Some unions now angry about health care overhaul

By SAM HANANEL

Some labor unions that enthusiastically backed President Barack Obama's health care overhaul are now frustrated and angry, fearful that it will jeopardize benefits for millions of their members.

IRS replaces official who revealed targeting

By ALAN FRAM and STEPHEN OHLEMACHER

The Internal Revenue Service official who led the unit that targeted tea party groups and publicly disclosed the activity has been replaced, making her the third top IRS official moved aside since the episode was revealed two weeks ago.

Tea party vs. old guard in GOP Senate rift

By ANDREW TAYLOR and CHARLES BABINGTON

A long-simmering feud between establishment Republicans and tea partyers broke into full view, with Sen. John McCain accusing younger colleagues of overplaying their hands and tempting Democrats to change Senate rules that protect the minorit…

Obama sketches more targeted anti-terror plan

By The Associated Press

Out with the global war on terror. In with more narrowly targeted counterterrorism policies that persistently zero in on violent extremists at home and abroad.

Obama balances threats against Americans' rights

By LARA JAKES and JULIE PACE

Forecasting the changing nature of threats against the U.S. for years to come, President Barack Obama says "America is at a crossroads." And so, too, is his presidency's counterterrorism policy, which has long struggled to balance protecting …

GOP's Walker touts state ties during trip to Iowa

By THOMAS BEAUMONT

Scott Walker tried to introduce himself to Iowa Republicans Thursday as so many would-be presidential candidates often do _ one of their own.

GOP's Walker touts state ties during trip to Iowa

By THOMAS BEAUMONT

Scott Walker tried to introduce himself to Iowa Republicans Thursday as so many would-be presidential candidates often do _ one of their own.

Rep. Jo Bonner resigning to take Ala. college post

By The Associated Press

U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner announced Thursday that he is resigning from Congress effective in August to take a post with the University of Alabama system.

Milestones for Guantanamo Bay detention center

By The Associated Press

President Barack Obama on Thursday reaffirmed his 2008 campaign promise to close the military-run prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where terror suspects have been held since 2002, and begin the transfer of some prisoners to other countries. A …

Obama to tour Jersey Shore with Gov. Christie

President Barack Obama plans to give the Jersey Shore a boost with a post-Memorial Day visit to showcase recovery efforts in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.

Obama lifts ban on Guantanamo transfers to Yemen

By NEDRA PICKLER

President Barack Obama is lifting his self-imposed ban on transferring Guantanamo Bay detainees to Yemen, where a leadership upheaval has improved the country's security but not eliminated a terrorist organization trying to recruit jihadists.

IRS replaces official in tea party controversy

By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER

A day after she refused to answer questions at a congressional hearing, Lois Lerner was replaced Thursday as director of the Internal Revenue Service division that oversaw agents who targeted tea party groups.

Senate votes to cut crop insurance aid for wealthy

By MARY CLARE JALONICK

The Senate on Thursday voted to limit the amount of government subsidies the wealthiest farmers receive when purchasing crop insurance.

House immigration group resolves dispute

By ERICA WERNER

House members writing a bipartisan immigration bill said Thursday they had patched over a dispute that threatened their efforts, even as they and the rest of Congress prepared to return home for a weeklong recess where many could confront vot…

Senate confirms Obama nominee to key appeals court

By HENRY C. JACKSON

After five years of trying, President Barack Obama has placed his first nominee on a key appeals court in Washington.

Obama: Policy in leaks investigations under review

By MARK SHERMAN

President Barack Obama said Thursday that the Justice Department will review the policy under which it obtains journalists' records in investigations of the leak of government secrets.

Smooth confirmation hearing for Pritzker

By ANDREW MIGA

President Barack Obama's nominee for commerce secretary was questioned briefly about her ties to a subprime mortgage lender that failed in 2001 and her role as a beneficiary of family offshore trusts in the Bahamas, but those were minor bumps…

House backs variable rate student loans

By PHILIP ELLIOTT

Dismissing a veto threat from President Barack Obama, lawmakers in the House passed legislation that links student loan rates to the ups and downs of the financial markets in a vote largely along party lines.

Anti-war protester shouts at Obama during speech

President Barack Obama was interrupted three times by a woman who shouted about drones and detainees in Cuba as he delivered a speech on national security.

Obama: New guidelines in place for drone strikes

President Barack Obama says he has signed new policy guidelines to oversee when the U.S. can use drone strikes against suspected terrorists.

Obama: Congress briefed on every drone strike

President Barack Obama says his administration informs Congress about every drone strike America orders.

Between economy and trouble, Obama approval steady

By JIM KUHNHENN

The economy is recovering, the White House is dealing with multiple controversies, and President Barack Obama appears generally unaffected either way.

Birth control coverage up for federal appeal

KRISTEN WYATT Associated Press

In the most prominent challenge of its kind, Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. is asking a federal appeals court Thursday for an exemption from part of the federal health care law that requires it to offer employees health coverage that includes access…

Birth control coverage up for federal appeal

Kristen Wyatt Associated Press

DENVER (AP) — In the most prominent challenge of its kind, Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. is asking a federal appeals court Thursday for an exemption from part of the federal health care law that requires it to offer employees health coverage that i…

Obama to address drones, Gitmo in security speech

Lara Jakes and Lolita C. Baldor Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Thursday is expected to address some of the thornier aspects of national security policy, including drone strikes, the prison at Guantanamo Bay and the dire threats Americans continue to face — even…

Who else took the 5th? Baseball star, banker, more

By CONNIE CASS

The baseball star, the Hollywood 10, Oliver North. And Lois Lerner of the IRS.

