ALL RECENT AP STORIES

Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced on Monday that three more states would join the ranks of those given permission to ignore parts of the federal No Child Left Behind law in favor of their own school improvement plans. The addition of Alaska, Hawaii and West Virginia brings to 37 the number of states operating outside the Bush-era law, along with the District of Columbia. Eight additional states, the Bureau of Indian Education, Puerto Rico and a coalition of California districts are waiting...

The New York Police Department is defending itself in a federal civil rights lawsuit over its surveillance of Muslims. It says in a new court filing that nothing it has done violated surveillance guidelines imposed by a federal judge in a previous case. In the legal papers, a detective told the judge that he never asked an informant to get Muslims to make incriminating comments. But text messages obtained by The Associated Press show that the detective never told the informant to stop, either....

Former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer said Monday that he is "focused like a laser" on improving the Stillwater Mining Co. after being elected chairman of the board _ but he also isn't ruling out a potential U.S. Senate run. The Democrat told the Associated Press in an interview that he has always been good at "keeping a couple of balls in the air." Schweitzer was among four new board members elected earlier this month after he led a group of shareholders unhappy with current management at Montana's...

Arkansas' state treasurer was accused Monday of taking at least $36,000 in cash _ sometimes stashed in a pie box _ from a broker who later came to manage a large share of the state's $3.3 billion stock and bond portfolio. Martha Shoffner made her initial federal court appearance Monday and was released on her own recognizance. She was also ordered to surrender her passport. Federal prosecutors allege Shoffner accepted $12,000 a year from a broker who would sometimes deliver cash in a pie box,...

Foreigners leaving the country through any of the nation's 30 busiest airports would undergo mandatory fingerprinting under an amendment senators added Monday to a sweeping immigration bill. Lawmakers called it a step toward a more expansive biometric system that would use identifiers such as fingerprints to keep track of immigrants and visitors exiting the U.S. Currently no such system is in place, something viewed as a security weakness, particularly because some 40 percent of the 11 million...

The Justice Department's inspector general says the U.S. Attorney in Arizona violated department policy by providing Fox News with information apparently aimed at undercutting the credibility of a federal agent who helped reveal the botched arms-trafficking probe called Operation Fast and Furious. The IG says there was substantial evidence in the 2011 incident that then-U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke's motive for disclosing a memo by federal agent John Dodson was retaliation. In testimony to a House...

In a bitter fight, Colorado Democrats recently muscled through the Statehouse a massive elections reform bill that allows voters to register up until Election Day and still cast their ballots. It's the latest _ and most substantial _ development in a nationwide Democratic Party effort to strike back at two years of Republican success in passing measures to require identification at polling places and purge rolls of suspect voters. Democratic-controlled states like California, Connecticut and...

New government figures underscore the staggering long-term consequences of military sexual assaults: More than 85,000 veterans were treated last year for injuries or illness linked to the abuse, and 4,000 sought disability benefits. The Department of Veterans Affairs' accounting, released in response to inquiries from The Associated Press, shows a heavy financial and emotional cost that affects several generations of veterans and lasts long after a victim leaves the service. Sexual assault or...

The Supreme Court said Monday it will hear a new case on the intersection of religion and government in a dispute over prayers used to open public meetings. The justices said they will review an appeals court ruling that held that the upstate New York town of Greece, a Rochester suburb, violated the Constitution by opening nearly every meeting over an 11-year span with prayers that stressed Christianity. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the town should have made a greater effort to...

The Supreme Court won't order new legislative elections in Mississippi over complaints about the timing of the state's redistricting. The Mississippi NAACP had challenged the state's 2011 state elections because the Legislature did not immediately use the 2010 census to draw new district lines in 2011. The state House and Senate instead argued for several weeks before ending their 2011 session without adopting new maps. The NAACP had asked for that election to be set aside and special elections...

