CPAC: Mitt Romney says Obama is 'weak president'

WASHINGTON -- Steaming toward a White House bid, Mitt Romney addressed CPAC on its second day Friday, charging that Barack Obama has failed to lead on national security and the economy, calling him a "weak president."

House Republicans to propose deeper budget cuts

On the heels of an uprising by rookie Republican lawmakers, House leaders Friday will unveil a new budget proposal that instructs appropriators to slice deeper to reduce the 2011 budget by the $100 billion the GOP promised voters last fall.

Emanuel at 49%, Chico at 19% in Tribune/WGN poll

Rahm Emanuel is in striking distance of being elected Chicago's next mayor on Feb. 22, with Gery Chico emerging as the rival with the best chance of forcing him into a runoff, a new Tribune/WGN poll shows.

CPAC: Donald Trump says he's considering 2012 presidential run

Developer and reality-show star Donald Trump added a touch of glitz and hubris to the CPAC conference Thursday, making a surprise and somewhat surreal appearance to tell the crowd that he still has not decided whether to seek the Republican nomination for president in 2012.

Obama to meet with national security team on Egypt

Reporting from Marquette, Mich., and Los Angeles

House Republicans see timely target in Planned Parenthood

In their rush to slash the federal budget, House Republicans are taking aim at Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest provider of abortions, after a campaign season that largely ignored social issues.

CPAC: Newt Gingrich criticizes, challenges Obama

Newt Gingrich, speaking to a packed house Thursday at CPAC and sounding much like a Republican presidential candidate for 2012, challenged President Obama to adopt GOP policies on energy, environment and the economy to convince the American public that he's committed to a centrist approach.

John Boehner: Rep. Christopher Lee was not forced out

— Speaker John Boehner said Thursday that former Rep. Christopher Lee, who resigned Wednesday after photos of his bare torso were posted on a website, made "his own decision" to resign and was not forced out.

Jon Kyl, No. 2 Republican in Senate, won't seek a fourth term

Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, will not seek reelection to the seat he has held for three terms.

CPAC: Michele Bachmann opens conference, charges Obama has 'ushered in socialism'

Rep. Michele Bachmann on Thursday opened up a three-day CPAC gathering of the nation's conservatives by celebrating the achievements of the "tea party" movement and warning of the policies of the Obama administration, saying that the president had "ushered in socialism."

Rep. Christopher Lee of New York resigns abruptly after personal ads on Craigslist revealed

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Christopher Lee, a second-term lawmaker representing Western New York state, is resigning from Congress after the release of e-mails the married Republican allegedly sent through an online personals site.

House Republicans' spending cuts fall short of goal

House Republican leaders unveiled a wide swath of spending cuts Wednesday but fell short of GOP promises to slice $100 billion, creating a political challenge for House Speaker John A. Boehner as he struggles to unite his majority before next week's budget vote.

Florida governor turns Voting Rights Act rule on its head

Since the 1960s, state and local officials in the South have been required by law to seek advance approval from the Justice Department in Washington before making changes in their election rules, a legacy of the era when blacks were denied the right to vote.

Another Democrat out: Jim Webb won't seek Senate reelection in 2012

WASHINGTON — In another blow to Democrats' chances of retaining the Senate beyond 2012, first-term Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) announced Wednesday he would not seek reelection.

Obama, GOP leaders talk economy, budget cuts over lunch

The top Republicans in the House of Representatives dined with President Obama on Wednesday, and the menu was dominated by talk on the economy, budget deficits, regulatory reform and trade.

Obama's 'New Foundation' gives way – maybe to a catchier catchphrase

Lyndon B. Johnson envisioned a Great Society. Franklin D. Roosevelt offered Americans a New Deal. President Obama is building a New Foundation — or at least he was.