Politics

THE RACE: Hard for both sides to focus on economy
For months, all the major polls have identified the economy as the No. 1 presidential election issue. But it drifts in and out of focus on the ...
Checks stolen from Obama campaign headquarters
Three checks for campaign services have been stolen from President Barack Obama's national campaign headquarters in Chicago. Midwest Press Secretary ...
Romney controversy points to power of viral video
After this, politicians everywhere should surely get the message. Mitt Romney's secretly recorded remarks at a Florida fundraiser — and the uproar ...
One new justice could change a lot
The issue: With four justices in their seventies, odds are good that whoever is elected president in November will have a chance to fill at least one ...
Jobs bill for vets bogs down in Senate
Senate Republicans blocked legislation Wednesday that would have established a $1 billion jobs program putting veterans back to work tending to the ...
Obama boosted by upbeat housing reports, new polls
Fresh signs of a national housing rebound and growing support in public opinion polls boosted President Barack Obama's bid for a new term in the White ...
Groups protest Ariz. immigration law's enforcement
A day after the most contentious provision of Arizona's immigration law took effect, rallies were held around Phoenix to protest the mandate that ...
FBI asked to keep data on anti-Sikh hate crimes
The son of a massacre victim at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin asked the Obama administration on Wednesday to begin collecting statistics on hate crimes ...
Romney's comments ripple across battleground map
Mitt Romney's offhanded comment that as a candidate he doesn't worry about the 47 percent of Americans who pay no income taxes has quickly entered the ...
Romney says he supports '100 percent in America'
Facing tough questions about his commitment to all Americans, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney declared Wednesday that his campaign ...
Myanmar's Suu Kyi gets Congress' highest honor
Lawmakers united by their respect of Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday presented her with Congress' highest civilian honor in a ...
House bill ends funding of party conventions
House Republicans and Democrats on Wednesday came together on at least one way to reduce government spending — by eliminating federal assistance for ...
Heller seeks distance from Romney comments
Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada distanced himself Wednesday from fellow Republican Mitt Romney's comments that 47 percent of Americans are dependent on the ...
Officer: Insider attacks aimed at Western resolve
A series of "insider attacks" against U.S. and allied troops by Afghan forces are an attempt by the Taliban to drive a wedge between coalition and ...
Romney comments bring battleground-states debate
Mitt Romney's comments about Americans who don't pay income tax sparked discussion across the presidential campaign's battleground states.
Justice Dept faulted in gun-trafficking operation
The Justice Department's internal watchdog on Wednesday faulted the agency for misguided strategies, errors in judgment and management failures during ...
In Virginia, rivals for Senate talk up cooperation
Democrat Tim Kaine talks a lot about Republicans — the ones in his family, the ones he's worked with and the ones he hopes will help him bridge the ...
Texas town's rental ban gets second hearing
A Dallas suburb asked a federal appeals court Wednesday to uphold an ordinance that would ban illegal immigrants from renting homes in the town.
6-month spending bill clears Senate hurdle
A spending bill required to avoid a government shutdown at the end of the month has cleared a procedural hurdle in the Senate. The bipartisan 76-22 ...
Premiums inching higher for popular Medicare plans
Monthly premiums for popular private insurance plans through Medicare are only inching up next year, the Obama administration said Wednesday, ...
Iraq nominee says US pressing on use of airspace
President Barack Obama's choice for ambassador to Iraq said Wednesday that Baghdad is accepting Iranian assurances that it is not using Iraqi airspace ...
US lists 117 Iranian planes arming Syria's Assad
The Obama administration has identified 117 Iranian aircraft it says are ferrying weapons to Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime. The Treasury ...
Voters sour on economy, but Obama job approval up
Still sour on the state of the U.S. economy, Americans are nonetheless heading into the home stretch to Election Day feeling better about the ...
WHY IT MATTERS: Taxes
The issue: Just about every U.S. taxpayer is facing a significant tax increase next year, unless Congress and the White House can agree on a plan to ...
Study: Fewer kids living in violent households
The Justice Department says the number of children living in violent households fell by 68 percent over an 18-year period. The department's Bureau of ...