Sen. Nelson said he will vote to advance the Senate health-care bill in a crucial procedural vote, the first of three Democratic holdouts to back the measure. [Links] [Related]
The Obama administration's top climate adviser called for "comprehensive energy reform" and threw cold water on the idea of mandating reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions only for electric utilities. [Links] [Related]
Political frustration over Wall Street's rescue and high unemployment erupted in Congress, with one panel threatening tighter scrutiny on the Fed and another excoriating Geithner. [Links] [Related]
The task force that loosened breast-cancer screening guidelines this week clarified its position, in response to the intense backlash its new recommendations have prompted. [Links] [Related]
The Army tapped its top officer in Europe, Gen. Carter Ham, to lead an intensive 45-day probe into whether it could have done more to prevent the Fort Hood shootings. [Links] [Related]
Republican governors urged 2010 GOP candidates to not harshly attack Obama, citing polls that show his personal popularity remaining strong despite unease over his policies. [Links] [Related]
In an example of how the weak economy is overtaking Obama administration priorities, the Congressional Black Caucus forced the House to shelve its financial overhaul for two weeks. [Links] [Related]
Obama pledged to move forward on a free-trade accord with South Korea that has been stuck for two years, but few expect much movement soon in Congress. [Links] [Related]
Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor who has been widely rumored to be interested in running for governor, is weighing "a real possibility" of seeking a Senate seat next year. [Links] [Related]
The White House stepped back from claims that the stimulus plan created or saved 640,329 jobs through September, in the face of criticism over errors in reports. [Links] [Related]
As Obama expressed doubt about engaging Ahmadinejad's government on the nuclear issue, an Iranian dissident called for Obama to pressure the regime. [Links] [Related]
About 1,000 U.S. employers will be audited for immigration violations as the federal government escalates pressure on business owners to resist hiring illegal immigrants. [Links] [Related]
A Senate panel on Thursday battled over whether the country could expand oil and gas drilling in coastal waters without damaging the environment. [Links] [Related]
Sen. Jim DeMint plans to introduce a bill that would allow airlines to use information from cockpit voice recorders in cases against pilots they want to discipline or fire. [Links] [Related]
Sebelius tried to dispel concerns that new guidelines on breast-cancer screening threaten insurance coverage amid debate among patients, medical professionals and legislators. [Links] [Related]
Laura Lomik donned three pairs of pants, four shirts and her sleeping bag for a chilly night outside. The reason: a chance to get a moment with Sarah Palin. [Links] [Related]
New York City officials are examining whether a newspaper-delivery union with a history of ties to organized crime is involved in illegal activity, including taking bribes in exchange for doling out jobs. [Links] [Related]
Obama pledged to ratify a free-trade agreement with South Korea, challenging Congress to separate South Korea from other Asian nations enjoying trade surpluses with the U.S. [Links] [Related]
The White House wants to remake public education around the principle that the best teachers should be rewarded, regardless of seniority. A brawl over that idea is playing out in Washington. [Links] [Related]
Justice Kennedy got into a messy situation after a report that his office made a school newspaper get permission before running an article about the justice. It turns out the incident wasn't the only such case. [Links] [Related]
Obama's four-nation trip through Asia may have risked some diminution of U.S. influence in the region as the president was limited by his priority to keep congressional Democrats unified. [Links] [Related]
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison may have won the backing of former Vice President Dick Cheney in her race for Texas governor, but unseating Republican Gov. Rick Perry remains an uphill battle. [Links] [Related]
The FCC began laying the groundwork for a bigger federal broadband role, offering a glimpse of the hurdles the U.S. faces in improving high-speed Web access. [Links] [Related]
Chances of business supporting the Obama administration's health overhaul are fading fast, after Senate Majority Leader Reid's bill took a liberal turn. [Links] [Related]
The Senate health bill does without a new surtax on the wealthy that House Democrats' legislation includes, but Senate Democrats have their own taxes that are stirring controversy. [Links] [Related]
Senate Democrats touted the immediate benefits their health bill would bring to Americans, aware that the cost and reach of the bill may already be turning off some voters ahead of the 2010 elections. [Links] [Related]
The Senate's sweeping health bill is expected to call for a new long-term-care insurance program as Democrats move closer to unveiling the legislation. [Links] [Related]
Conservatives have opened a new front in the health-care debate with the assertion that under the Democrats' plan, people who refuse to buy insurance could spend five years in prison. [Links] [Related]
When the Senate unveils its health-care bill, all eyes will be on the price tag. But an equally significant number may be how many people get insurance. [Links] [Related]
The last thing Democrats need right now is a fight over health care with a powerful group that ought to be an ally, yet that's what may be taking shape with the nation's Catholic bishops. [Links] [Related]
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is considering a proposal to raise Medicare payroll taxes on couples who make more than $250,000 a year. [Links] [Related]
Democrats Thursday said a report from the Business Roundtable on health-care costs showed their legislative efforts would reduce employers' costs in coming years. [Links] [Related]
Health legislation moving through Congress would force drug makers to disclose how much they spend on continuing medical education classes for doctors, sparking some resistance from the industry. [Links] [Related]
The number of jobs the Obama administration credits to federal stimulus money could be overstated by at least 20,000 of the 640,000 claimed. [Links] [Related]
Federal lawmakers and aides have gotten their hands on scores of tickets to the sold-out World Series games courtesy of a perk not available to the public. [Links] [Related]
Polls have a hard time measuring intensity: Yes, people will tell a pollster whom they prefer, but do they feel strongly enough to actually go out to vote? [Links] [Related]
Questions before the Supreme Court, which begins its new term Monday, include dog-fighting videos, a cross in the desert -- and whether a more unified conservative bloc emerges. [Links] [Related]
Irving Kristol, who died Friday at 89, was an editor, political essayist and provocateur universally known as "the Godfather of Neoconservatism." [Links] [Related]
Obama and Harper concluded a Washington meeting by playing down their biggest bilateral dispute: what to do about protectionist "Buy American" provisions. [Links] [Related]
Many presidents have directed policy from on high, shunning the details of most issues. But Obama's style is to dive into the minutiae, particularly on the economy. [Links] [Related]
At his six-month mark, Obama has had few defeats. But much of his agenda has recently gotten bogged down in the Washington morass he vowed to change. [Links] [Related]
The U.S’s attempt to build a strong centralized government in Afghanastan is doomed to failure. The key to stability is forging alliances with tribal and other local powerbrokers. [Links] [Related]
