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Public opinion

After decade of criticism, student grouping rises
Teachers say they are grouping students of similar abilities with each other inside classrooms and schools are clustering pupils with like interests ...
Hillary Clinton announces support for gay marriage
Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced her support for gay marriage Monday, putting her in line with other potential Democratic ...
Gay marriage: Senator's shift, GOP soul-searching
A Republican senator's embrace of gay marriage is the latest sign of soul-searching in a party struggling to adapt in a society whose demographics — ...
Could global warming change tornado season, too?
With the planet heating up, many scientists seem fairly certain some weather elements like hurricanes and droughts will worsen. But tornadoes have ...
Obama needs to charm skeptical Israelis in visit
Barack Obama's vow to take his message straight to the public during his first presidential visit to Israel will be a tough sell with many Israelis ...
US: Israel must recognize changed Mideast dynamics
The White House says Israel's security depends in part on its ability to court Arab public opinion, as the strongman leaders it long depended on give ...
Poll finds attitude shift among working moms
Working mothers increasingly want full-time jobs, and tough economic times might be a big reason, according to a national survey. In the Pew Research ...
City Council speaker launches NYC mayoral bid
Long seen as a leading contender, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn formally launched Sunday what she hopes will be a history-making mayoral bid.
Obama staying out of negotiations on gun bills
With gun legislation taking shape on Capitol Hill, President Barack Obama has kept a low profile on an issue he has made a critical part of his ...
Independent RI governor considers joining Dems
The most well-worn political parlor game in Rhode Island these days surrounds Republican-turned-independent Gov. Lincoln Chafee and whether he intends ...
GOP splits over immigration and terrorism play out
Republican Party divisions over immigration, anti-terrorism and other issues are bubbling to the surface just as President Barack Obama shows a new ...
Steady US job gains likely continued in February
Job growth probably continued at a modest but steady pace last month, buoyed by consumer spending and strength in the housing and auto industries.
Italy kingmaker's anti-Jewish views under scrutiny
Comic Beppe Grillo's populist tirades were seen as a benign outlet for popular anger in the days his protest movement was a sideshow in Italian ...
Fed survey: US economy growing throughout country
Strong auto sales, better hiring and a continued housing recovery helped the U.S. economy grow in January and February throughout the country, ...
Russia marks 60th anniversary of Stalin's death
Devotees of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, whose brutal purges killed millions of innocent citizens and made his name a byword for totalitarian terror, ...
Swiss voters approve tough limits on bosses' pay
Swiss voters voiced their anger at perceived corporate greed Sunday by approving a plan to boost shareholders' say on executive pay. Some 67.9 percent ...
Carnegie: Stalin still admired in ex-Soviet lands
An opinion survey commissioned by the Carnegie Endowment says that Soviet dictator Josef Stalin has remained widely admired in Russia and other ...
Many Venezuelans believe in Chavez recovery
Venezuela's vice president said Thursday that Hugo Chavez is still fighting for his life, yet a recent poll says nearly three in five Venezuelans ...
A sturdier US economy can withstand budget cuts
As economic policy goes, experts say, the automatic spending cuts that kick in Friday are — to use a technical term — bone-headed. Fortunately, the ...
Budget battle guide: Skidding into a fiscal pileup
America's leaders have threatened to shut the government down, drive it over a cliff and bounce it off the ceiling. Now they're ready to smack it with ...
Budget battle guide: This time may be for real
America's leaders have threatened to shut the government down, drive it over a cliff and bounce it off the ceiling. Now they're ready to smack it with ...
Poll: 87 percent say never OK to cheat on taxes
With tax season in full swing, a newly released poll says an overwhelming majority of adults don't believe it is ever OK to cheat on their income ...
New generation of governors seeking the limelight
For governors with national ambitions, this is pad — and promote — your record time. Republicans Bobby Jindal of Louisiana is trying to ditch his ...
Comic's protest movement shakes up Italy election
The burly man with a shock of silver curls and a scruffy beard gesticulates wildly on Milan's Piazza del Duomo, unleashing a sprawling diatribe ...