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Steven Rattner leaving auto task force
A former steelworkers union official is taking over the White House's automotive task force as the government shifts gears in its revamping of General Motors and Chrysler. (Associated Press Writers, 3:20 a.m.)
Calm, focused like a judge, Sotomayor listens
Intensely focused, Sonia Sotomayor sits like a statue as senator after senator addresses her, as well as a nationwide TV audience, at her confirmation hearing for Supreme Court justice. Occasionally, she nods her head when one of them says something particularly nice about her. (Associated Press Writer, 3:20 a.m.)
AP source: Review planned for terror alert system
The multicolored terror alert system that was created after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks could be getting an overhaul -- or could be eliminated entirely. (Associated Press Writer, 3:20 a.m.)
AP sources: Obama wants Senate health bill quickly
House Democrats are moving ahead with sweeping health care legislation as President Barack Obama prods a Senate committee chairman to take faster action on a companion measure. (Associated Press Writers, 3:20 a.m.)
Key terms used in Sotomayor confirmation hearings
A glossary of key terms used by senators and Judge Sonia Sotomayor at her confirmation hearings to be a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court: -- Judicial precedent. Very simply, it's a court ruling that establishes a principle that another court relies on when presented with a similar circumstance. Supreme Court and judicial nominees always tell the Senate that they ... (AP, 3:20 a.m.)
Specter not acting like the junior Democrat he is
Democrat Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania sure didn't sound like a junior senator, even though he spoke next to last at Judge Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court confirmation hearing. (Associated Press Writer, 3:10 a.m.)
Analysis: Old arguments flare at hearings
If Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court confirmation hearing were a trial, it would stand as evidence that nothing ever ends in the Senate, and proof that debates persist years after the votes are counted. (AP Special Correspondent, 3:10 a.m.)
WHO says new flu "unstoppable", calls for vaccine
Saying the new H1N1 virus is "unstoppable", the World Health Organization gave drug makers a full go-ahead to manufacture vaccines against the pandemic influenza strain on Monday and said healthcare workers should be the first to get one. (Reuters, 2:59 a.m.)
Supreme Court hearing moves to key social issues
President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor faces tough questioning on Tuesday as lawmakers seek to discover where she might take the country on issues such as abortion, guns and race. (Reuters, 1:40 a.m.)
Calls grow for probe of CIA plan for al-Qaida hits
Congressional demands for an investigation grew on Monday over new disclosures that a secret CIA program to capture or kill al-Qaida leaders was concealed from Congress for eight years, perhaps at the behest of former Vice President Dick Cheney. (Associated Press Writer, 12:30 a.m.)
High-tech drugs would get 12-yr market protection
Senators agreed Monday to give high-tech biologic drugs 12 years of market protection before generic versions can compete. (Associated Press Writer, 12:20 a.m.)
Sotomayor to face senators' questions at hearings
Senate Republicans plan to confront Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor with her own words, taken from speeches dating back 15 years, as they try to raise doubts about her ability to judge fairly. (Associated Press Writer, 3:29 a.m.)
Senate panel backs 12-year biotech drug shelter
Biotechnology medicines would be protected from cheaper rivals for 12 years under a plan that cleared a U.S. Senate committee on Monday. (Reuters, 12:20 a.m.)
June budget gap $94.32 billion, record for June
The U.S. government rang up a $94.32 billion budget deficit in June, a record for the month, as the price tag for efforts to prop up the economy, banks and automakers mounted while revenues weakened. (Reuters, 12 a.m.)
