Opposition Group Calls For Strike As Syrian Violence Grows

The death toll from fighting between Syrian government forces and civilians rose steadily Sunday, a day after the United Nations Security Council failed to approve a plan seeking to halt the violence.

Bigger US role against companies’ cyberthreats?

In this Sept. 21, 2011, file photo Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Sen.

Obama: US, Israel to work against Iran

President Barack Obama said Sunday he does not think Israel has decided whether to attack Iran over its disputed nuclear program, a standoff that has the Middle East on edge.

Leaving Las Vegas, Gingrich targets NASCAR voters

As he charts a possible course to the Republican nomination, aides say Gingrich will paint frontrunner Mitt Romney as the candidate of the PGA golf tour while the former House speaker pursues the blue collar mantle of Dale Earnhardt.

Japan, US negotiate defence plan

Senior officials of the foreign and defence ministries of the two countries will meet in Washington on Monday to start full-fledged negotiations on a new realignment plan, according to the sources.

Analysis: Romney Win Leaves Rivals Few Options

Mitt Romney’s decisive victory in Nevada was never much in doubt. He won the state’s caucuses four years ago, kept his organization active and he could count on support from Mormons who made up a quarter of caucus goers this year.

Clinton urges ‘friends of democratic Syria’ to rally against Assad after UN action blocked

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov, right poses as he welcomes U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton prior to their meeting in Sofia, Sunday, Feb 5, 2012.

Obama could alter stance of federal appeals courts

A second term for President Barack Obama would allow him to expand his replacement of Republican-appointed majorities with Democratic ones on the nation’s appeals courts, the final stop for almost all challenged federal court rulings.Despite his slow start in nominating judges and Republican delays in Senate confirmations, Obama has still managed … (more)

Poll shows age, ideology divide NV Gop priorities

Preliminary results of an entrance poll shows Nevadans participating in today’s caucuses were focused on the economy and which candidate could best defeat Obama.

Ohio Senate Republicans take another crack at election reform before the fall presidential election

Senate Republicans are working on a plan that would repeal last year’s controversial election overhaul package and replace it with a more narrow set of reforms that could take effect before the Nov.

Stylistic extremes at top of GOP presidential race

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks at a campaign rally, Friday in Elko, NV.

US renews warning to Egypt over aid

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Saturday issued a new warning to Egypt that the failure to resolve a bitter dispute over the status of non-governmental pro-democracy groups may lead to the loss of American aid to the country.

Bush’s ‘evil’ trio holds sway over US decade later

It was the first State of the Union address after the 9/11 attacks, and America was leading an invasion of Afghanistan in pursuit of Osama bin Laden.

Dems want their candidate as Indiana elections chief

While Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels held off Saturday on appointing a permanent replacement for the state elections chief convicted early that morning of voter fraud, Democrats said they planned to move quickly to wrest control of the politically powerful office from the GOP .

Romney, Gingrich expect Romney to win Nev. Vote

A confident Mitt Romney is looking past his GOP opponents and Nevada’s caucuses the day the state votes.

Romney, Gingrich expect Romney to win Nev. Vote

A confident Mitt Romney is looking past his GOP opponents and Nevada’s caucuses the day the state votes.

Taliban deny their leader sent letter to Obama

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said reports that Omar had sent a letter indicating an interest in talks key to ending the war in Afghanistan were “baseless allegations.” “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is strongly condemning these rumors and allegations,” Mujahid said in an email to media organizations, referring to the Taliban by the name … [...]

Taliban deny their leader sent letter to Obama

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said reports that Omar had sent a letter indicating an interest in talks key to ending the war in Afghanistan were “baseless allegations.” “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is strongly condemning these rumors and allegations,” Mujahid said in an email to media organizations, referring to the Taliban by the name … [...]

Navy ‘sends submarine to Falklands’

The Royal Navy is sending a nuclear submarine to the Falkland Islands amid heightened tensions between Britain and Argentina over the disputed islands, it has been reported.

