’t commit. | 05/21/12 00:00:00 By - By Michael Doyle

NATO leaders agree on exit plan for Afghanistan

President Barack Obama and NATO allies on Sunday charted an outwardly confident path to a postwar Afghanistan, their talk tempered by a potential split in the coalition and warnings that bloodshed will continue, and perhaps escalate, when allied troops withdraw. | 05/20/12 17:59:26 By - By Steven Thomma and Jonathan S. Landay

World leaders urge mix of economic growth, austerity for ailing Europe

President Barack Obama declared “genuine progress” Saturday at the close of a summit with world leaders, saying they had agreed Europe’s debt crisis needs a jolt of growth, along with tough financial restraints. | 05/19/12 20:01:52 By - By Lesley Clark McClatchy Newspapers

New opium production bodes ill for Afghan security

Four years ago, Afghan and U.S. officials touted Nangarhar as a model for Afghanistan’s other 33 provinces, bolstered by successes against the Taliban and the near-total eradication of opium poppies. | 05/18/12 17:06:11 By - By Jonathan S. Landay

Democratic leader Debbie Wasserman Schultz targeted by Republican hopefuls

One of her potential Republican rivals recently depicted Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz in a spiked collar, calling her "Obama’s attack dog." Another lost to the Democratic congresswoman from Florida by more than 22 points just two years ago. Another was the butt of a joke on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” when he tried to explain a group he heads called “Americans Against Hate.” | 05/18/12 15:17:33 By - By Erika Bolstad

G-8 meeting at presidential retreat at Camp David, Md.

U.S. presidents have long sought relief from battles inside the Beltway and have entertained visiting heads of state at Camp David, the presidential retreat nestled in a mountain range in nearby Maryland. | 05/16/12 19:55:42 By - Lesley Clark

After teen’s fatal fall from airliner, Congress questions airport security

The case of a Charlotte, N.C., teenager who died after stowing away in the wheel well of a jet was part of a federal hearing Wednesday on airport security problems. | 05/16/12 18:33:16 By - By Franco Ordonez

New law allows Tracy, Calif., to buy land for solar project

Capping a rare show of congressional bipartisanship, and several years of work, President Barack Obama on Wednesday signed into law a bill that frees up 150 acres for purchase by the city of Tracy in California’s San Joaquin Valley. | 05/16/12 17:27:57 By - By Michael Doyle

Boehner vows another showdown over debt and taxes

House Speaker John Boehner set the stage Tuesday for another tense, partisan showdown over tax and spending policy later this year, as he vowed to insist on big spending cuts before he’ll agree to a new debt ceiling – much like last summer’s debt showdown debacle – and he also promised a vote before November’s elections on whether to prevent Bush-era tax cuts from expiring at year’s end, as scheduled. | 05/15/12 17:25:24 By - By David Lightman

Law enforcement remember their fallen

Captain Jennifer Horton, of the Fresno County, Calif., Sheriff’s Department, stood erect in the near-shadow of the U.S. Capitol early Tuesday. Her hand covered her heart. Her eyes were straight ahead. Her law enforcement brethren, some 20,000 strong, stood all around as bagpipes cried out. | 05/15/12 16:09:37 By - By Michael Doyle

Same-sex partners of employees increasingly get health benefits

President Obama’s stand last week in favor of same-sex marriage has no legal effect on employers’ decisions on whether to offer benefits to workers’ domestic partners, but some advocates believe it could reinforce a decade-long trend toward coverage. | 05/14/12 14:57:54 By - By Julie Appleby

Some Bay of Pigs history to remain secret

A federal judge has ruled that the last volume in a CIA history of the Bay of Pigs invasion that was written more than 30 years ago and 51 years after the ill-fated Cuban mission should remain secret. | 05/14/12 07:06:19 By - Mimi Whitefield

Already at rest, now honored at Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall

Flora Brooks on Friday touched the engraved name of her late husband, the wounded soldier who won her devotion. | 05/11/12 17:45:24 By - By Michael Doyle

J.P. Morgan’s bad bet sparks firestorm over regulation

J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.’s stunning after-hours announcement Thursday of a $2 billion loss on a complex bet sent shock waves through the nation’s capital Friday, as lawmakers blamed financial regulators for continuing to allow the same risky activity that nearly sunk the global financial system four years ago. | 05/11/12 17:18:15 By - By Kevin G. Hall

China's artist/activist Ai Weiwei works on exhibit in D.C. museums

If your concept of Chinese art is delicately painted screens and fragile porcelain cups, prepare for your world to be upended on a visit to Washington, D.C. This month, Ai Weiwei, the prolific Chinese artist and political activist, will have two shows on display, and a huge 40-piece retrospective of his work is coming in October. | 05/11/12 12:09:27 By - Tish Wells

Grant to boost use of food stamps at farmers markets

Many farmers markets accept only cash or checks, a big problem for low-income shoppers on food stamps. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is trying to change that. | 05/10/12 18:56:10 By - By Meghann Myers

Video: Kids get a safety refresher on Bike to School Day

Parents and kids learned about the importance of bike safety on the first National Bike to School Day. (Video by Elise Brown, Medill News Service) | 05/10/12 15:06:36 By -

Stun gun cases could electrify the Supreme Court

Malaika Brooks was seven months pregnant when a Seattle police officer stunned her with a Taser. Hawaii resident Jayzel Mattos was at home when she, too, got zapped by police. | 05/10/12 14:25:54 By - By Michael Doyle

Tea-party lawmakers face quandary in House vote on export bank

A vote Wednesday in the House of Representatives to pour billions into a little-known federal bank illustrates the divide among tea party-backed lawmakers torn between upholding anti-government principles and helping American companies compete in foreign markets. | 05/09/12 19:00:14 By - By James Rosen

'Presidential Campaign Posters' offers lessons in history

OK, political groupies, travel back through time to the campaigns of yesteryear. You can even wallpaper your bedroom with (long dead) politicians touting their virtues — and sometimes sliming their opponents. | 05/09/12 11:31:57 By - Tish Wells

Raspberry growers get go-ahead for ad program

Get ready for the dancing raspberries, or something like them. | 05/08/12 16:28:57 By - By Michael Doyle

Seasonal farm-worker visa program frustrates growers

As the summer growing season approaches, farmers across the county are experiencing widespread frustration over the federal H-2A visa program for seasonal agriculture workers. | 05/07/12 20:06:36 By - By Sean Cockerham

Robert and Anne Bass live in historic house in Washington, D.C.

