Updated: Tue, May 7, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) — One of the principal sponsors of defeated gun background check legislation says he isn't giving up on getting a bill passed. West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin says backers of expanded background checks for gun purchases must focus on "where the comfort zone is" with...

Updated: Tue, May 7, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) — Four members of Army special forces ready to head to Benghazi, Libya, after the deadly assault on the American diplomatic mission had ended were told not to go, according to a former top diplomat. Gregory Hicks also argued in an interview with Republicans on the House...

Updated: Mon, May 6, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) — Israel's willingness to hit Syrian targets it sees as threats to its own existence has complicated the Obama administration's internal debate over arming President Bashar Assad's foes and may change the way U.S. approaches allies as it tries to boost the rebels, including...

Updated: Mon, May 6, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bipartisan Senate immigration bill would cost the government a net $6.3 trillion over the next 50 years to provide benefits for millions of people now living in the U.S. illegally, the Heritage Foundation said in a report Monday, setting off a fierce dispute with fellow...

Updated: Mon, May 6, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) — It seems like a simple proposition: give employees who work more than 40 hours a week the option of taking paid time off instead of overtime pay. The choice already exists in the public sector. Federal and state workers can save earned time off and use it weeks or even...

Updated: Mon, May 6, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attention online shoppers: The days of tax-free shopping on the Internet may soon end for many of you. The Senate is scheduled to vote Monday on a bill that would empower states to collect sales taxes for purchases made over the Internet. The measure is expected to pass...

Updated: Sun, May 5, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) — Immigration, guns and national security are dominating the discussion on Capitol Hill, but Americans by and large are still focused on their bottom line. So President Barack Obama is launching a series of quick jaunts around the country to remind Americans he's still got jobs...

Updated: Wed, May 1, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican governors are often seen as innovative policymakers and potential presidential candidates, but a few are struggling with political or ethical problems that might crimp their ambitions. Two governors eyeing possible White House bids — Bob McDonnell of Virginia...

Updated: Tue, Apr 30, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama said Tuesday his counterterrorism bureaucracy "did what it was supposed to be doing" before the Boston Marathon bombing as his top intelligence official began a review into whether sensitive information was adequately shared and whether the U.S....

Updated: Tue, Apr 30, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama needled a GOP senator Tuesday, then praised Republicans working to solve the immigration riddle. He pledged to re-engage with Congress to close the U.S. detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, then decried the intractability of Congress. He cast...