Navy ‘sends submarine to Falklands’

The Royal Navy is sending a nuclear submarine to the Falkland Islands amid heightened tensions between Britain and Argentina over the disputed islands, it has been reported.

1 dead, 2 injured in explosion near CA Marine base

A propane gas explosion damaged several residences in a housing unit serving a U.S. Marine Corps training base in northern California, killing one person and injuring two others, an official said Saturday.

1 dead, 2 injured in explosion near CA Marine base

A propane gas explosion damaged several residences in a housing unit serving a U.S. Marine Corps training base in northern California, killing one person and injuring two others, an official said Saturday.

Obama, GOP Offer Economic Solutions In Weekly Addresses

President Barack Obama on Saturday urged Congress to pass his recently announced housing plan, describing it as a key component to getting the American economy back on track.

Obama, GOP Offer Economic Solutions In Weekly Addresses

President Barack Obama on Saturday urged Congress to pass his recently announced housing plan, describing it as a key component to getting the American economy back on track.

Romney campaign lets go of new debate coach

Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign has parted ways with debate coach Brett O’Donnell, a Romney campaign source confirmed Friday.

Stevens portrait unveiled at Alaska state museum

Gov. Sean Parnell and Catherine Stevens stand next to a portrait of the late-U.S. Sen.

Hackers intercept FBI, Scotland Yard call

A sensitive conference call between FBI and British police’s cybercrime investigators was recorded by the very people they were trying to catch, officials and hackers said Friday.

Komen reverses decision to cut Planned Parenthood funding

In a reversal of policy after a nationwide uproar over its decision to cut funding to Planned Parenthood, Susan G. Komen for the Cure will amend its new funding rules and allow continued funding of breast health programs operated by the clinic, news outlets reported Friday morning.

U.S. Jobless Rate Falls to 8.3 Percent, a 3-Year Low

U.S. Economy Added 243,000 Jobs in January The United States economy gained momentum in January, as employers added 243,000 jobs, the second straight month of better-than-expected gains. And in a separate measure, the unemployment rate fell to 8.3 percent, giving a cause for optimism as the economy shapes up as the central issue in the [...]

Major storm hits Colorado moving east; flights canceled, lawmakers adjourn, highways closed

A powerful winter storm swept across Colorado on Friday as it headed east, bringing blizzard warnings to eastern Colorado and western Kansas, and winter storm warnings for southeast Wyoming and western Nebraska. The storm stretched as far south as New Mexico, where Department of Transportation reported difficult driving conditions on several state highways because of [...]

Romney shifted on ‘conscience’ issue…’05 contraception stance similar to Obama’s now

Mitt Romney caught in inconsistency in blast at Barack Obama for forcing Catholic institutions to provide insured birth control Mitt Romney accused President Obama this week of ordering “religious organizations to violate their conscience,” referring to a White House decision that requires all health plans – even those covering employees at Catholic hospitals, charities, and [...]

Payroll tax extension talks yield slow progress, but big roadblocks remain

House and Senate negotiators made halting progress Thursday on legislation to extend a two percentage point cut in payroll taxes, but big roadblocks remained. Lawmakers cleared away noncontroversial issues like keeping welfare recipients from using debit cards in strip clubs, casinos and liquor stores and extending a tax break for small businesses that purchase new [...]

America’s Most Miserable Cities

Miami is a playground for the rich and famous. Celebrities flock to parties at South Beach clubs and then return to their $10 million mansions in Miami Beach and Key Biscayne.

Obama calls for job programs that help veterans

Obama pushes veterans jobs programs, grant money for police and fire President Obama greets firefighter and Iraq War veteran Lt. Jacob Johnson before taking the stage to speak on jobs for veterans Friday at Fire Station #5 in Arlington, Va.