The Supreme Court will decide if government whistleblower protection applies to employees of a privately-held contractor or the subcontractor of a publicly-held company. The justices on Monday agreed to hear appeals from Jackie Hosang Lawson and Jonathan M. Zang. The two of them complained of retaliation for whistleblower activities from the privately-held parent company and subsidiary companies that run the Fidelity family of mutual funds. Lawson resigned after complaining of harassment, and...

A big brother you can trust to keep you safe, give you a hand and do right by you? Or a big brother who snoops, lies and bullies you in all corners of your life? There's a common thread running through a series of controversies dogging President Barack Obama: the federal government, and conflicting interpretations of what it is. The debate often is boiled down to this: Obama's notion of an activist, capable government that helps people vs. Republicans' impression of an intrusive, incompetent central...

Is the tea party getting its groove back? Shouts of vindication from around the country suggest the movement's leaders certainly think so. They say the IRS acknowledgement that it had targeted their groups for extra scrutiny _ a claim that tea party activists had made for years _ is helping pump new energy into the coalition. And they are trying to use that development, along with the ongoing controversy over the Benghazi, Libya, terrorist attacks and the Justice Department's secret seizure of...

The night of smoke, chaos, gunfire and grenades that killed four Americans in Benghazi, Libya, is well-documented. Eight months later, it is the decisions made back in Washington that remain murky and in perpetual dispute. Why were a diplomatic outpost and the visiting U.S. ambassador left so poorly protected? Should the Pentagon have rushed jets or special forces to the rescue when the assault began? Did President Barack Obama's administration obscure the true nature of the terrorist attack to...

The Internal Revenue Service is feeling the sort of heat that targeted taxpayers feel from the tax agency. It's the sense that a powerful someone is breathing down your neck. Republicans in Congress are livid with the IRS over its systematic scrutiny of conservative groups during the 2010 and 2012 elections. Democrats agree that something must be done. Likewise, President Barack Obama isn't at all happy with the tax collectors. That kind of commonality in Washington is about as rare as a budget...

Is the tea party getting its groove back? Shouts of vindication from around the country suggest the movement's leaders certainly think so. They say the IRS acknowledgement that it had targeted their groups for extra scrutiny _ a claim that tea party activists had made for years _ is helping pump new energy into the coalition. And they are trying to use that development, along with the ongoing controversy over the Benghazi, Libya, terrorist attacks and the Justice Department's secret seizure of...

Is the tea party getting its groove back? Shouts of vindication from around the country suggest the movement's leaders certainly think so. They say the IRS acknowledgement that it had targeted their groups for extra scrutiny _ a claim that tea party activists had made for years _ is helping pump new energy into the coalition. And they are trying to use that development, along with the ongoing controversy over the Benghazi, Libya, terrorist attacks and the Justice Department's secret seizure of...

President Barack Obama will discuss the legality of his administration's secret drone program and other counterterrorism practices during a speech Thursday, a White House official said. Obama's speech will be an attempt to fulfill his State of the Union pledge to be more "transparent" with the public about the controversial drone program that has become the centerpiece of the White House's efforts to combat terrorism. The official said Obama would also use Thursday's address at the National Defense...

A top White House adviser insisted Sunday that President Barack Obama learned the Internal Revenue Service had targeted tea party groups only "when it came out in the news" while Republicans continued to press the administration for more answers. Trying to move past a challenging week that put the White House on the defensive, senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer was scheduled to appear on five Sunday news shows to repeat the administration's position that no senior officials were involved in the decision...

The Internal Revenue Service is feeling the sort of heat that targeted taxpayers feel from the tax agency. It's the sense that a powerful someone is breathing down your neck. Republicans in Congress are livid with the IRS over its systematic scrutiny of conservative groups during the 2010 and 2012 elections. Democrats agree that something must be done. President Barack Obama also isn't at all happy with the tax collectors. That kind of commonality in Washington is about as rare as a budget...

The night of smoke, chaos, gunfire and grenades that killed four Americans in Benghazi, Libya, is well-documented. Eight months later, it is the decisions made back in Washington that remain murky and in perpetual dispute. Why were a diplomatic outpost and the visiting U.S. ambassador left so poorly protected? Should the Pentagon have rushed jets or special forces to the rescue when the assault began? Did President Barack Obama's administration obscure the true nature of the terrorist attack to...

