President Obama's decision Thursday night to grant same-sex couples hospital visitation rights is the latest and most visible example of a strategy to make concrete steps toward equality for gays and lesbians without sparking a ...

President Obama accused Republicans on Friday of trying to carve out "special loopholes" for the financial sector in regulatory reform legislation and warned they would soon face a choice: whether to side with an unpopular ...

For 20 seconds on Thursday, President Obama basked in applause from donors in Miami when he mocked the nationwide Tea Party rallies that caused an eruption of angst on Tax Day.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has two weeks to decide if he's changing political course -- and he seems in no rush to decide. BY ADAM C. SMITH AND CRISTINA SILVA Marco Rubio might as well take a couple weeks off and relax.

Charles Dharapak / AP Sen. Dianne Feinstein greets Goodwin Liu on Capitol Hill before his appearance at the Senate Judiciary Committee.

A federal judge in Wisconsin ruled Thursday that the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional. National Day of Prayer "goes beyond mere 'acknowledgment' of religion because its sole purpose is to encourage all citizens to engage in prayer, ...

Former President Bill Clinton warned Friday that the anger some members of the Tea Party movement express about higher taxes and the size of government could feed the same right-wing extremism that led to the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, which killed ...

Nearly one in three Americans failed to return their census questionnaires by Friday's official deadline, the Census Bureau said.

Federal prosecutors accuse them of illegally acquiring firearms in a scheme to obtain government contracts. By Ken Dilanian and David S. Cloud Five former Blackwater security firm executives were charged Friday in North Carolina with illegally ...

Solicitor General Elena Kagan, and two federal appeals court judges, Diane P. Wood and Merrick B. Garland, are Supreme Court contenders.

The day after Rep. Eric Massa (DN.Y.) announced he was resigning amid a sexual harassment scandal, the congressman wrote a $40000 check from a campaign account to his chief of staff, federal campaign records show.

Rich Pedroncelli / AP Students Ashli Briggs (left) and Alicia Lewis explain Tuesday tell how they found Sarah Palin papers in campus trash bins.

Photo: AP World leaders agreed this week to protect all nuclear materials within four years to stop the possibility of nuclear terrorism.

A generation ago, the mood in California was similar. But the outcome has been different for a number of reasons. Federal immigration agents detain a man.

Former US vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin and husband Todd Palin, right, walk down a set of stairs to the dinning hall in Hamilton, Ont.

Entrance fees are waived at all 392 national parks this weekend through April 25 for National Park Week. Many parks have organized events... Entrance fees are waived at all 392 national parks this weekend through April 25 for National Park Week.

US Sen. Dianne Feinstein is stepping up her role in supporting colleague Barbara Boxer's re-election bid: She'll be chairing Boxer's campaign.

Brisk book sales lifted President Obama's income to $5.5 million in his first year in office, an amount that dwarfs that of his recent predecessors while in power and reflects the public's continued ...

Thousands gathered on the Drillfield to commemorate the annual Day of Remembrance on the third anniversary of the campus shootings.

In a deal to avoid the death penalty, John Albert Gardner III admits to the murders of Chelsea King, 17, and Amber Dubois, 14. By Tony Perry A 31-year-old registered sex offender pleaded guilty Friday to murdering two teenage girls in northern San ...