House passes GOP bill to speed pipeline approval

By MATTHEW DALY

House Republicans pushed through a bill Wednesday to bypass the president to speed approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to Texas. Democrats criticized the legislation as a blatant attempt to allow a foreign company to avoid en…

Pentagon: New record plan won't help vet backlog

By LOLITA C. BALDOR AND PAULINE JELINEK

The Pentagon has decided to buy a new computerized health records system to be able to better share and merge its data with the Department of Veterans Affairs, but officials cautioned that it was part of a "long-term modernization" effort and…

Obama threatens veto of House student loan plan

By PHILIP ELLIOTT

President Barack Obama on Wednesday threatened to veto legislation by House Republicans that would avert a doubling of student loan interest rates on July 1 but allow them to vary with the markets going forward.

House committee passes Iran sanctions legislation

RICHARD LARDNER

A new push to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions by crippling the country's economy gathered momentum on Capitol Hill Wednesday with approval of legislation by the House Foreign Affairs Committee that would impose even tougher economic sanctions…

Union power at issue as Garcetti elected LA mayor

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD

The next mayor of Los Angeles was able to defeat a fellow Democrat by depicting her as a pawn of utility union bosses in the city long friendly to labor, an outcome expected to echo beyond California as unions nationwide face threats to their clout.

Soldier charged with videotaping women

By LOLITA C. BALDOR

An Army sergeant has been charged with secretly photographing and videotaping at least a dozen women at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, including in a bathroom.

Judge apologizes for lag in unsealing documents

By FREDERIC J. FROMMER

A federal judge apologized Wednesday for an 18-month delay in unsealing documents in a case involving an alleged leak of classified information to a reporter.

First lady lauds effort to preserve DC slave house

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE

Michelle Obama said Wednesday that stories of toil and sweat by slaves once held at a historic home within sight of the White House are an important part of U.S. history, including her own personal story, and are "as vital to our national mem…

Benghazi review leader OKs meeting with committee

By MATTHEW LEE

A House committee chairman has withdrawn a subpoena to compel a retired diplomat to answer questions in private about an independent investigation of last year's attack in Benghazi, Libya.

House Republicans promote 20-week abortion ban

By JIM ABRAMS

House Republican who oppose abortion promoted legislation Wednesday that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

IRS official Lerner: 'I did nothing wrong'

ALAN FRAM and STEPHEN OHLEMACHER Associated Press

WASHINGTON | The Internal Revenue Service official at the center of the storm over the agency's targeting of conservative groups told Congress on Wednesday that she had done nothing wrong in the episode, and then invoked her constitutional ri…

Anthony Weiner launches bid to become NYC mayor

Jennifer Peltz Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Anthony Weiner's run for a renaissance is officially on.

Schumer: US needs storm app for tablets, phones

Associated Press

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer is proposing a national application for smartphones, tablets and the Internet which would quickly update comprehensive storm warnings nationwide.

Republican divisions may hinder party's momentum

By CHARLES BABINGTON

A string of unrelated events is highlighting divisions among Republicans just when they'd like to show a united front and take full advantage of President Barack Obama's latest political problems.

Gov't dysfunction may be baked into the system

By TOM RAUM

The works do seem to be "gummed up" on Capitol Hill. And President Barack Obama isn't the only one to say so.

Will Senate bid lure Rogers from his House seat?

By DONNA CASSATA

Republican Rep. Mike Rogers has pulled off a rare feat in a bitterly divided Congress _ a working, productive relationship with Democrats in overseeing the nation's 16 spy agencies.

Officials say Benghazi suspects under surveillance

By KIMBERLY DOZIER

Five men are under round-the-clock U.S. surveillance in Libya, wanted for questioning in the attack last year on the diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya. The White House believes there is enough proof for a military force to seize them as t…

SUPREME COURT NOTEBOOK: Sotomayor at Yale

By MARK SHERMAN

Justice Sonia Sotomayor was the author of a unanimous decision delivered at the Supreme Court on Monday, but Sotomayor was hundreds of miles from Washington when the court convened.

Obama voices support for Senate immigration bill

President Barack Obama says a far-reaching immigration overhaul approved by a Senate panel is largely consistent with his own principles.

Key senator to let Myanmar sanctions bill lapse

By MATTHEW PENNINGTON

Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell, easing up on his long-held tough stance on Myanmar, said Tuesday he planned to allow key sanctions legislation against the Southeast Asian nation to lapse because of the country's progress toward democracy.

White House: Reporters shouldn't be prosecuted

By JOSH LEDERMAN

President Barack Obama believes journalists shouldn't be prosecuted for doing their jobs, the White House said Tuesday, showing solidarity with First Amendment advocates alarmed by a pair of high-profile federal probes into national security leaks.

Senate panel approves weapons for Syrian rebels

By DONNA CASSATA

A Senate panel voted on Tuesday to provide weapons to rebels battling the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad, the first time lawmakers have endorsed the aggressive U.S. military step of arming the opposition in the 2-year-old civil war.

Fort Jackson commander facing adultery charges

By LOLITA C. BALDOR

The Army says the commanding general of Fort Jackson, S.C., has been suspended in connection with charges of adultery and involvement in a physical altercation.