House orders engraving of 'In God We Trust' motto

The national motto, "In God We Trust," will be engraved in the Capitol Visitor Center, responding to critic...

Sanford should resign, according to polls

Two recent polls reflect the public unhappiness with South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford. In one poll, 60 perc...

Study: Sotomayor tough on white-collar criminals

High court nominee Sonia Sotomayor typically handed out tougher prison sentences than her colleagues in the...

Conservative House Dems rebel on health care bill

Conservative Democrats in the House rebelled against their party leaders Thursday, raising concerns about t...

White House, hospitals reach deal on health care

The nation's hospitals will give up $155 billion in future Medicare and Medicaid payments to help defray th...

GOP candidates in Va., NJ wary of Palin

Sarah Palin's decision to step down as Alaska governor was driven in part by her wish to help Republican ca...

Actor Kal Penn starts work as White House liaison

Actor Kal Penn, who last year portrayed a captive in an orange jumpsuit escaping from Guantánamo, st...

Republican: Sotomayor had ties to extreme group

Obama uneasy over indefinite Guantánamo detentions

President Barack Obama said Thursday he is uneasy about his own proposal to indefinitely imprison some of t...

Sanford's vow to stay on growing stronger, friends say

Gov. Mark Sanford's "feet are in concrete" in resisting calls for him to leave office, say close friends wh...

Obama pitches health care plans in Virginia

President Barack Obama says he recognizes the heavy price tag of revamping the health care system but that ...

Obama broadens push for climate change pact

White House: Don't end stimulus efforts yet

The White House says it's not quite time for industrialized nations to pull the plug on economic stimulus e...

Obama hails historic US-Italian ties, friendship

President Barack Obama is praising historic American ties with Italy, saying the two countries are cooperat...

White House: US pullback important step forward

President Barack Obama declared Tuesday that "Iraq's future is in the hands of its own people," warning of ...

First lady visits community health clinic

First lady Michelle Obama visited a community health center Monday to announce the release of $850 million ...

CAPITAL CULTURE: Protecting images of Obama's kids

Obama says Honduran ouster was 'not legal'

President Barack Obama on Monday declared that the United States still considers Manuel Zelaya to be the pr...

US has talked with deposed Honduran leader

U.S. diplomats are working to ensure the safety of deposed Honduran President Manuel Zelaya and his family ...

White House open to new tax on health benefits

The Obama White House left open the possibility Sunday that the president would break a campaign promise an...

Obama adviser not ready to back a second stimulus

Obama says Merkel smart, trustworthy

President Barack Obama is describing his German counterpart as "smart," and he adds that he can trust what ...

PUBLIC MONEY

Audit: Top Florida officials spent $51K on plane commutes

In never-released findings, auditors concluded that top state officials spent thousands commuting to their ...

Investigator issues report on Sansom dealings

The special investigator hired by the Florida House of Representatives to investigate Rep. Ray Sansom's dea...

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER ALEX SINK

Alex Sink orders her office to review her state-plane use

As questions continue about state-plane use by Cabinet officials, Alex Sink orders an internal review of he...

LEGISLATURE

Florida House panel to review Sansom case

Former House Speaker Ray Sansom faces possible sanctions after an investigator says he may have damaged con...

FLORIDA

Florida governor candidates defend use of state planes

Travel records show how Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink and Attorney General Bill McCollum use st...

RAY SANSOM CASE

Document could be the key in Sansom case

Some seemingly cryptic information on a document could be crucial in the prosecution of Ray Sansom, former ...

RAY SANSOM CASE

U.S. takes up investigation of former Florida House speaker

Investigations into the dealings of former House Speaker Ray Sansom continue, despite his indictment.

STATE SENATE

Gov. Charlie Crist's veto was payback for lack of support, state Sen. Steve Oelrich says

A senator suspects Crist's veto of his student transportation bill was a form of retaliation.

GAMBLING

Seminoles balk at Florida's new casino legislation

The gambling legislation awaiting Gov. Charlie Crist's signature isn't likely to win the Seminole Tribe's c...

FLORIDA PRISONS

Florida Legislature gives OK to ship inmates out of state

Sending criminals to out-of-state prisons is a 'safety valve' for Florida's overpopulated prisons.

Crist's high court pick puts him in political center

Charlie Crist seated his fourth Supreme Court nominee, burnishing his reputation as a center-leaning governor

FLORIDA ENVIRONMENT

South Florida's killer pythons capture U.S. attention

Sen. Bill Nelson told a congressional panel that the Burmese python, a killer pet thriving in the Everglade...

FLORIDA POLITICS

Attorney general candidate denies close ties to ex-con

Democratic attorney general candidate Dave Aronberg says he barely knows an ex-con who arranged a fundraise...