First lady Michelle Obama has some advice for some Tennessee high school graduates: Strike your own path in college and life and work to overcome inevitable failures with determination and grit. Mrs. Obama spoke for 22 minutes to the graduates of Martin Luther King Jr. Academic Magnet High School on Saturday in her only high school commencement address this year. The ceremony took place in the gymnasium of nearby Tennessee State University. The first lady told the 170 graduates that she spent...

President Barack Obama has taken two Cabinet secretaries out for a round of golf _ in the rain. The White House said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius (seh-BEEL'-yuhs) and outgoing Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood joined the president Saturday at Andrews Air Force Base. LaHood is running the Transportation Department until the Senate confirms Obama's choice of Charlotte, N.C., Mayor Anthony Foxx as successor. Reporters saw Sebelius climb into the president's SUV before...

Republicans aren't the only ones roiled by internal jostling and recruiting hiccups ahead of next year's midterm elections. Two top-tier Democratic prospects recently bypassed running for Senate seats in Georgia and South Dakota, highlighting both divisions within the party and its challenge of finding candidates whose ideologies line up with voters in Republican-leaning states. Democrats say they'll be fine even though Rep. John Barrow in Georgia and former Rep. Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin in...

Despite Democratic fears, predictions of the demise of President Barack Obama's agenda appear exaggerated after a week of cascading controversies, political triage by the administration and party leaders in Congress and lack of evidence to date of wrongdoing close to the Oval Office. "Absolutely not," Steven Miller, the recently resigned acting head of the Internal Revenue Service, responded Friday when asked if he had any contact with the White House about targeting conservative groups seeking...

The night of smoke, chaos, gunfire and grenades that killed four Americans in Benghazi, Libya, is well-documented. Eight months later, it is the decisions made back in Washington that remain murky and in perpetual dispute. Why was a diplomatic outpost left so poorly protected? Should the Pentagon have rushed jets or special forces to the rescue when the assault began? Did President Barack Obama's administration obscure the true nature of the terrorist attack to help him get re-elected? Congressional...

Political scandals have strange ways of causing collateral damage, and Republicans are hoping the furor over federal tax enforcers singling out conservative groups will ensnare their biggest target: President Barack Obama's health care law. There is a link, but it may only be coincidence. No one appears to have connected the dots factually, and it's unclear whether they will. The Internal Revenue Service has a major role in carrying out the health care law, because financial assistance to help...

Myanmar President Thein Sein's historic White House visit next week is the culmination of U.S. outreach to a former pariah regime. That's been based on a principle of taking "action for action" by deepening ties in response to democratic reforms. But in the six months since Barack Obama became the first U.S. president to visit Myanmar, the Southeast Asian nation has been buffeted by communal and ethnic violence, and security forces are still accused of serious rights abuses. Activists and some...

There's an irony in the Internal Revenue Service's crackdown on conservative groups. The nation's tax agency has admitted to inappropriately scrutinizing smaller tea party organizations that applied for tax-exempt status, and senior Treasury Department officials were notified in the midst of the 2012 presidential election season that an internal investigation was underway. But the IRS largely maintained a hands-off policy with the much larger, big-budget organizations on the left and right that...

Virginia's activist conservative attorney general has won the Republican Party's gubernatorial nomination by acclamation. At the GOP's statewide convention, thousands of conservatives and tea party followers who dominated the Richmond Coliseum on Saturday roared their unanimous support for Ken Cuccinelli. He was unopposed for the nomination and is generally beloved by the tea party for his aggressive challenges to federal mandates Cuccinelli is an abortion foe who was the first state attorney...

The Internal Revenue Service is feeling the sort of heat that targeted taxpayers feel from the tax agency. It's the sense that a powerful someone is breathing down your neck. Republicans in Congress are livid with the IRS over its systematic scrutiny of conservative groups during the 2010 and 2012 elections. Democrats agree that something must be done. President Barack Obama also isn't at all happy with the tax collectors. That kind of commonality in Washington is about as rare as a budget...