Obama calls for job programs that help veterans

Obama pushes veterans jobs programs, grant money for police and fire President Obama greets firefighter and Iraq War veteran Lt. Jacob Johnson before taking the stage to speak on jobs for veterans Friday at Fire Station #5 in Arlington, Va.

The Middle Class and Mitt

Romney is trying to channel his inner Reagan Mitt Romney’s declaration that he wasn’t concerned about “the very poor” was lampooned by Republicans and Democrats alike this week. But his next statement in a CNN interview is the one that could determine the fate of his candidacy. “I’m concerned about the very heart of America,” [...]

The Middle Class and Mitt

Romney is trying to channel his inner Reagan Mitt Romney’s declaration that he wasn’t concerned about “the very poor” was lampooned by Republicans and Democrats alike this week. But his next statement in a CNN interview is the one that could determine the fate of his candidacy. “I’m concerned about the very heart of America,” [...]

Comment: Komen’s Choice :

In 1731, Benjamin Franklin’s nineteen-year-old sister, Jane, wrote to her brother that their sister Mary, a mother of three, was dying of breast cancer. Franklin was in Philadelphia; his sisters were in Boston. “I know a cancer in the breast is often thought incurable,” Franklin wrote Jane, “yet we have here in town a kind [...]

Comment: Komen’s Choice :

In 1731, Benjamin Franklin’s nineteen-year-old sister, Jane, wrote to her brother that their sister Mary, a mother of three, was dying of breast cancer. Franklin was in Philadelphia; his sisters were in Boston. “I know a cancer in the breast is often thought incurable,” Franklin wrote Jane, “yet we have here in town a kind [...]

Jury deliberating charges in Indiana election chief Charlie White’s voter fraud trial

A jury that heard days of testimony against embattled Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White began deliberating voter fraud, theft and other charges Friday that could oust White from office.

Jury deliberating charges in Indiana election chief Charlie White’s voter fraud trial

A jury that heard days of testimony against embattled Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White began deliberating voter fraud, theft and other charges Friday that could oust White from office.

House passes 4-year aviation program blueprint

A four-year blueprint for aviation programs that hastens the transition to a new air traffic control system based on GPS technology was given final approval by the House on Friday despite last-minute objections from organized labor.

House passes 4-year aviation program blueprint

A four-year blueprint for aviation programs that hastens the transition to a new air traffic control system based on GPS technology was given final approval by the House on Friday despite last-minute objections from organized labor.

Influence Game: Big donors and what they want

The millionaires, billionaires and companies giving big sums to political committees supporting Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Barack Obama have important business with the next president.

Influence Game: Big donors and what they want

The millionaires, billionaires and companies giving big sums to political committees supporting Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Barack Obama have important business with the next president.

Analysis: When is getting better good enough?

President Barack Obama talks about the economy during an event at Fire Station #5 in Arlington, Va., Friday, Feb.

Analysis: When is getting better good enough?

President Barack Obama talks about the economy during an event at Fire Station #5 in Arlington, Va., Friday, Feb.

Prolonged redistricting fight keeps Texas in limbo

The once-a-decade fight over political boundaries in Texas has been so frenetic that a Democrat who bolted for the GOP saw his state House district redrawn solidly blue, opted against re-election, then got new hope from the U.S. Supreme Court that it might go red again.And amid all the confusion, a deadline of Monday looms [...]

Prolonged redistricting fight keeps Texas in limbo

The once-a-decade fight over political boundaries in Texas has been so frenetic that a Democrat who bolted for the GOP saw his state House district redrawn solidly blue, opted against re-election, then got new hope from the U.S. Supreme Court that it might go red again.And amid all the confusion, a deadline of Monday looms [...]

Man gets 20 years in Va. crash that killed nun

MANASSAS, Va. – An illegal immigrant from Bolivia who caused a drunken driving crash that killed a Benedictine nun and severely injured two others has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Man gets 20 years in Va. crash that killed nun

MANASSAS, Va. – An illegal immigrant from Bolivia who caused a drunken driving crash that killed a Benedictine nun and severely injured two others has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

UN council meeting Saturday to consider Syria

The U.N. Security Council will meet Saturday morning to take up a much-negotiated resolution on Syria, said a diplomat for a Western nation that sits on the council.