Fort Worth billionaire Robert Bass and his wife, Anne, own a piece of Washington history -- a Georgetown home where Gen. Ulysses S. Grant lived after the Civil War. | 05/07/12 19:38:03 By - Maria Recio

Obama won’t say yea or nay on gay marriage, as pressure builds

Slowly, perhaps inexorably, America is warming to the idea of same-sex marriage. One uniquely prominent American, however, refuses to be rushed. | 05/07/12 18:45:53 By - By Steven Thomma

Study on BPA health effects in monkeys raises breast cancer concerns

A new study of fetal exposure to BPA, a plastic additive found in some food packaging, shows that the chemical altered the mammary gland development in monkeys. The researchers reported that the changes they observed in the monkeys reinforce concerns that BPA – bisphenol A – could contribute to breast cancer in women. | 05/07/12 17:42:37 By - By Renee Schoof

Health care increasingly out of reach for millions of Americans

More privately insured Americans delay treatment, while safety net programs cannot meet demand by under and uninsured. | 05/07/12 16:00:00 By - By Phil Galewitz

Chen’s activism focuses on China’s one-child policy

At the crux of Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng’s activism is his country’s one-child policy that, with few exceptions, controls family planning in the country, imposing fines and forcing women into unwanted abortions or sterilizations. | 05/04/12 18:00:00 By - By James Rosen

Office of Special Counsel investigating Army Criminal Investigation Lab

A federal agency in charge of investigating whistleblower complaints is scrutinizing the military’s top crime lab, already troubled by sloppy evidence handling and botched analysis of DNA. | 05/04/12 16:13:10 By - By Marisa Taylor

Ethnic communities fertile turf for political fundraising

Ethnic loyalties can kick-start a congressional challenge, San Joaquin Valley races show, but beware: crossing the finish line takes more. | 05/02/12 17:49:00 By - By Michael Doyle

Feds review online marketing of beer, liquor and wine

Twitter didn’t exist the last time the Federal Trade Commission seriously checked out alcohol advertising, back in the last decade. | 05/01/12 16:30:51 By - By Michael Doyle

States seek court action on Yucca nuclear-waste dump

Federal judges are again being asked to solve a difficult problem that lawmakers can’t fix: the decades-old morass of how to handle tons of nuclear waste lying in temporary storage around the country. | 04/30/12 18:24:30 By - By James Rosen

Obama quips jokes at annual DC press dinner

President Barack Obama poked fun at his Republican rivals Saturday night, but didn't spare his own Secret Service, secretary of state or even his past indulgence of exotic cuisine as he delivered remarks before a glittery crowd of Hollywood stars, political power brokers and journalists. | 04/29/12 13:22:00 By - Lesley Clark

Tourism on pack animals to stay in California national parks

In a rare show of bipartisanship, lawmakers joined forces Friday to keep commercial horse-and-mule packing operations open in Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks for at least the next two years. | 04/27/12 14:36:50 By - By Michael Doyle

Deal-cutting time comes for California water

The House and Senate now are on another collision course over California water, with the serious deal-making about to begin. | 04/26/12 17:28:41 By - By Michael Doyle

Arizona immigration law’s supporters, opponents rally outside Supreme Court

“Los immigrantes, somos importantes!” protesters chanted Wednesday outside the Supreme Court. Immigrants, we are important. | 04/25/12 18:35:07 By - By Meghann Myers

Senate votes to extend Saturday postal service

Saturday postal delivery could continue for at least two years. And the closing of post offices in smaller communities may not happen as quickly as advertised. | 04/25/12 17:41:14 By -

Napolitano: Obama wasn’t endangered by Secret Service snafu

President Barack Obama’s safety in Colombia wasn’t compromised because of a prostitution scandal that involved Secret Service and U.S. military personnel, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told a Senate committee Wednesday. | 04/25/12 16:48:24 By - By William Douglas

Many questions as Supreme Court hears Arizona immigration case

Supreme Court justices sounded sympathetic Wednesday to Arizona’s controversial efforts to crack down on illegal immigrants, while raising some questions about the potential consequences for individuals and for national policy. | 04/25/12 13:13:39 By - By Michael Doyle

Prostitution scandal claims two more Secret Service employees

Two more Secret Service employees resigned Tuesday in the aftermath of an overseas prostitution scandal that President Barack Obama said involved “knuckleheads” but doesn’t typify the agency that protects the first family and other dignitaries. | 04/24/12 20:22:33 By - By William Douglas

Alaska tribes say Violence Against Women Act could harm their people

Alaska Natives are lining up in opposition to Lower 48 tribes over the congressional reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, saying it actually would take away their power to intervene in domestic violence. | 04/24/12 18:12:57 By - By Sean Cockerham

Senate panel approves water bill with provisions for California farmers

The Interior Department would prepare new plans to boost water deliveries and storage in California’s Central Valley, potentially under streamlined environmental reviews, under a funding bill approved by a key Senate panel Tuesday. | 04/24/12 16:55:02 By - By Michael Doyle

Supreme Court to hear Arizona immigration case this week

In their latest highly charged faceoff, the justices must decide whether Arizona went too far with a crackdown that includes ordering police to routinely check the legal residency status of people they stop. The court’s final answer this election year could ignite Capitol Hill, other states and, not least, Hispanic voters. | 04/22/12 19:02:47 By - By Michael Doyle

Tainted evidence aside, did Ted Stevens do it?

Colleen Walsh, one of the jurors who found then-Alaska Republican Sen. Ted Stevens guilty in 2008, wonders every time she reads a story about prosecutors concealing evidence during the trial whether any of it would have resulted in a different verdict. | 04/22/12 00:00:00 By - By Sean Cockerham

State GOP leaders rally behind Romney at party conference

Mitt Romney on Friday all but seized control of the Republican Party, rallying party leaders from around the country with a vow to draft every one of his many rivals into waging the campaign against President Barack Obama and the Democrats. | 04/20/12 19:05:59 By - By Steven Thomma

Video: Former astronauts welcome space shuttle Discovery to Smithsonian

Former astronauts, including John Glenn, reflected on their time in space as the shuttle Discovery arrived at the National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center. (Video by Elise Brown, Medill News Service) | 04/20/12 18:31:16 By -

Obama proclaims Fort Ord National Monument on California’s Central Coast

The White House on Friday announced the creation of the Fort Ord National Monument, a stretch of grassland, oak and shrub landscape on California’s Central Coast where 1.5 million American soldiers trained before heading off to war. | 04/20/12 18:49:25 By - By Renee Schoof McClatchy Newspapers

Congress poised to reject high-speed rail funding

The Obama administration sought $1 billion for high-speed rail next year; Congress is on track to provide zip. | 04/20/12 17:09:00 By - By Michael Doyle

Congress honors UC-Merced for anti-violence program

Federal lawmakers on Thursday saluted a University of California at Merced venture that may help keep the rural campus safer than most. | 04/19/12 19:11:27 By - By Michael Doyle

EPA orders air pollution controls for fracked gas wells

Air pollution from thousands of natural gas wells that are “fracked” every year will be reduced under regulations that the Environmental Protection Agency issued on Wednesday. | 04/19/12 09:43:35 By - By Renee Schoof

Calif. Congress hopefuls pay late taxes after questions raised

Former astronaut Jose Hernandez and Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Turlock, Calif., differ politically, but until Wednesday they shared a need to catch up on some taxes. | 04/18/12 13:43:04 By - By Michael Doyle

Video: Discovery space shuttle flies over Washington

The NASA space shuttle Discovery made its final flight, mounted atop a modified 747, over the Washington metro area. (Video by Natalie Brunell, Medill News Service) | 04/17/12 19:12:12 By -

