Posted: 7:34 AM There could also be reductions in federal payments that subsidize clean energy, school construction and state and local public works projects.

Updated: 7:20 AM The primary contest to replace disgraced former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson was in the hands of Chicago-area voters Tuesday.

Posted: 7:17 AM Deaths of younger teen drivers increased sharply in the first six months of last year, reversing a decade-long trend, according to a report released Tuesday by state highway safety officials.

Posted: 7:15 AM Obama insists on both spending cuts and higher tax revenue through trimming deductions and loopholes used mostly by the wealthy. Republicans see that as a tax increase and are balking.

Posted: 12:29 PM U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged members of the Syrian opposition to turn up for talks in Rome this week, insisting that more help is on the way in their fight against President Bashar Assad.

Posted: 12:26 PM High-tech leaders including the former heads of AOL and Mozilla are organizing a "virtual march for immigration reform" aimed at pressuring lawmakers to enact sweeping changes to the nation's immigration laws.

Posted: 12:22 PM The Supreme Court won't hear an appeal of a decision upholding a century-old ban on corporate campaign contributions in federal elections.

Posted: 6:40 AM Mrs. Obama wants states to pass legislation or take executive action allowing veterans to receive professional credentials or licenses based on their experiences in the military.

Posted: 6:39 AM A dispute over whether to require record keeping for private gun sales is holding up a compromise between Republican and Democratic senators over expanding background checks for firearms transactions

Posted: 6:37 AM The Voting Rights Act effectively attacked persistent discrimination at the polls by keeping close watch, when it comes to holding elections, on those places with a history of preventing minorities from voting.

Posted: 6:36 AM The chairman of the Senate Finance Committee says the committee will vote on Tuesday on the nomination of former White House chief of staff Jack Lew to be treasury secretary.

Posted: 6:35 AM Christopher Wallace said on "Fox News Sunday" that the interview will air on his show next week. Additional portions will be on Fox News Channel the next day.

Posted: 6:30 AM Sen. John McCain says President Barack Obama should invite lawmakers to Camp David or the White House to hammer out a last-minute deal to avert deep budget cuts set to start taking effect at week's end.

Posted: 6:08 AM President Barack Obama will be meeting with the nation's governors as they push Congress to avert deep federal spending cuts that begin to take effect Friday.

Posted: 6:07 AM U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has kicked off his first official overseas trip by meeting with British leaders in London on the first leg of a hectic nine-day dash through Europe and the Middle East.

Posted: 6:47 AM Republicans and other fiscal conservatives keep insisting on more federal austerity and a smaller government. Without much fanfare or acknowledgement, they've already gotten much of both.

Posted: 6:46 AM Twice burned, Republicans are treading carefully around tea party groups as they pursue a Senate majority that slipped through their fingers in 2010 and 2012.

Posted: 6:45 AM Barring any new, damaging information, Chuck Hagel has secured the necessary votes for the Senate to confirm him to be the nation's next defense secretary.

Posted: 6:43 AM Inspector General Arthur Elkins Jr. said the EPA has failed to directly measure emissions from some pieces of equipment and processes, and some estimates it does have are of "questionable quality."

Posted: 6:42 AM Shinzo Abe is a nationalist and a keen advocate of stronger relations with Washington that have assumed more importance for Tokyo as it has locked horns in recent months with emerging power China

Posted: 6:41 AM President Barack Obama on Thursday placed calls to House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell about the looming spending cuts set to kick in on March 1.

Posted: 6:40 AM While the White House and Congress lurch from one budget crisis to the next, another Washington institution has been bolstering the economy steadily and with little fanfare since the 2008 financial crisis began.

Updated: 6:38 AM Business and labor groups announced agreement Thursday on the principles of a new system to bring lower-skilled workers to the U.S, a key priority for a comprehensive immigration bill.

Posted: 6:29 AM The Oregon Democrat leaves for Washington, D.C., on Friday to pitch his plan that changes the way doctors and hospitals are paid and improves health care coordination for low income residents.

Posted: 12:52 PM The Senate has approved a proposed constitutional amendment to give lawmakers the power to refuse the governor's appointments to appeals courts in Tennessee.