
Scott Brown says he won't seek Kerry's Senate seat
Former Sen. Scott Brown said Friday he would not run in a special Senate election in Massachusetts, dealing a setback to Republican hopes of winning ...

Healthier schools: Goodbye candy and greasy snacks
Goodbye candy bars and sugary cookies. Hello baked chips and diet sodas. The government for the first time is proposing broad new standards to make ...

Harkin campaign aide gave Iowa State a donor list
U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin's campaign fundraiser gave Iowa State University a list of possible donors to his namesake research institute, records show, ...

Republicans face a balancing act on immigration
Republicans face a delicate balancing act as they embrace an unprecedented shift in their views on immigration reform — and no one better exemplifies ...

Hillary Clinton takes a rest, how weird is that?
Hillary Rodham Clinton's plan for 2013 was simple. She'd embark on an epic swansong around the world as secretary of state, a dizzying itinerary of ...

Fox's Geraldo Rivera weighing US Senate run in NJ
Geraldo Rivera, who hosts a weekend show on Fox News Channel, said Thursday he's seriously thinking about running for U.S. Senate in New Jersey.

Congress sends bill to Obama averting govt default
Congress sent President Barack Obama drama-free legislation on Thursday raising the debt ceiling, averting a government default and putting off the ...

Menendez says he reimbursed donor for 2 jaunts
Sen. Robert Menendez's office says he reimbursed a prominent Florida political donor $58,500 on Jan. 4 of this year for the full cost of two of three ...
Biden: Gun curbs can't end killings but can help
Curbing guns can't ensure an end to mass slayings like December's killings of 20 first-graders in Newtown, Conn., but it will reduce firearm deaths, ...
Senate group focuses on border security
A bipartisan group of senators working to craft immigration legislation is focusing on how to define when the border is secure, one of several ...

FACT CHECK: Gun-control claims miss target
The intensifying gun-control debate has given rise to sloppy claims on both sides. Here's a sampling, with the first two examples from the Senate ...

Congress grapples with gap on scofflaw contractors
With thousands of civilian contractors remaining in Iraq and Afghanistan, Justice Department officials want Congress to resolve a legal issue they say ...
Joint Chiefs: Looming cuts would 'hollow' military
The military's top leaders are warning Congress that automatic spending cuts looming in March would force the Pentagon to slash operating budgets, ...

2 NFL seasons since agreement, still no HGH tests
Baltimore Ravens defensive end Arthur Jones is among those NFL players who want the league and the union to finally agree on a way to do blood testing ...

Illegal immigration foes despair over GOP moves
Marty Lich is ready to bolt. It's been a couple of years since the self-described conservative considered herself a Republican, but she still often ...

GOP lawmakers see automatic cuts as leverage
There's a growing sense of resignation that the country's political leaders will be unable or unwilling to find a way around looming automatic ...
Some families to be priced out of health overhaul
Some families could get priced out of health insurance due to what's being called a glitch in President Barack Obama's overhaul law. IRS regulations ...

Giffords pleads for gun curbs; NRA fights back
Severely wounded and still recovering, former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords begged lawmakers at an emotional hearing Wednesday to act quickly to curb ...

Mass. gov's ex-aide Cowan named interim US senator
Although his time in the U.S. Senate will be brief — less than five full months — William "Mo" Cowan could find himself in the thick of major policy ...

US economy shifted into reverse in late 2012
The U.S. economy shrank unexpectedly late last year, a reminder of the biggest threat it faces in 2013: sharp government spending cuts and prolonged ...
House members negotiate a proposal on immigration
A group of a half-dozen House members, equally divided between Democrats and Republicans, is nearing completion of wide-ranging immigration ...

Hagel says military view shaped by Vietnam
Chuck Hagel says his experience fighting in Vietnam alongside his younger brother will shape any decision he makes to unleash military force if the ...

In Senate farewell, Kerry speaks of need to listen
His voice quavering, Secretary of State-designate John Kerry bid farewell to the Senate after 28 years with a plea for comity and cooperation.

With halting voice, Giffords speaks out on guns
She uttered just 80 halting words. But her presence was powerful. Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, shot in the head by a Tucson gunman in 2011, opened ...