McCaskill seeks law to stop GSA-like partying

Forgive Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri if she’s leery of the General Services Administration’s ability to police itself. | 04/17/12 18:59:10 By - By David Goldstein

With last flight, Discovery shuttle again captivates nation

Retired space shuttle Discovery streaked across the sky one last time Tuesday, piggybacking on a modified Boeing 747 jetliner to Washington Dulles International Airport as it headed for its final resting place: on display at the Smithsonian Institution. | 04/17/12 17:48:32 By - By David J. Unger

Obama proposes new action on oil speculation

Utilizing the bully pulpit in an attempt to push down stubbornly high oil prices, President Barack Obama on Tuesday announced five steps to strengthen oversight of the financial markets where contracts for future delivery of crude are traded and proposed increased funding for regulators to monitor these markets. | 04/17/12 17:29:26 By - By Kevin G. Hall and Lesley Clark

Campaign dollars flow in Washington state

Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell has $4.6 million in the bank as she seeks to win a third term in November, while President Barack Obama has raised more than three times as much as his Republican challenger Mitt Romney in Washington state. | 04/17/12 16:32:23 By - By Rob Hotakainen McClatchy Newspapers

Senate falls short in vote on “Buffett Rule” millionaire tax

Democrats fell short of the 60 votes they needed under Senate rules to cut off debate and vote on the so-called “Buffett Rule” tax on millionaires. | 04/16/12 19:39:58 By - By David Lightman

Lawmakers of both parties blast GSA for lavish spending

House Republicans and Democrats blasted the General Services Administration on Monday for an “indefensible and intolerable pattern of misconduct,” typified by a lavish 2010 conference in Las Vegas in which the agency spent more than $800,000 on food, drink, entertainment and videos that mocked lawmakers charged with overseeing the agency. | 04/16/12 19:09:31 By - By William Douglas

Former Bush EPA chief, Christine Todd Whitman, sounds alarm on chemical security

Wading into a decade-old controversy, former Environmental Protection Agency chief Christine Todd Whitman has urged current EPA administrator Lisa Jackson to close loopholes in a 2006 chemical security law "before a tragedy of historic proportions occurs." | 04/15/12 12:00:00 By - Jim Morris

Congress tees up hearings on GSA's lavish Las Vegas conference

The federal officials who partied too hard in Las Vegas will now suffer the hangover on Capitol Hill, as lawmakers compete to out-investigate one another. | 04/13/12 16:29:00 By - Michael Doyle

U.S. and Brazilian presidents talk trade, economics at White House meeting

The leaders of the Americas' two largest democracies met Monday at the White House, with President Barack Obama and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff stressing collaborating in areas such as education, science and technology and discussing the need to strengthen their economic relationship. | 04/09/12 19:55:00 By - Vinod Sreeharsha and Lesley Clark

Brazil-U.S. dispute over planes for Afghanistan likely topic of presidential talks

When Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff meets with President Barack Obama on Monday at the White House, the two leaders are likely to publicly use phrases like "deepening friendship" and "partnership" and highlight collaborations in science and education. | 04/06/12 19:51:41 By - Vinod Sreeharsha

Alaa Ali case questions whether civilians should be court-martialed

Iraqi-born translator Alaa "Alex" Ali never served in the U.S. military, but the Army still tried him and put him in jail. Now the amendment that made Ali's military prosecution possible, authored by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., could be one step closer to Supreme Court review. Whatever happens next will affect myriad U.S. contractors still working in Iraq and Afghanistan. | 04/06/12 18:41:00 By - Michael Doyle

Congress is so divided it can't even pass a highway bill anymore

Providing money for highways and infrastructure historically has been one of Congress' easiest tasks. After all, it gives every lawmaker a chance to go home, stand in front of a bumpy highway and explain how he or she is making life better. Not anymore. | 04/05/12 17:01:01 By - David Lightman

Spending hike sought to help end veterans' homelessness

Darren Spencer, a 39-year-old Army veteran from Tacoma, Wash., found himself homeless after losing his $15.45-an-hour job as a furniture mover a year ago. He takes pills for his depression and has trouble hearing. He has no car, and his unemployment benefits ran out in December. | 04/05/12 14:28:00 By - Rob Hotakainen

Friends of Stevens group seeks Justice Dept. accountability

An advocacy group started by friends of the late U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens is on a rampage, calling for accountability in the U.S. Department of Justice and specifically for the firing of two prosecutors and an FBI agent who pursued the flawed and failed corruption case against him. | 04/04/12 06:55:16 By - Lisa Demer

Impact of ending military's 'don't ask, don't tell' law 'negligible'

For 13 years, Marine Maj. Darrel Choat didn't tell. That meant 13 years of demurring when the wives of fellow officers tried to set him up with women they knew. It meant sneaking away to attend the funeral of a friend who'd died of AIDS. It meant staying silent when fellow Marines ranted about "fags." | 04/03/12 14:55:00 By - Matthew Schofield

Much could change with Supreme Court decision on health care law

The Supreme Court's historic health care decision, expected early this summer, has strong potential to jolt consumers, Congress, this year's political campaigns and the nation's health care industry. | 03/30/12 14:22:00 By - David Lightman and Michael Doyle

D.C. celebrates ‘Japan Spring’ with exhibits by Hokusai, Kazunobu and Jakuchu

In honor of the 100th anniversary of the Japanese gift of cherry blossom trees to Washington, D.C., two major art museums have joined forces for a “Japan Spring” trifecta. | 03/30/12 13:25:00 By - Tish Wells

Can you predict an outcome from Supreme Court justices' questions?

Supreme Court justices can hide their intentions in plain sight, even with something as complicated as health care. The judicial utterances during this week's lengthy oral arguments left a common impression that the conservative-led court might strike down some or all of the 2010 health care law. | 03/29/12 18:09:00 By - Michael Doyle

Who's the woman out front against health care law? Florida AG Pam Bondi

Blessed with sound-bite sensibilities in an all-male scrum of long-winded gray suits, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi stood out in Washington this week as the unofficial spokeswoman for the 26 states that challenged the health care law to the Supreme Court. | 03/28/12 19:44:00 By - Erika Bolstad

Justice Department: We won't repeat Ted Stevens mistake

The U.S. Justice Department said Wednesday that its misconduct in the case against then-Alaska Republican Sen. Ted Stevens was an isolated incident and Congress shouldn't pass a law forcing prosecutors to disclose all evidence they have to the defense. | 03/28/12 19:22:00 By - Sean Cockerham

Senate begins probe of Army's handling of PTSD cases

Fearing that the Army may be mishandling the matter, the top senator on the veterans affairs panel said Wednesday that she has begun an investigation into whether military hospitals across the country are denying treatment to service members with post-traumatic stress disorder because of cost considerations. | 03/28/12 18:02:00 By - Rob Hotakainen

Rep. Bobby Rush dons hoodie on House floor re Trayvon Martin, gets tossed out

Rep. Bobby Rush went to the floor of the House of Representatives on Wednesday with two thoughts: a hoodie is not a hat. Nor is it an article of clothing that's a true measure of an individual. | 03/28/12 17:04:00 By - William Douglas and Erika Bolstad

