A sweeping health care overhaul narrowly clears its first hurdle in the Senate, with Democrats casting 60 party-line votes to open debate.

No sooner had Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln promised to deliver one crucial vote in support of a health care overhaul than she threatened to withhold the next one.

In his weekly Saturday address, President Obama says his trip through Asia could help create thousands of job and open new markets for American goods in the future.

U.S. Sen. John McCain says that he enjoyed reading running mate Sarah Palin's new memoir and downplays any tension between their campaign aides as "no big deal."

The Senate ethics committee admonished Roland Burris for making "inconsistent, misleading or incomplete" statements about the circumstances surrounding his appointment, but did not recommend any punishment.

The White House is on a collision course with Catholic bishops in an intractable dispute over abortion that could blow up the fragile political coalition behind President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.

A billboard showing President Barack Obama wearing a turban has sparked a lot of attention at the suburban Denver used car dealership that put it up.

With no margin for rebellion, Senate Democratic leaders push ahead toward a crucial weekend test vote on their sweeping health care bill.

The U.S. Army has reversed itself and says it will open former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's appearance on Fort Bragg to media.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is an "unworthy partner" who does not deserve a big boost either in U.S. troops or civilian aid, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is leaning toward running for the U.S. Senate rather than making a bid for governor, two Republican advisers say.

Many political observers surmised that with Barack Obama's election, self-anointed and often polarizing black leader Rev. Jesse Jackson would retreat into obscurity but he hasn't.

Republican senators and governors assail the Democrats' newly minted health care legislation as a collection of tax increases, Medicare cuts and new burdens for deficit-ridden states.

A key House committee voted to assess upfront fees on large financial firms to pay for the failure of their peers and to require a congressional audit of the secretive Federal Reserve.

Most Americans want Congress to deal with malpractice lawsuits driving up the cost of medical care, says an Associated Press poll.

President Barack Obama has answered questions submitted by a celebrated Cuban blogger, saying he isn't interested in "talking for the sake of talking" with Raul Castro.

Newsweek: Public Policy Polling has found that 52 percent of GOP voters nationally think that ACORN stole the presidential election for Barack Obama last year, with only 27 percent granting that he won it legitimately.

New York Governor David Paterson, facing a tough battle to keep his job, has fallen so low in public opinion that even the visual impairment that once earned him respect is being held against him.

A look at Sarah Palin's most frequently used words capture some of the key themes of the former governor's memoir: Alaska, campaign, Todd, family, kids, right, governor, government, oil, work, energy.

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford is reporting previously unrecorded flights he took on planes owned by friends and campaign donors, even as his lawyer continues to defend his travel practices.

The U.S. Army plans to prevent media from covering Sarah Palin's appearance at Fort Bragg, fearing the event will turn into political grandstanding against President Barack Obama.

The White House and Senate Democrats have turned to a proposal to tax breast implants, tummy tucks, wrinkle-smoothing injections and other procedures as they search for ways to pay for costly health care overhaul plans.

Sen. John Kerry's daughter Alexandra, who was arrested and booked for a possible DUI, was released after a breathalyzer test fell under the legal limit for intoxication, according to the senator's spokesman.

It's the hottest ticket in town. Just don't ask the White House who got them.

The Senate on Thursday confirmed U.S. District Judge David Hamilton for the Chicago-based federal appeals court, approving a nominee targeted by conservatives as a liberal activist.