Seeking maximum political gain from the string of controversies swirling around the White House, Republicans are on the attack against Democratic lawmakers who accepted donations from the union that represents Internal Revenue Service employees. But here's the rub: About a dozen current and former Republican lawmakers took the same cash. Among them is Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, a GOP establishment favorite running to claim a Democratic-held Senate seat next year in West Virginia. Capito took...

President Barack Obama is calling attention to his economic proposals and efforts to expand the middle class. In his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama says the U.S. should focus on attracting good jobs, educating workers and ensuring workers get paid a decent living. Obama has been pushing those priorities in recent visits to Baltimore and Austin, Texas. Obama says he'll make the case in more U.S. cities soon. Obama says politics in Washington often aren't focused on what Americans care...

Seeking maximum political gain from the string of controversies swirling around the White House, Republicans are on the attack against Democratic lawmakers who accepted donations from the union that represents Internal Revenue Service employees. But here's the rub: About a dozen current and former Republican lawmakers took the same cash. Among them is Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, a GOP establishment favorite running to claim a Democratic-held Senate seat next year in West Virginia. Capito took...

Illinois lawmakers agreed to legalize the use of medical marijuana on Friday under a plan that's being billed as the strictest in the nation among states that have authorized the drug's medicinal use, though it was unclear whether the Democratic governor plans to sign it. The plan authorizes a pilot program for physicians to prescribe marijuana only to patients with whom they have an existing relationship. Background checks are required, and patients must have at least one of more than three...

Colorado sheriffs upset with gun restrictions adopted in the aftermath of last year's mass shootings filed a federal lawsuit Friday, challenging the regulations as unconstitutional. The lawsuit involves sheriffs from 54 of Colorado's 64 counties, most representing rural, gun-friendly areas of the state. The sheriffs say the new state laws violate Second Amendment protections that guarantee the right to keep and bear arms. Opponents are criticizing the lawsuit as political maneuvering. The filing...

Senior Treasury officials were made aware in June 2012 that investigators were looking into complaints from tea party groups that they were being harassed by the Internal Revenue Service, a Treasury inspector general said Friday, disclosing that Obama administration officials knew there was a probe during the heat of the presidential campaign. J. Russell George, the Treasury inspector general for tax administration, testified alongside ousted IRS head Steven Miller, who did little...

The White House says President Barack Obama has met with Daniel Werfel, the new acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service. The Treasury Department says Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew told Werfel to take steps immediately to ensure the IRS is acting in an unbiased way. Werfel was previously the controller of the Office of Management and Budget, a job akin to a chief financial officer. He's replacing Steven Miller, who was ousted Wednesday amid revelations that the IRS improperly singled...

The head of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has subpoenaed the co-chairman of the independent review board that investigated last year's attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, to answer questions about the panel's findings behind closed doors. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., said in a statement Friday that he had issued the subpoena to retired veteran diplomat Thomas Pickering to force him to appear at a deposition next week. Pickering, who co-chaired the Benghazi...

The Energy Department on Friday conditionally approved a Texas company's proposal to export liquefied natural gas, only the second such project allowed to move forward amid a production boom that has led to glut of domestic natural gas. The action would allow Freeport LNG Expansion L.P. to export up to 1.4 billion cubic feet of liquefied natural gas per day from its terminal near Freeport, Texas, south of Houston. The DOE said granting such a permit for shipments to countries that do not have...

President Barack Obama's budget would trim projected federal deficits by $1.1 trillion over the coming decade, using nearly $6 in higher revenues for every $1 in reduced spending to achieve it, Congress' nonpartisan budget analyst said Friday. After four straight years of annual shortfalls exceeding $1 trillion, the Congressional Budget Office report said Obama's budget would push this year's deficit down to $669 billion. Annual shortfalls would shrink slowly to $399 billion in 2017 before rising...