Supreme Court wraps up arguments over health care law

The Supreme Court on Wednesday sounded out the notion that most of a major health care law could survive even if its most controversial provision were struck down. | 03/28/12 12:36:00 By - Michael Doyle and David Lightman

Trayvon Martin slaying sparks racial profiling discussions on Capitol Hill

As Trayvon Martin's parents, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, entered a crowded congressional hearing room Tuesday, time stood nearly still. | 03/27/12 19:08:00 By - Erika Bolstad

On Day 2, Supreme Court health care arguments center on mandate

WASHINGTON — A clearly divided Supreme Court cast serious doubts on the Obama administration's signature health care law Tuesday, emboldening the Republicans who now are eagerly campaigning to kill it. | 03/27/12 18:13:00 By - Michael Doyle and David Lightman

On Day 2, Supreme Court health care arguments center on mandate

A clearly divided Supreme Court cast serious doubts on the Obama administration's signature health care law Tuesday, emboldening the Republicans who now are eagerly campaigning to kill it. | 03/27/12 13:05:00 By - Michael Doyle and David Lightman

Supreme Court health care arguments begin today

The circus surrounding the Supreme Court health care arguments this week will begin before dawn Monday. | 03/25/12 12:57:00 By - Michael Doyle and David Lightman

Health care industry weighs in — or not — on Supreme Court case

Before the raucous legislative battle to pass the health care law in 2010, there was a quieter but significant process that brought health industry players to the negotiating table. Insurers, hospitals and drug makers all cut deals to help shape what would become the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. | 03/22/12 16:30:00 By - Jay Hancock

Whom to watch in the Supreme Court health law arguments

Lawyers and plaintiffs in the Supreme Court health law arguments | 03/22/12 14:44:00 By - Michael Doyle and David Lightman

Supreme Court health law rulings could have big impact

The Supreme Court will engage next week in a historic three-day showdown over health care, leading to decisions that could ensnare everyone from private citizens to the president of the United States. | 03/22/12 14:43:00 By - Michael Doyle and David Lightman

GOP-led House votes to delete plank of health care law

The House of Representatives voted Thursday to repeal a key part of the 2010 federal health care law, triggering a bitter, partisan debate that's likely to be repeated throughout this election year. | 03/22/12 13:14:18 By - David Lightman

Immigration, marriage laws leave same-sex couples in limbo

Love may cross oceans and borders, but tens of thousands of same-sex couples in the United States live under the threat of separation because federal law prohibits immigration authorities from treating them the same as married opposite-sex couples. | 03/21/12 14:35:00 By - Curtis Tate

Video games become an art with Smithsonian exhibit

Chris Melissinos, 42, fondly remembers his first computer, a Commodore VIC-20, on which he played “Pong” (the 1970s game based on table tennis). Melissinos is the guest curator of “The Art of Video Games,” a new exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. | 03/21/12 14:06:30 By - Tish Wells

Export-Import Bank fight pits S.C. Sens. Graham, DeMint against each other

Sens. Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint, both South Carolina Republicans, are leading opposite sides of a fight within their party over a federal export-assistance program expected to reach the Senate floor Tuesday. | 03/19/12 18:23:00 By - James Rosen

USDA: Schools can opt not to feed 'pink slime' to students

After a public uproar sparked by a Houston mom's online petition, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture on Thursday backed off the federal school lunch program's use of "pink slime" by letting school districts decide whether to accept the controversial beef product. | 03/15/12 19:05:00 By - Maria Recio

Senate women lead fight to renew domestic violence law

After winning a fight just last week to preserve contraceptive health-insurance coverage for women, Senate Democrats on Thursday battled conservative Republicans who say they don't want to expand an 18-year-old federal law that created a national strategy to prevent domestic violence against women. | 03/15/12 18:14:53 By - Rob Hotakainen and Sean Cockerham

How the cherry blossom became a Washington hallmark

This year, Washington will mark the 100th anniversary of those trees, some of which still exist, though most of the originals have died and been replaced. Their blossoming is celebrated annually with the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which is timed for late March, when the blooms are at their peak. This year the festival runs from March 20 to April 27. The peak, when 70 percent of the trees are covered in blossoms, is forecast for March 20-23. | 03/15/12 16:38:00 By - By Tish Wells

If Supreme Court kills individual health mandate, then what?

When Barack Obama ran for president in 2008, he insisted the nation could fix its health care system without requiring everyone to carry insurance. As the Supreme Court prepares to weigh in on the health care law, Obama is facing the possibility that he may have to make good on his campaign claim. | 03/15/12 14:48:00 By - By Jordan Rau

Probe into Ted Stevens case finds vital evidence concealed

A special prosecutor’s finding that Justice Department attorneys concealed vital information from the defense in the case against then-Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, one of the nation’s longest-serving senators, has prompted calls for Congress to clamp down on prosecutors. | 03/15/12 10:26:27 By - By Sean Cockerham and Richard Mauer

Air Force to reassess C-130 plans

Air Force officials declared at a Senate hearing Wednesday that the military is reconsidering its decision to move the 136th Airlift Wing from Fort Worth. | 03/15/12 07:00:54 By - Maria Recio

Obama, Cameron vow to stay the course in Afghanistan

President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron said Wednesday that they didn't see a need to accelerate the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, regardless of violent outbreaks abroad or war weariness at home. | 03/14/12 17:56:00 By - Steven Thomma

At long last, South Korean trade pact kicks in

Pop the corks: After years of talk and delay, a historic trade pact between the United States and South Korea kicks in Thursday, and officials predict it will increase wine exports from Washington state by 40 to 50 percent in the first year alone. | 03/14/12 16:37:17 By - By Rob Hotakainen

Sen. Barbara Boxer claims success with bipartisan transportation bill

The Senate's approval Wednesday of a two-year, $109 billion transportation bill gives Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer a prize that has sometimes eluded her: a newly polished reputation for legislative deal-making. | 03/14/12 16:33:19 By - Michael Doyle

Transportation spending - Washington spin makes good look even better

The Senate on Tuesday plans to debate, and likely pass this week, an ideal election-year bill: a bipartisan plan to spend billions on highway and transit projects. | 03/12/12 17:56:46 By - David Lightman

Secret Service Deputy Director Prewitt retires

Keith L. Prewitt, the deputy director of the U.S. Secret Service, is retiring, the service announced Monday. | 03/12/12 16:32:12 By - Steven Thomma

Fort Worth's Rep. Kay Granger is a power on foreign affairs

The two powerful women sat across from each other in the ornate, gold-curtained congressional hearing room: U.S. Rep. Kay Granger was at the center of the dais and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in the witness seat as the Fort Worth Republican grilled her on world affairs. | 03/11/12 15:42:00 By - Maria Recio

Justice Dept. faults North Carolina courts over interpreters

A federal investigation has found the North Carolina court system is violating the rights of people who speak little or no English by failing to provide sufficient interpreters. | 03/09/12 10:28:31 By - Franco Ordoñez