MIAMI MAYORAL RACE

Joe Sanchez and Tomás Regalado offer starkly different visions in Miami mayoral race

Two veteran Miami city commissioners offer starkly divergent visions and styles as they seek to replace ter...

POLITICS

Joe Garcia nominated for federal energy post

The president tapped a longtime political presence in Dade to run a minority economic office.

MIAMI-DADE

Miami-Dade School Board pleased with budget draft

Members of the Miami-Dade School Board took a peek at the 2009-10 budget on Tuesday -- and many said they l...

CAMPAIGN 2010

Marco Rubio's fundraising numbers cast doubt on Senate bid, fellow Republicans say

Some fellow Republicans said that Marco Rubio's fundraising gap against Gov. Charlie Crist puts Rubio's Sen...

TALLAHASSEE

Gov. Charlie Crist's net worth held steady for 2008

Florida's governor listed of net worth of $466,000 for 2008, nearly the same as it was the year before.

CHILD WELFARE

Study: Florida's psych drug rules for foster kids ignored

A new state study found that child-welfare doctors and case workers aren't following the rules when it come...

PUBLIC MONEY

Audit: Top Florida officials spent $51K on plane commutes

In never-released findings, auditors concluded that top state officials spent thousands commuting to their ...

ATTORNEY GENERAL BILL McCOLLUM

Florida attorney general's schedule shows part-time workload

Questions arise about a gubernatorial candidate's schedule of personal and business activities.

GOVERNOR'S RACE

Sink wins backing from EMILY's List in Florida governor's race

In Florida's closely watched governor's race, EMILY's List aims to give Democrat Alex Sink a financial boost.

Cities to receive money for fighting homelessness

State-by-state look at cities, counties and communities where stimulus money will be distributed to combat ...

Senate votes to permit drug imports from Canada

People in the United States could get lower-cost drugs from Canada over the Internet under a plan that has ...

Senate votes to block release of detainee photos

The Senate has again voted to allow the Obama administration to refuse to release new photos showing U.S. p...

DNC fundraiser tapped as ambassador to Germany

President Obama plans to nominate Philip Murphy, a former finance chairman for the Democratic National Comm...

Internet drug purchases included in spending bills

The Senate dealt a blow to the drug lobby Thursday by voting to permit people in the United States to order...

Keep them playing: Stimulus money aids orchestras

Dozens of orchestras around the nation can keep playing for now, kept in tune by federal stimulus dollars a...

Honduras losing $20 million in U.S. aid, and counting

The political crisis in Honduras has cost the country nearly $20 million in U.S. aid - and the price tag co...

U.S. turns over to Iraq Iranians suspected of aiding insurgents

The U.S. military on Thursday reluctantly turned over to Iraq five Iranians it had accused of fomenting vio...

Poll: World has little confidence in leaders' economic measures

As President Barack Obama and other world leaders meet in Italy, a global survey released Thursday reflects...

House Democrats, White House at odds over CIA briefings

House Democrats were working Thursday to avert a showdown with President Barack Obama and the CIA over who ...

Michael Jackson resolution isn't needed, Pelosi says

Amid the great debates of the day over health care, global warming and economic recovery, House Speaker Nan...

2 men and a mediator: Can Arias help Honduras?

Talks to resolve the leadership crisis in Honduras got on track Thursday, with both sides holding closed-do...

COUP IN HONDURAS

Costa Rican president to mediate Honduras crisis

Talks between the ousted and de facto Honduran leaders, mediated by a Nobel Peace Prize-winning president, ...

THE CARIBBEAN

Caribbean islands at odds over alliances with Hugo Chávez

A budding alliance between Venezuela's Hugo Chávez and several small, English-speaking island nation...

COUP IN HONDURAS

Honduras' Manuel Zelaya plots new strategy to get home

Honduras' Manuel Zelaya is expected to meet with U.S. officials in Washington to find another way to reclai...

Andres Oppenheimer: Honduran crisis should serve as hemispheric wake-up call

Once the dust settles from the military coup in Honduras, there's likely to be negotiations between the int...

Mexico's PRI makes comeback, says it has changed

Mexico's long-dominant Institutional Revolutionary Party promised Monday it has learned from the past and c...

COUP IN HONDURAS

Honduran troops prevent Manuel Zelaya's return; protester killed

Honduras' military prevented ousted President Manuel Zelaya from landing in the capital, where thousands wa...

THE WASHINGTON POST

For U.S. and OAS, new challenges to Latin American democracy

Bayonet-wielding soldiers are not the biggest threat to democracy in Latin America, where more than a dozen...

CARIBBEAN

Caribbean leaders seek help for their economies

Cash-strapped Caribbean leaders plan to lobby international financial institutions for assistance.

Old ruling party gains in Mexico midterm election

OAS moves to suspend Honduras over president's ouster

WASHINGTON - The Organization of American States voted late Saturday to suspend Honduras from the group ove...