UN council meeting Saturday to consider Syria

The U.N. Security Council will meet Saturday morning to take up a much-negotiated resolution on Syria, said a diplomat for a Western nation that sits on the council.

Supporters rally around Planned Parenthood

In a Monday, Nov. 23, 2009 file photo, Nancy Brinker, founder and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, speaks at the National Press Club in Washington.

APNewsBreak: Kan. lawmakers warned to keep records

‘ A local prosecutor is warning Kansas legislators and Gov. Sam Brownback to preserve records and electronic files about meetings at his official residence as “potentially relevant evidence” into a newspaper’s complaints that the sessions violated the state’s open meetings act.

Sandoval staying out of GOP endorsement game

In this Jan. 18, 2012, file photo, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval speaks in his office in Carson City, Nev.

Santorum warns voters of country’s likely demise

Republican presidential candidate former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum greets supporters at a rally in Colorado Springs, Colo., Wednesday, Feb.

House ready to consider insider trading ban

With members of Congress convinced their political survival depends on their image, the House is wasting no time in considering a Senate -passed bill that would ban insider trading by lawmakers and thousands of executive branch officials.

Obama Unveils Veterans Jobs Proposal

President Barack Obama is unveiling a new jobs initiative geared toward veterans Friday that the administration says will put thousands of former men and women in uniform back to work.

Officials say 5 indicted in human smuggling ring

Five people have been indicted in connection with an alleged human smuggling ring that used non-Spanish-speaking, African-American drivers to shuttle illegal immigrants from the border in a bid to elude detection, authorities said.

Paul: States should resolve land management issues

Republican Rep. Ron Paul railed against the federal government during campaign stops in Nevada on Thursday, saying states are in the best position to resolve conflicts over the management of wild horses and roads on public lands.

American Ringstrasse

Alan Ehrenhalt does not like the word “gentrification.” That it is fraught with political meanings, that it is charged with racial overtones, and that it, itself, is enough to make urbanologists and city planners instinctively reach for their hypertension meds – these are distinctively not his concerns.

Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad House Transportation Bill?

The US House recently unveiled their proposed Transportation Bill . And it’s horrible in pretty much every way: It gives the shaft to pretty much any mode of transport that doesn’t have an exhaust pipe; and proposes to pay for it all with a big heavy dose of drill baby, drill.

New Orleans’ Lady Camel Toe Steppers get ready for a Mardi Gras season of glitter and dancing

A brassiere lay on the kitchen counter beside a couple of unopened wine bottles.

Obama admin. defends birth control order as Boehner calls for broader conscience exception

On the defensive, the White House scrambled Thursday to explain its requirement that church-affiliated employers cover birth control after House Speaker John Boehner called it unconstitutional and demanded immediate reconsideration.

Trump endorses Romney

Donald Trump has confirmed to the Associated Press that he will endorse Mitt Romney for president, ending a wild ride of speculation about the real estate mogul’s intentions.

NC’s Heath Shuler won’t seek re-election to House

North Carolina Democrat Heath Shuler won’t seek re-election to the House. The former professional football player, a frequent critic of House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, announced in a statement Thursday that he will not seek a fourth House term.

Mitt Romney cum Marie Antoinette?

Even Mitt Romney’s defenders admit that he chose his words poorly when, on Wednesday morning, he told CNN that “I’m not concerned about the very poor.” But many of these defenders say the quote is innocuous once you read it in context and realize what Romney was really trying to say.

Why Ron Paul could rally in February caucuses

Ron Paul has been looking forward to February, when caucus states take center stage on the GOP nominating calendar. On Tuesday night, when Mitt Romney won the Florida primary, and Ron Paul finished fourth, Mr. Paul wasn’t even in the Sunshine State. Instead, he was addressing supporters in Nevada, which holds its caucuses Saturday. He [...]