Marine's sex assault conviction tossed as prosecution questioned

An appeals court has thrown out the sexual assault conviction of a Marine in yet another example of the growing legal questions sparked by the U.S. military's newly aggressive stance on rape. | 03/08/12 18:25:00 By - Marisa Taylor

Obama orders oil-speculation task force back into action - but it says it never stopped

President Barack Obama this week ordered his much-publicized Oil and Gas Price Fraud Working Group back to work. He created it last April to get to the bottom of soaring gasoline and oil prices. | 03/08/12 17:21:00 By - Kevin G. Hall and Lesley Clark

GOP senators hit Holder on Ted Stevens case

Attorney General Eric Holder on Thursday defended the $1.8 million in federal money spent helping prosecutors fight charges that they criminally mishandled the botched case against the late former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens. | 03/08/12 17:09:00 By - Sean Cockerham

Miami teen takes immigration plight to Capitol Hill

As valedictorian, she hardly needed a permission slip to skip class, but Daniela Pelaez may have had the best excuse ever: talking to U.S. senators, several House members and others this week about her own immigration battle. | 03/08/12 10:51:58 By - Erika Bolstad

Pentagon leaders reject military intervention in Syria

Any U.S. military effort to protect civilians in Syria zone would take weeks to implement, the top Pentagon civilian and military officials said Wednesday, underscoring the limited U.S. options for ending President Bashar Assad's violent campaign against Syrian rebels. | 03/07/12 17:04:00 By - Nancy A. Youssef

Obama defends Iran policy, charges Republican rivals of politicizing issue

President Barack Obama ripped his Republican presidential rivals Tuesday in his first election-year press conference, accusing them of politicizing worries over Iran's nuclear aspirations and "beating the drums of war." | 03/06/12 18:28:00 By - Lesley Clark

Obama tries to reassure Israel about U.S. stand on Iran

Iran's nuclear ambitions will take center stage Monday when President Barack Obama meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid rising global fears that Tehran is pursuing nuclear weapons. | 03/02/12 17:41:00 By - Lesley Clark

Whatever happened to task force on oil speculation?

When oil and gasoline prices soared last April, President Barack Obama announced to fanfare that the Department of Justice would lead a task force designed to root out manipulation of the oil market and gouging of consumers at the gas pump.

Since then the group has met only a handful of times and has never reported to the public. | 03/01/12 19:46:43 By - Kevin G. Hall

Son of ex-Rep. Gary Condit runs for Congress

Chad Condit, the son and chief public defender of a former high-profile California congressman once tarnished in a media frenzy, has now entered a congressional race of his own. | 03/01/12 18:50:44 By - Michael Doyle

Democrats seek cash, votes in clash over contraceptives

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., says some Republicans are "waging war" against women by opposing insurance coverage for contraceptives, but, she said, there's an easy way to fight back: Send $5 or $10 to help get more Democratic women elected to the Senate. | 03/01/12 18:08:24 By - Rob Hotakainen

Quiet freshman senator pushes politics of contraception

The fight over the contraception mandate in the health care law will not likely determine which party wins the White House and Senate next fall. | 02/29/12 19:29:51 By - David Goldstein

WikiLeaks: Stratfor emails reveal problems with Web security

On April 24, 2010, George Friedman, the CEO and founder of Stratfor, an Austin, Texas, company that specializes in writing analyses of international political developments, sent an email from his BlackBerry to one of his employees. It was a response to a suggestion that the company buy email encryption software. He no doubt rues his short missive today. | 02/29/12 17:59:00 By - Mark Seibel

Shanksville remains aren't in landfill, Air Force head says

The head of the Air Force on Wednesday disputed a report that some unidentified remains from the Sept. 11, 2001, plane crash site in Shanksville, Pa., had been disposed of in a landfill, casting more confusion on an episode that's embarrassed the Pentagon and Dover Air Force Base, which handles the remains of the nation's war dead. | 02/29/12 16:34:00 By - Nancy A. Youssef

Panetta orders another PTSD review for Madigan Army Medical Center

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta Tuesday announced a new layer in the Army's investigations into a Madigan Army Medical Center behavioral health program that changed post traumatic stress disorder diagnoses for certain soldiers who were seeking medical retirements at the Army base south of Tacoma. | 02/29/12 07:40:00 By - Adam Ashton

Iraq war vet from S.C. to dine with Obamas

When she attended Blackville-Hilda High School in South Carolina, Nytayia Jamison never imagined that she would dine at the White House, much less with the first black president. | 02/28/12 19:38:00 By - James Rosen

Pentagon: Some 9/11 victims' remains dumped in landfill

Some cremated remains of people who were killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks were disposed of in a landfill, the Pentagon revealed Tuesday, tracing the problems with the handling of remains at Dover Air Force Base back more than a decade. | 02/28/12 18:39:00 By - Nancy A. Youssef

Profits up, revenue down as banks lumber along

U.S. banks ended 2011 on a roll, a government regulator reported Tuesday, with profits up sharply from a year earlier and over the entire year. | 02/28/12 17:58:23 By - Kevin G. Hall

Federal judge weighs whether to let regulators rein in oil speculators

A federal judge on Monday refused to halt efforts by a key regulator to limit excessive speculation in the trading of oil contracts — which is driving up oil and gasoline prices — but hinted that he might soon rule in favor of Wall Street and let speculation go unchecked. | 02/27/12 18:45:11 By - Kevin G. Hall

Questions remain about contraceptive services under 2010 health care law

While controversy over one aspect of the Obama administration's contraception rule — whether and when religiously affiliated employers must comply — has dominated recent headlines, that debate has obscured other questions about how the rules actually will be implemented. | 02/27/12 16:29:00 By - Julie Appleby

Sen. Pat Roberts' office is latest to get powder-filled letter

The Wichita, Kan., office of Sen. Pat Roberts received one of the threatening letters Thursday containing a "suspicious powdery substance" that showed up in other congressional offices earlier this week. | 02/23/12 18:03:00 By - David Goldstein

Supreme Court hears 'stolen valor' case of false military heroism

Supreme Court justices on Wednesday sounded cautiously sympathetic to a federal law that punishes fake military heroes. While not marching in lockstep, the justices seemed to agree that lying about medals does damage to the military's honor. Their questions hinted that they might uphold the law used to prosecute a California man who falsely claimed to have been awarded the Medal of Honor. | 02/22/12 16:15:00 By - Michael Doyle

Obama marks groundbreaking for Smithsonian African-American museum

President Barack Obama marked the groundbreaking of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African-American History and Culture Wednesday, calling “not just an achievement for our time, but a monument for all time. | 02/22/12 12:16:36 By - Lesley Clark

Blues legends, Mick Jagger perform at the White House

The White House celebrated the heritage of blues music Tuesday with a star-studded concert and a workshop by Michelle Obama, who admitted she can't sing or play an instrument. | 02/21/12 19:00:00 By - Lesley Clark

Feds give seed money to startup health care insurance co-ops

Seven organizations will receive a total of $639 million in federal low-interest loans to launch new, consumer-governed health insurance plans in eight states, the federal government announced Tuesday. | 02/21/12 18:05:00 By - Harris Meyer

