• [CRACKDOWN]

    Feds Target Illegal Hires

    The federal government is requiring as many as 1,000 companies to turn over their employment records for inspection, part of an expanding crackdown on businesses suspected of hiring illegal immigrants.

  • Senate Deficit Plan Details Emerge

    A bipartisan group of senators is considering legislation that would order Congress to meet a set of spending targets and other fiscal goals or face automatic tax increases and budget cuts.

  • Subscriber Content Read Preview

    Big Banks Face Fines On Role of Servicers

    More than a dozen major financial institutions are facing sanctions over problems with internal controls and staffing levels at mortgage servicers.

  • [Unions]

    Wisconsin Workers Protest Budget Fix

    Thousands of Wisconsin public employees again converged on the state capitol in Madison to protest a plan to close the state's budget shortfall by increasing the cost of their pensions and health benefits.

  • Subscriber Content Read Preview

    [ILLINOIS_0217j]

    Big Borrowing Plan Roils Illinois

    Democratic Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn proposed a budget Wednesday that would boost general-fund spending by $1.7 billion and borrow heavily to pay overdue state bills, a plan opposed by Republican legislators.

  • Amazon's Exit Spurs Texas Tax Fight

    The planned closure of an Amazon.com Inc. distribution center in a suburb here has opened a debate about what's better for Texas's tattered budget: taxes or jobs.

  • Deputy U.S. Marshal, Suspect Killed

    One of three deputy U.S. marshals who were shot while attempting to serve an arrest warrant in West Virginia has died, and a drug suspect also was killed in the shootout.

  • [FCC]

    GOP Attacks Internet Rules

    House Republicans attacked new "net neutrality" rules for broadband Internet lines in a contentious hearing and criticized Democratic FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski for adopting them, but he and other Democrats defended them.

  • [GANGS]

    Big Bust Targets Armenian Gang

    Federal grand juries indicted dozens of alleged members and associates of a major Armenian criminal group on charges ranging from kidnapping and extortion to bank fraud and credit-card scams.

  • Aide: Giffords Unaware of Shooting Details

    Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has not yet been given details of the Jan. 8 shootings in Tucson, Ariz., according to her chief of staff, who said Giffords knows there was a traumatic event but has not been told about the severity of the wounds to others.

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    Lasting Budget Fix Sought in Michigan

    Michigan's budget crisis began long before other states started feeling the pinch, but Gov. Rick Snyder hopes to end it once and for all.

  • University of the South Slashes Tuition

    In a move likely to reverberate among America's top-tier private colleges, the University of the South said Wednesday it will slash tuition and fees for the coming school year by 10%, or about $4,600.

  • [OB-MP233_Vecchi_A_20110216140136.jpg]

    Lawsuit Alleges Misconduct by Brooklyn Prosecutors

    A man who spent 16 years in prison for the murder of a rabbi has filed a wrongful conviction suit alleging "blatantly illegal investigative tactics" were used by prosecutors.

  • [OB-MP279_Carney_A_20110216150836.jpg]

    Carney Makes Debut as White House Press Secretary

    Press Secretary Jay Carney gives his first White House press briefing.

  • Somali Pirate Is Sentenced

    A Somali man was sentenced to more than 33 years in prison after he admitted to hostage-taking and other charges last year in the hijackings of three ships off Somalia's coast.

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    Report: Credit-Card Law Benefits Consumers

    A landmark credit-card law has made billions of dollars in charges more transparent for consumers, which should help lower costs over the long-term, according to a new report.

  • Florida Governor Cancels Rail Plan

  • Computer Tops Humans on 'Jeopardy!'

Politics

  • Subscriber Content Read Preview

    [SPEND]

    House Kills Boehner-Backed Project

    The House voted to strike funding for an expensive military project built in Republican House Speaker John Boehner's backyard, in a bipartisan display of budget-cutting resolve.

  • Tech

  • [jeopardy]

    IBM Computer Beats 'Jeopardy' Champions

    IBM's Watson computer handily defeated two former "Jeopardy" champions in a nationally televised competition.

  • Media & Marketing

  • Subscriber Content Read Preview

    [JAMERSON]

    Jameson Serves Tall Tale to Lure Younger Drinkers

    Irish whiskey brand Jameson is relying on humorous reminders of its centuries-old Irish heritage to win over younger, hipper consumers.

  • Health

  • Subscriber Content Read Preview

    [NOCANCER]

    Dwarfism Offers Longevity Clues

    A small population of Ecuadoreans afflicted with a dwarfism disorder almost never get cancer or diabetes, a finding that may point the way to new treatments for both diseases, according to a new study.

  • S.F. Bay Area

  • [PLASTICsub]

    Cities Take Aim at Plastic Bags

    The move to outlaw plastic shopping bags is spreading from San Francisco to other Bay Area communities, but the latest measures have rankled some retailers and others who say outright bans go too far.

Slideshows of the Day

  • Subscriber Content Read Preview

    Panel on Deficit Paves Way for Politicians

    A bipartisan reduce-the-deficit commission made a splash last year with a plan. Now, Obama and GOP lawmakers say spending on entitlements must be restrained. Neither side, so far, is willing to go first.

  • [HETTEEN_0216jp]

    Snowmobile Pioneer Cut a Fast Trail for the Sport

    Edgar Hetteen built the sport of snowmobiling from a grain-silo conveyor belt, an old Chevrolet bumper and other spare parts lying around his farm-equipment shop. He died Saturday at age 90.

  • [021511pod08]

    Photos of the Day

    In today's pictures, a Russian cadet eats in the snow, Muslims celebrate the Prophet Muhammad's birthday, Colombian truck drivers strike and more.

  • Voters Hesitant on Biggest of Cuts

    Are voters ready to accept meaningful cuts in programs they love in order to tame the deficit? Polls suggest the answer is no. That helps explain why Obama's budget doesn't tackle Social Security and Medicare spending.

  • [021411pod09]

    Photos of the Day

    In today's pictures, Druze men protest a law annexing the Golan Heights to Israel, U.S. President Barack Obama unveils his budget proposal, heavy snow falls in South Korea and more.

Elections 2010

  • [congage]

    Capitol's Age Pyramid

    The 111th Congress, which convened in 2009, is among the oldest in U.S. history. See detailed data since 1948 by Congress, house and party.

  • [racesrecap]

    The New House

    Compare results of the 2010 midterm election to the 2008 House of Representatives and see how economics and the health-care vote may have affected mood in some races.

  • [ExitPollPromo]

    Exit Polls: Casting Ballots in 2010 and 2008

    In midterm elections Nov. 2, voters handed control of the House of Representatives to the Republican Party. See how race, gender, key issues and other factors affected voters' choices and compare to 2008 presidential exit polls.

  • [housemap_promo]

    Full Results by State

    Track state-by-state results at the district and county levels for House, Senate and governors' races. Also, access full lower-level race data.

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