Obama talks of progress on Israeli settlements
U.S. President Barack Obama indicated to Jewish-American leaders on Monday that the United States and Israel are making progress in bridging their differences on the issue of Jewish settlements. (Reuters, 7/13/09)
High-tech drugs would get 12-year monopoly
Senators agreed Monday to give high-tech biologic drugs a 12-year market monopoly before generic versions can compete. (Associated Press Writer, 7/13/09)
Rural air travel subsidies gain big budget boost
A much-criticized subsidy for rural air travel would get a budget increase of more than 40 percent under a spending bill unveiled in the House on Monday. (Associated Press Writer, 7/13/09)
Clinton: vetting for top officials "is a nightmare"
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton voiced frustration on Monday at how long it has taken to name a head of the U.S. foreign aid agency and said the process of vetting candidates has become "a nightmare." (Reuters, 7/13/09)
Rattner leaves autos force, probe intensifies
Steven Rattner will leave as head of the U.S. autos task force, which oversaw bankruptcies at General Motors Corp and Chrysler Group, at a time when a probe into how the private equity firm he co-founded gained New York pension business has intensified. (Reuters, 7/13/09)
Obama seeks to regain initiative on healthcare
A combative President Barack Obama on Monday sought to regain the initiative on overhauling the U.S. healthcare system after legislation slowed down in the Congress while he was abroad last week. (Reuters, 7/13/09)
Senior lawmakers seek to end production of F-22
U.S. President Barack Obama and his former Republican White House rival, Senator John McCain, found common ground on Monday to try and stop efforts in Congress to expand the F-22 fighter jet program. (Reuters, 7/13/09)
US energy groups have concerns about new OTC rules
Obama administration proposals to overhaul financial derivatives could lead to higher energy costs for consumers, energy and manufacturing groups said in a letter to the nation's top futures regulator. (Reuters, 7/13/09)
Obama's teleprompter breaks in mid-speech
President Barack Obama had just started a spirited defense of his economic stimulus plan on Monday when one of his teleprompter screens came loose, crashed to the floor and shattered into pieces. (AP, 7/13/09)
U.S., Cuba to resume migration talks on Tuesday
The United States and Cuba plan to resume talks on Cuban migration to the United States on Tuesday, a U.S. official said, a dialogue that is part of U.S. President Barack Obama's bid to engage the communist island. (Reuters, 7/13/09)
Key terms used in Sotomayor confirmation hearings
A glossary of key terms used by senators and Judge Sonia Sotomayor at her confirmation hearings to be a justice on the U.S Supreme Court: (AP, 7/13/09)
AP source: Madoff leaves NYC lockup
Disgraced financier Bernard Madoff has been moved out of a New York lockup on his way to a North Carolina facility to begin serving his 150-year sentence, a law enforcement official said Monday. (Associated Press Writer, 7/13/09)
AP source: Review planned for terror alert system
The Obama administration will announce Tuesday that it will review the nation's multicolored terror alert system that was created after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, a senior administration official said Monday. (Associated Press Writer, 7/13/09)
Senate confirms Obama's pick to lead 2010 census
President Barack Obama's nominee to lead the 2010 census has been approved by the Senate. (Associated Press Writer, 7/13/09)
Clinton: Vetting for USAID job 'ridiculous'
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is blaming an exhaustive White House vetting process for the fact that the Obama administration has not yet named a person to run the U.S. Agency for International Development. (Associated Press Writer, 7/13/09)
Obama meets with Jewish leaders on Israel, Iran
President Barack Obama told Jewish leaders Monday that eight years of U.S.-Israeli unison in demanding Palestinian concessions has produced no results and asked leaders to give him time to try his tactics for a Middle East peace. (Associated Press Writer, 7/13/09)
Obama: Africa needs more openness, trade help
President Barack Obama continued to press African countries to be more open and honest Monday, using a video to address Africans from Washington two days after he made a major speech in Ghana. (Associated Press Writer, 7/13/09)
Bernanke to lawmaker: Jobless recovery may loom
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke sees the possibility of continued high unemployment even after the recession loosens its grip, a key U.S. senator said on Monday after talking to him. (Reuters, 7/13/09)
Analysis: GOP does political straddle on Sotomayor