Supreme Court to hear Texas affirmative action case

The Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to hear a politically charged challenge to affirmative action at the University of Texas. | 02/21/12 10:50:15 By - Michael Doyle

Supreme Court to hear arguments on whether a lie is protected speech

Fake hero Xavier Alvarez lied to his fellow Californians. He never rescued an American ambassador. He was never a Marine. Most definitely, contrary to what told a Southern California audience, Alvarez was never awarded the Medal of Honor. He lied, until he was caught. Now, the Supreme Court must decide whether the First Amendment protects Alvarez and other wannabes from prosecution. | 02/17/12 15:33:00 By - Michael Doyle

U.S. House OKs opening ANWR to oil drilling

The U.S. House once again passed a bill to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, voting 237-187 Thursday on a measure expected to die in the Senate. | 02/17/12 06:46:05 By - Lisa Demer and Richard Mauer

Cuban dissident calls on pope to intervene in Cuba

With a visit from Pope Benedict XVI just weeks away, one of Cuba's best-known political dissidents on Thursday called on the pontiff to use his power and visibility as a world leader to shine a light on human rights abuses and political oppression under the Castro regime. | 02/16/12 19:47:00 By - Erika Bolstad

Restore Act measure to boost BP cleanup passes House

The House approved an amendment Thursday pushed by Gulf State lawmakers to dedicate 80 percent of the fines collected from the BP oil spill to a trust fund for coastal restoration of Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana and Texas. | 02/16/12 18:59:00 By - Maria Recio

China, U.S. politely air differences during Xi's visit

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, that country's likely next leader, urged the United States on Wednesday to reduce its "misunderstanding and suspicion" of China and said the two countries could expect to have different views on human rights. | 02/15/12 18:13:00 By - Renee Schoof

Business groups yawn at Obama budget's tax incentives

President Barack Obama's budget proposes a number of initiatives to boost job creation and incentives for U.S. manufacturers to bring their overseas business back home. The business community, however, is yawning at the pitch | 02/14/12 17:50:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Obama's budget would shrink annual deficits, but national debt still explodes

President Barack Obama's proposed federal budget would shrink annual deficits over 10 years, but it would fall far short of taming the nation's exploding federal debt. | 02/13/12 19:05:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Heaviest 2013 defense budget cuts would fall on troops

As the Pentagon sought to show Monday that it had made tough spending decisions in its fiscal 2013 budget proposal, the brunt of the reductions would fall on U.S. ground troops, which face job losses, modest pay raises and increased health care costs while serving in a smaller force. | 02/13/12 18:54:00 By - Nancy A. Youssef

Obama's budget frames election choices, doesn't solve long-term problems

President Barack Obama's proposed federal budget is more campaign commercial than governing document. His $3.8 trillion budget for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1 — and blueprint for the coming decade — is filled with promises sure to appeal to voters that he wants to win for his re-election in November, such as new spending to hire teachers and tax increases on the wealthy. | 02/13/12 17:34:00 By - Steven Thomma and David Lightman

Manufacturing rebounds, but is it a renaissance?

Don't tell Michael W. McLanahan that manufacturing in the United States is dead. His family-owned, privately held company has made mineral processing and farm equipment since its founding way back in 1835 — and is enjoying a boom. | 02/12/12 14:24:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

After Hu, what? Pivotal visit for likely Chinese successor Xi

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping arrives in the United States on Monday for a high-profile visit where he'll be feted as if he were the president of China — the post he's expected to take next year. | 02/12/12 13:59:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Romney's good day; wins conservatives, Maine caucus

Romney's 38-31 percent defeat of Santorum in a straw presidential vote among thousands of activists at the annual convention of the Conservative Political Action Committee bolstered his claim that he can consolidate support among the Republican base. | 02/11/12 19:29:00 By - James Rosen

Obama budget projects $1.3 trillion deficit this year

President Barack Obama expects the federal budget deficit to reach $1.33 trillion this year, administration officials said Friday evening, the fourth straight year of trillion-dollar deficits. | 02/10/12 20:30:06 By - Steven Thomma

Requirements for consumer health-insurance summaries unveiled

The Obama administration has unveiled final regulations detailing the new summaries that the 2010 federal health law requires health insurance plans to give to consumers to help them make informed coverage choices. | 02/10/12 15:30:00 By - Susan Jaffe

Obama hails bank settlement; broader impact unclear

State and federal regulators announced on Thursday a settlement worth at least $25 billion with Bank of America and four other large banks, ending several years of litigation over alleged foreclosure abuses. The deal offers some help to struggling homeowners, but experts view it more as a moral victory with limited impact on the broader housing market. | 02/09/12 19:17:12 By - Franco Ordonez and Kevin G. Hall

Pentagon to open more combat to women

A decade after the United States launched two wars that put women at the front lines of unconventional fighting, the Pentagon crept closer Thursday to formally allowing them to serve in combat by announcing an additional 14,000 combat-related jobs for female service members. | 02/09/12 18:22:00 By - Nancy A. Youssef

Want an aisle seat? Not for $2,000, Ralph Nader tells American Airlines

Price of American Airlines ticket: $700. Cost of aisle seat: $2,680. Potential price for alienating Ralph Nader: priceless | 02/09/12 16:54:00 By - Maria Recio

White House: 'Absolutely firm,' but willing to talk, on birth control

The White House insisted Wednesday that the president's commitment to contraceptive access for women is "absolutely firm," even as Republicans from Capitol Hill to the presidential campaign trail assailed the policy as an attack on religious liberty. | 02/08/12 18:52:21 By - Erika Bolstad and Lesley Clark

Judge: Disclose details on federal misconduct in Ted Stevens case

Calling the case a national symbol of what happens when prosecutors cross the line, a federal judge ruled Wednesday that an investigative report on misconduct by Justice Department attorneys in the prosecution of former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens must be made public. | 02/08/12 15:53:00 By - Sean Cockerham

House OKs bill to help feds shed surplus property

The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a bill that would speed the disposal of surplus federal property, a mundane-sounding but potentially significant money saver that's also a notable freshman-year success for its California author. The current surplus property list includes 1,151 federal properties in California. Many are in national parks or forests, including Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon parks. | 02/07/12 18:10:37 By - Michael Doyle

Army probes crime lab workers after critical news reports

Stung by critical stories about their crime laboratory, officials at Army Criminal Investigation Command recently questioned lab employees for hours and scrutinized personal phone records looking for contacts with reporters. | 02/03/12 17:22:00 By - Marisa Taylor

Republicans rip into Attorney General Holder at Fast and Furious hearing

House Republicans accused Attorney General Eric Holder of hiding information at a hearing Thursday over the botched Operation Fast and Furious gun-trafficking investigation, while Holder dismissed calls for him to resign and said he's not to blame for the scandal. | 02/02/12 18:19:35 By - Sean Cockerham

Where to memorialize World War I vets, Kansas City or D.C.?