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Friday ordered the military to recertify all 25,000 people involved in programs designed to prevent and respond to sexual assault, an acknowledgement that assaults have escalated beyond the Pentagon's control. He said this step, which also applies to the military's approximately 19,000 recruiters and must be completed by July 1, is one among many that will be taken to fix the problem of sexual abuse and sexual harassment within every branch of the military....

Secretary of State John Kerry says the U.S. wants to see Bangladesh move forward on improving labor standards after a building collapse that killed hundreds of garment workers. Kerry met Friday with Foreign Minister Dipu Moni and expressed deep sadness over the Rana Plaza disaster three weeks ago in which 1,127 people died. Kerry said he hoped it would spur cooperation on labor standards and worker rights. It was the worst tragedy in the history of the global garment industry, and foreign retailers...

Political scandals have strange ways of causing collateral damage, and Republicans are hoping the furor over federal tax enforcers singling out conservative groups will ensnare their biggest target: President Barack Obama's health care law. But no one appears to have connected the factual dots yet, and it's unclear whether they will. The Internal Revenue Service has a major role in carrying out the health care law, because financial assistance to help the uninsured afford coverage will be funneled...

President Barack Obama tried on Friday to leave behind the political battles that have overshadowed his second-term agenda, saying lawmakers should work on creating more middle-class jobs in the slowly growing economy. "Our work is not done, and our focus cannot drift," Obama said. Obama's jobs tour took him to Baltimore after riding through one eruption after the other during the past few weeks, from new questions over his administration's handling of last year's deadly attack in Benghazi, Libya,...

First lady Michelle Obama spoke passionately about the importance of education to the African-American community in a commencement address Friday, urging more than 600 graduates of Bowie State University to honor the school's history and to pass their commitment to education on to future generations. In her 15-minute address, the first lady touched on the university's founding in 1865 to train black teachers; the difficulties confronted by black students after emancipation from slavery and...

The Internal Revenue Service is feeling the sort of heat that targeted taxpayers feel from the tax agency. It's the sense that a powerful someone is breathing down your neck. Republicans in Congress are livid with the IRS over its systematic scrutiny of conservative groups during the 2010 and 2012 elections. Democrats agree that something must be done. President Barack Obama also isn't at all happy with the tax collectors. That kind of commonality in Washington is about as rare as a budget...

The embarrassing arrest of a suspected CIA officer in Moscow is the latest reminder that even after the Cold War, the U.S. and Russia are in an espionage battle with secret tactics, spying devices and training that sometimes can't prevent capture. The most recent skirmish involves Russian security services ambushing a 29-year-old diplomat who they say was trying to court a spy. The Russians said Ryan Fogle was caught red-handed with a recruitment letter, a compass, two wigs and a wad of cash....

The organic food industry is gaining influence on Capitol Hill, prompted by its entry into traditional farm states and by increasing consumer demand. That's not going over well with everyone in Congress. Tensions between conventional and organic agriculture boiled over this week during a late-night House Agriculture Committee debate on farm legislation that for decades has propped up traditional crops and largely ignored organics. When Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., a former organic farmer, offered...

The Treasury Department's top investigator for tax matters is telling Congress that he is still investigating whether outside political pressure caused the Internal Revenue Service to improperly target conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status. The Treasury inspector general for tax administration, J. Russell George, made the comment in remarks prepared for delivery Friday to the House Ways and Means Committee. George released a report this week that criticized IRS officials for lax management...

The ousted chief of the Internal Revenue Service is telling Congress that his agency made errors in targeting conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status, but he says the mistakes were not the result of partisan views. In a prepared statement, former acting IRS commissioner Steven Miller was ready to tell the House Ways and Means Committee on Friday that the screening system agency workers set up was designed to deal with a growing caseload of groups seeking tax-exempt status. Miller said it...