Calif. woman beats Honda in court over mpg

Heather Peters, who says her 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid never achieved the 50 mpg Honda claimed in its advertising, talks with reporters outside small claims court in Torrrance, Calif., Jan.

The Komen Foundation Pinkwashes Anti-choicers, Punks Planned Parenthood

Remember when anti-choicers got LifeWay Christian Resources to pull its pink-covered Here’s Hope Breast Cancer Bibles from Walmart and other stores because one dollar of every sale went to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation? The antis were upset that the wealthy and influential breast-cancer charity made grants to Planned Parenthood for … [...]

Why Is College So Expensive? And Can Obama Make It Cheaper?

How to control public college costs in two easy steps: (1) Get states to stop cutting education budgets and (2) push schools to become more efficient. Getting it done is the hard part. Last week, President Obama declared war on the rising cost of college — or at least, he did so to the degree [...]

Romney stock trades clash with divestment pledge

During his presidential campaign in 2007, Republican candidate Mitt Romney promised that a trust overseeing his financial portfolio would shed any investments that conflicted with GOP positions toward Iran, China, stem cell research and other issues.

Calif. Rep. calls for inquiry into stun gun use

A California congresswoman wants an independent investigator to determine whether a federal park ranger used excessive force when she used a stun gun on a man walking his dogs.

House Republicans, Justice on collision course over access to internal department documents

The Justice Department and Republicans on a House committee looking into a flawed gun-smuggling probe called Operation Fast and Furious appear to be headed for an impasse over congressional demands for internal Justice Department documents.

Warm fall, little snow help storm-battered farms

After being battered by flooding last year, farmers across the Northeast and Midwest can at least be thankful that a relatively warm and largely snowless winter has made it easier to get started healing their rutted and debris-strewn lands.

Ruling due on release of gay marriage trial videos

A federal appeals court will announce if it will unseal video recordings of the landmark trial on the constitutionality of California’s same-sex marriage ban, but it’s not ready to rule on whether a lower court judge properly struck down the voter-approved ban.

Bernanke to testify on economy and deficit

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will likely tell members of Congress on Thursday that the slowly improving economy may need more help from the Fed and that cutting the deficit too fast could backfire.

Houston millionaire sued in fatal Florida crash adopts girlfriend

In the strangest wrinkle yet in a legal drama that pits the state of Florida and a car crash victim against a polo-obsessed Houston millionaire, the girlfriend of John Goodman is now his daughter. The heir to an air-conditioning fortune, Goodman, 48, has legally adopted 42-year-old Heather Laruso Hutchins, whom he has been dating since [...]

Salazar to announce offshore wind move

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is blowing into B’more Thursday to announce the Obama administration’s latest move to boost development of industrial-scale wind energy projects off the mid-Atlantic coast.

Tax cut pay-fors bog down lawmakers

Perhaps the last thing Congress needs is another anxiety-ridden, eleventh-hour deal to stave off a tax increase and sink its abysmal approval ratings even lower, but that might well be where Congress is heading in the near future.

House votes to continue federal worker pay freeze

The House on Wednesday voted to freeze the wages of federal workers for a third straight year and put members of Congress on record as opposing a boost in their $174,000 annual salaries.

Flowers, a show for the Pauls’ 55th anniversary

Whether he wins or loses the Republican presidential nomination, Ron Paul is celebrating a milestone.

House votes to repeal part of 2010 health care law

The Republican-led House on Wednesday voted to repeal a financially troubled part of the 2010 health care law that was designed to provide affordable long-term care insurance.

Rapper K’Naan says he’s upset Romney used his song ‘Wavin’ Flag’ during primary victory speech

In this April 12, 2011 file photo, musician K’Naan attends Good Housekeeping’s “Shine On” Women Making History theatrical event at Radio City Music Hall in New York.