Congress will squabble over just about everything anymore, it seems, even where to honor the soldiers and sailors of World War I: Kansas City, Mo., which has a heritage of honoring the war, or Washington, D.C., which has the National Mall? | 02/01/12 18:58:00 By - David Goldstein

Obama outlines homeowner relief plan, which faces uphill battle

Putting meat on the bones of a State of the Union pledge, President Barack Obama on Wednesday unveiled a controversial plan to help homeowners who are current on their mortgage payments refinance their mortgages into federally insured loans at today's extremely low rates. | 02/01/12 17:14:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

States will get socked with new Medicaid tax under health law

Under the health care overhaul, the federal government will start taxing itself and the states beginning in 2014. And that's giving state Medicaid directors heartburn. | 02/01/12 15:24:00 By - Phil Galewitz

Many states aren't ready for looming health law changes

The 2010 health law's biggest changes don't take effect until 2014, when states and insurers must be ready to begin signing up an estimated 32 million people in Medicaid and private insurance. But a successful rollout in two years hinges on crucial decisions that states must make — and take quick action on — this year. | 02/01/12 15:21:00 By - Marilyn Werber Serafini

Iran now may support attacks in U.S., official says

The losses of Osama bin Laden and other key figures have seriously degraded the core al Qaida organization's ability to mount major strikes and continued "robust" U.S. counter-terrorism efforts could reduce the group to only symbolic importance, the top U.S. intelligence official said Tuesday. | 01/31/12 10:00:11 By - Jonathan S. Landay

F-35 story shows why it's so hard to cut a federal program

For all its high-tech stealth and record price tag, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter embodies the droll military motto, "Hurry up and wait." Conceived in the heady post-Cold War 1990s, the futuristic fifth-generation jet fighter was to be a technological marvel built in a rush and paid for with "peace dividend" dollars. But now with the economic crash, the fighter is billions over budget and years behind schedule. | 01/30/12 17:18:00 By - James Rosen and Rob Hotakainen

Holocaust survivor shares his story on Remembrance Day

Holocaust survivor Henry Greenbaum, 83, has made it his life's work to tell his story of survival to whomever is willing to listen, in order to prevent anything like it from ever happening again. | 01/27/12 19:03:00 By - Emily Seagrave Kennedy

Defense budget plan doesn't cut as deeply as Pentagon says

Pentagon officials unveiled the outlines Thursday of what they called a pared-down defense budget, but their request increases baseline spending beyond the projected end of the Afghan war, even as they plan to reduce ground forces. | 01/26/12 19:47:00 By - Nancy A. Youssef

Worries mount in Idaho, nation over lack of physical education

As cash-strapped public schools have cut back on spending for physical education, some members of Congress want to intervene, worried that the nation’s schools are churning out too many fat children. | 01/26/12 12:01:39 By - Kristin Rodine and Rob Hotakainen

Alaska film 'Big Miracle' premieres in nation's capital

"Big Miracle," the first major production subsidized by a state of Alaska film incentive program among the most generous in the nation, premiered in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday as debate burns in Alaska over whether the program is worth the cost. | 01/26/12 11:32:59 By - Sean Cockerham

Improvements at Arlington Cemetery, but problems remain

Just a year and a half after condemning officials at Arlington National Cemetery for "heartbreakingly incompetent management," Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri and members of the Government Accountability Office complimented leaders Wednesday for progress made. | 01/25/12 18:28:00 By - Emily Seagrave Kennedy

Obama's new mortgage-fraud unit met with skepticism

President Barack Obama's State of the Union pledge to create a special unit to punish fraud in mortgage finance met with skepticism Wednesday for coming so late in his term and amid signs that his administration is close to settling with large banks accused of shoddy mortgage-lending practices. | 01/25/12 18:08:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Obama taps career diplomat Pamela Ann White as Haiti ambassador

President Barack Obama has nominated Ambassador Pamela Ann White, a career diplomat with more than 35 years public service experience mostly in Africa, as the United States’ next ambassador to a quake-ravaged Haiti. | 01/25/12 07:05:13 By - Jacqueline Charles

New consumer bureau chief still under fire from GOP

In his first congressional testimony as the official director of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Richard Cordray faced tough questions on Tuesday from Republican lawmakers still seething over his controversial recess appointment. | 01/24/12 19:19:00 By - Tony Pugh

Europe, U.S. impose new Iran sanctions but repeat offer for talks

Even as they tightened the financial screws on Iran with new sanctions on Monday, the United States and its European allies reiterated their readiness to resume talks with Tehran on curbing what they suspect is a secret nuclear weapons development program. | 01/23/12 19:25:00 By - Jonathan S. Landay

Obama to frame re-election themes Tuesday in State of the Union address

President Barack Obama delivers an election-year State of the Union address Tuesday night at a moment when the country is worried about the economy and his own prospects for re-election are mixed at best. | 01/23/12 17:33:00 By - Steven Thomma

Shrinking defense budget worries small businesses

The obstacles small businesses face trying to win their first Defense Department contracts will likely grow, and some existing small defense firms could be driven out of business in the coming years, amid billions in planned defense cuts and the drawdown from two wars. | 01/22/12 00:01:00 By - Franco Ordonez

Court: Juror questionnaires in Chandra Levy trial must be released

The year-old trial of Chandra Levy's killer is still revealing secrets, with an appellate court ruling Thursday that reporters can see juror questionnaires kept locked up by the judge. | 01/20/12 15:17:00 By - Michael Doyle

U.N. asked to probe U.S. efforts to squelch Spain torture probe

Two legal rights groups on Thursday asked the United Nations to investigate allegations that Spanish and U.S. officials collaborated to quash criminal probes into whether the Bush administration authorized illegal killings and torture of terrorism suspects. | 01/19/12 18:54:00 By - Rachel Roubein

Obama rejects oil pipeline from Canada, triggering loud controversy

The Obama administration on Wednesday denied a permit for the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada, touching off a torrent of criticism from Republicans — whom the White House blamed for forcing a decision. | 01/18/12 18:57:00 By - Renee Schoof and Lesley Clark

'Recharged' Occupy movement greets lawmakers back from recess

Protesters from across the nation rallied Tuesday on Capitol Hill under the banner of the grassroots Occupy movement, saying they came to Washington to greet Congress as members return to work after a holiday recess. | 01/17/12 19:31:00 By - Emily Seagrave Kennedy and Kelsi Loos

Americans mark King Day with speeches, service

The different colors of their hands intertwined as the fifth-graders raised their arms in solidarity. Their screams of "Free at last!" carried down to the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial's steps. | 01/16/12 19:13:00 By - Rachel Roubein

Despite new mandate, it's not easy to change medical practices

More than two years ago, studies found that injecting medical cement into compression fractures of the spine produced no better pain relief than "sham" injections. Yet doctors continue to perform the $5,000-plus procedure and most insurers, including Medicare, still cover it. | 01/16/12 14:36:00 By - Julie Appleby

Protesters gather to mark Guantanamo anniversary

Chants of "Guantanamo has got to go" echoed down Pennsylvania Avenue on Wednesday as a crowd of rain-dampened protesters marked the 10th anniversary of the arrival of the first 20 detainees at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. | 01/11/12 19:16:00 By - Emily Seagrave Kennedy