Senate Republicans came to praise Sonia Sotomayor, but not necessarily to vote for her. That was the straddle that numerous GOP members of the Senate Judiciary Committee attempted at the opening of hearings Monday on the woman who would be the first Latina to sit on the Supreme Court. Seizing on their best chance to reach the American public since ... (Associated Press Writer, 7/13/09)
New flu "unstoppable", WHO says, calls for vaccine
Saying the new H1N1 virus is "unstoppable", the World Health Organization gave drug makers a full go-ahead to manufacture vaccines against the pandemic influenza strain on Monday and said healthcare workers should be the first to get one. (Reuters, 7/13/09)
U.S. worried about American scholar detained in Iran
The United States called on Iran on Monday to release U.S. citizen Kian Tajbakhsh and said it was "deeply concerned" about the scholar, who was detained in Tehran last week and has previously been accused of spying. (Reuters, 7/13/09)
Union leaders: Obama still firm on organizing bill
President Barack Obama told labor leaders Monday he remains committed to passage of legislation making it easier to form unions, but he did not offer any timeline. (Associated Press Writer, 7/13/09)
Liberals, conservatives battle over Ricci
Firefighter Frank Ricci, scheduled to testify about Sonia Sotomayor's ruling against his reverse discrimination lawsuit, was targeted for criticism Monday by powerful liberal groups who support her confirmation to the Supreme Court. (Associated Press Writer, 7/13/09)
Text of Supreme Court nominee Sotomayor
Text of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor's opening statement before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday, as delivered. (AP, 7/13/09)
Study finds decline in alcohol use by drivers
The number of drunk drivers on the roads has fallen sharply during the past 30 years amid tougher laws, stiffer enforcement and a shift in societal views on alcohol, a government survey found Monday. (Associated Press Writer, 7/13/09)
Bush releases White House, Camp David guest lists
Former President George W. Bush's overnight guests shortly before he left office included Republican Sen. Judd Gregg, who spent the night at the Camp David presidential retreat just a few weeks before President Barack Obama asked him to serve in his Cabinet, guest lists released Monday show. (Associated Press Writer, 7/13/09)
Company seeks return of seized poker winnings
A payment processor that handles the accounts of online poker players wants a judge to order the return of about $14 million that the company says was illegally seized by the federal government. (Associated Press Writer, 7/13/09)
Sotomayor says the law, not beliefs, drove rulings
Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor has told the Senate Judiciary Committee that the law, not her personal and professional experiences, has driven her rulings as a judge. (AP, 7/13/09)
Sotomayor confirmation hearing excerpts
Some excerpts from comments during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing for the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. (AP, 7/13/09)
Franken speaks at Sotomayor hearing: no joke
The newest member of the Senate, former comedian Al Franken, was as serious as his colleagues in his opening statement at the Senate confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. (AP, 7/13/09)
Obama welcomes Columbus Crew to White House
President Barack Obama has welcomed soccer's Columbus Crew to the White House to congratulate the team on its MLS championship. (AP, 7/13/09)
U.S. health insurers discuss $100 bln savings
U.S. health insurers are in talks with the Senate Finance Committee to reach savings in the federal Medicare program of $100 billion over a decade, a source familiar with the talks said on Monday. (Reuters, 7/13/09)
Obama picks Regina Benjamin as U.S. surgeon general
President Barack Obama nominated an Alabama country doctor who has three times resurrected her clinic in a fishing village after disasters to be U.S. surgeon general on Monday and help him advocate for healthcare reform. (Reuters, 7/13/09)
Teachers urge Obama to collaborate to fix schools
A teachers' union challenged the Obama administration Monday to live up to its promise of working with teachers and not against them. (AP Education Writer, 7/13/09)
Sotomayor an intent listener who soaks it all in
Sonia Sotomayor was a mostly wordless figure in the opening act of her Senate confirmation hearing Monday, but no less striking for her silence. (Associated Press Writer, 7/13/09)
Obama vows to complete health care this year
A defiant President Barack Obama says health care overhaul will be done this year. During a Rose Garden event Monday to introduce his pick for surgeon general, Obama brushed off doubts and congressional delays. He said: "Don't bet against us. We are going to make this happen." (AP, 7/13/09)