For Dicks, a new year brings new effort to block automatic spending cuts

As Congress prepares to return to work next week, Washington state U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks offers a bold prediction: Even though a special supercommittee failed to prevent $1.2 trillion in automatic spending cuts in 2013, members of Congress will get the job done by the end of the year. | 01/11/12 16:24:05 By - Rob Hotakainen

Fed's bond-buying spree sends big profits to Treasury

The Federal Reserve's controversial "quantitative easing" program of buying government bonds to stimulate the economy generated huge profits last year, resulting in the Fed transferring $76.9 billion to the U.S. Treasury in 2011, the bank said Tuesday. | 01/10/12 16:38:03 By - Kevin G. Hall

Supreme Court denies inmate's request for lawsuit over prison injury

In a case arising out of California’s San Joaquin Valley, the Supreme Court on Tuesday limited the ability of inmates to file federal lawsuits for injuries incurred in privately run prisons. | 01/10/12 10:53:42 By - Michael Doyle

Ex-Texas Gov. Ann Richards portrayed in one-woman play 'Ann'

Texas Gov. Ann Richards had hair that defied gravity, a wit that left opponents laughing and a grip on grass-roots politics that made her a legendary figure among women and minorities even after her one-term stint as chief executive of the Lone Star State. All of which makes for pretty entertaining theater in a remarkable performance by veteran actress Holland Taylor in the play "Ann," which Taylor also wrote, now playing at the Kennedy Center before heading to Broadway | 12/30/11 07:35:47 By - Maria Recio

Once again, Speaker Boehner seems a prisoner of his caucus

Is Speaker John Boehner a pragmatic leader adept at keeping renegade Republicans unified — or is he being led by a band of staunch ideologues who are driving the party deep into a political ditch? | 12/20/11 14:27:52 By - David Lightman

House rejects tax-cut plan, making hike more likely Jan. 1

The bitter showdown of Republicans versus the White House and congressional Democrats over a Social Security tax break grew uglier and more tense Tuesday, and the result is that 160 million people face the increasingly likely prospect of a tax increase Jan. 1. | 12/20/11 13:32:49 By - David Lightman and William Douglas

HHS rules, secrecy protect doctors with long histories of problems

Buried deep in a federal database is Practitioner No. 222117, perhaps the most frequently disciplined doctor in America. This doctor has been accused of violating drug laws, prescribing unauthorized medications, providing substandard care and obtaining licenses through fraud. | 12/20/11 07:20:19 By - Alan Bavley

USAID defends $3.4M Cuba grant program

The U.S. Agency for International Development is strongly rejecting complaints of political favoritism in its grant of $3.4 million to a human rights group closely linked to the Cuban American National Foundation. | 12/19/11 07:01:32 By - Juan O. Tamayo

Senate OKs payroll tax cut extension, spending package

The Senate on Saturday approved a measure to assure 160 million people that they'll get a Social Security tax break for two more months. But the big vote was accompanied by misgivings because the badly fractured Congress once again couldn't agree on longer-term economic aid. | 12/17/11 15:06:06 By - David Lightman

SEC sues former Fannie and Freddie execs for fraud

The Securities and Exchange Commission announced a dramatic lawsuit on Friday alleging that six former top executives of mortgage finance titans Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac committed fraud by authorizing misleading statements about their balance sheets. | 12/16/11 15:08:41 By - Kevin G. Hall

Feds warn against dangerous toys

In a scene that looked a lot like Christmas morning, a table stacked with toys sat in a room — never to be played with. The problem? All of those toys are either choking hazards, suffocation dangers or have traces of lead. | 12/16/11 06:56:58 By - Jon Silman

Nuclear commission chief 'abusive,' fellow members testify

The chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission blows up in abusive anger, intimidates staff members and withholds information from the rest of the commission, all four of his fellow commissioners testified to Congress on Wednesday. | 12/14/11 18:47:43 By - Renee Schoof

With U.S. awash in dollar coins, Obama to cut production

The federal government has too much money on its hands. That may be surprising, especially since the government is flat broke, with a $15 trillion national debt. But it's also awash in shiny one-dollar coins, with more than a billion of them going unused by the public and piling up at bank vaults across the country. | 12/13/11 16:42:37 By - Rob Hotakainen

F-35s have major component, performance issues, internal Pentagon report finds

Technical and performance problems with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter appear to be more numerous and more serious than anyone in the Department of Defense has been willing to concede publicly, according to a leaked Pentagon report obtained by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. | 12/13/11 14:24:05 By - Bob Cox

S.C. braces for deep federal spending cuts

They may be more than a year away, but looming federal spending cuts, forced by the special deficit-reduction panel’s failure to reach a deal, have folks across South Carolina concerned. | 12/12/11 20:12:29 By - James Rosen

Alaska Sen. Begich tops Murkowski, Young in estimated worth

Sen. Mark Begich appears to be the most affluent among the Alaska congressional delegation, with a net worth estimated by the Center for Responsive Politics at $2.3 million. | 12/12/11 06:43:40 By - Sean Cockerham

Obamas to visit troops returning from Iraq at Fort Bragg, N.C.

President Obama will visit Fort Bragg next week to speak to troops returning from Iraq, the White House announced this morning. First Lady Michelle Obama will accompany the president to North Carolina on Wednesday. | 12/08/11 11:16:19 By -

Video: Labor activists 'Occupy Congress'

Demonstrators invade Congressional offices to demand higher taxes on the wealthy and a jobs program. (Video by David Dougherty, Real News Network) | 12/07/11 16:39:52 By -

California choir brings holiday jazz to Washington

A veteran of the Sierra Repertory Theater, Mikayla Murry was one of 18 students from Summerville High School and the Connections Visual and Performing Arts Academy, based on the Summerville campus, to vocally swing in the White House on Tuesday. | 12/06/11 17:22:11 By - Michael Doyle

F-35 fighter program will feel impact of Pentagon budget cuts

The stealth design of the F-35 joint strike fighter is supposed to make it nearly invisible to enemy radar, but the super high-tech combat aircraft may not be able to avoid the bull's-eye of Pentagon budget-cutters. | 12/02/11 07:34:39 By - Bob Cox

Aerojet, GenCorp pay $3.3M to government to settle fraud case

Rancho Cordova-based rocket-maker Aerojet and parent GenCorp Inc. have paid $3.3 million to the federal government to settle an investigation into corporate costs. Benjamin Wagner, the U.S. attorney based in Sacramento, said the payment settled allegations that Aerojet fraudulently included unallowable costs in calculating overhead rates, resulting in overpayments under government contracts. | 12/01/11 06:50:39 By - Mark Glover

White House condemns storming of the British embassy in Tehran

From the Press Secretary: "The United States condemns in the strongest terms the storming of the British Embassy in Tehran. | 11/29/11 13:24:32 By - Lesley Clark

Alaska Rep. Young faces House ethics investigation

Alaska Congressman Don Young is the target of an ethics inquiry into whether he took more contributions than allowed to pay his legal bills. | 11/29/11 06:43:15 By - Sean Cockerham