Karen Handel, the former Susan G. Komen for the Cure executive at the center of last year's public clash with Planned Parenthood, says she'll be running for an open U.S. Senate seat in Georgia. Handel's announcement Friday shakes up an already crowded contest among Republicans vying for the seat held by U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, who's retiring next year. Three of Georgia's Republican congressmen have announced plans to run. Handel, a former secretary of state, narrowly lost the GOP primary for...

Dozens of tea party groups and other conservative organizations of the kind subjected to improper scrutiny by the Internal Revenue Service operated with small budgets and rarely displayed overt partisan activities, according to an Associated Press review of public tax filings by 93 such activist groups. A few groups built million-dollar operations and political ties that could have been legitimate grounds for IRS investigation, tax law experts said. The AP reviewed 990 tax returns for nonprofit...

As senior military leaders and government officials grapple with how to reduce sexual assaults in the military, a Pentagon report provides details of the problem. The numbers may not add up in all cases due to rounding or smaller categories that were not included. Key findings: _Overall, there were 3,374 reports of sexual assault during the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. _Based on that number and anonymous surveys of service members, the Pentagon estimates that as many as 26,000 military members...

President Barack Obama picked a senior White House budget official to become the acting head of the Internal Revenue Service on Thursday, the same day another top official announced plans to leave the agency amid the controversy over agents targeting tea party groups. Obama named longtime civil servant Daniel Werfel as the acting IRS commissioner. Werfel, 42, currently serves as controller of the Office of Management and Budget, making him a key player in implementing recent automatic spending...

A Republican-controlled House panel moved Thursday to protect the Department of Homeland Security from the big cuts facing other domestic agencies under the party's budget slashing plan. The move came as the Appropriations Committee leadership privately circulated plans to drastically reduce spending for labor, education and health programs, foreign and housing aid, the Environmental Protection Agency and transportation. The Pentagon would be spared and a program that provides food aid to poor...

A bipartisan group of House members announced a deal Thursday on sweeping immigration legislation, a breakthrough that could boost chances for one of President Barack Obama's top second-term priorities. It came after months of secretive talks among the four Republican and four Democratic House members had seemed to stall in recent days even as an immigration bill in the Senate moved forward. The House members met for two hours Thursday evening, emerging to announce they had a deal. "We have an...

President Barack Obama said Thursday the nation's military leaders told him they are "ashamed" of their failure to end sexual abuse in the armed services. Obama pledged to "leave no stone unturned" in the effort to halt the abuse, which he said undermines the trust the military needs to be effective. Obama also said he has asked Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey to lead a process to root out the problem. "They care about this and they are angry about...

U.S. officials have identified the Fort Hood soldier accused of sexual assault, including possibly arranging for at least one woman to have sex for money. He is Sgt. 1st Class Gregory McQueen, coordinator of a sexual assault prevention program at the Texas post. McQueen has been suspended from all duties but has not been charged. U.S. officials have said that he is being investigated in connection with activities involving three women, including sexually assaulting one woman. The allegations...

President Barack Obama is tapping former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords for the board that selects recipients for Fulbright scholarships. The Arizona Democrat resigned from Congress in 2012, a year after a gunman shot her at close range while she was greeting constituents in her Tucson district. Six people were killed and 13 others wounded in the shooting rampage. Giffords has since become a prominent advocate for gun control, testifying before in Congress and starting an advocacy group. Obama singled...

One more time, with feeling! The Republican-led House voted yet again Thursday to repeal President Barack Obama's health care law, knowing full well that won't stop it. Only months away from the rollout of coverage for uninsured Americans, it was the 37th attempt in a little more than two years by House Republicans to eliminate, defund or partly scale back the Affordable Care Act. The Democratic-led Senate and the president will simply ignore the House action, which came on a virtual party line...

Companies that drill for oil and natural gas on federal lands will be required to disclose publicly the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing operations, the Obama administration said Thursday. The new "fracking" rule replaces a draft proposed last year that was withdrawn amid industry complaints that federal regulation could hinder an ongoing boom in natural gas production. The new draft rule relies on an online database used by Colorado and 10 other states to track the chemicals used in fracking...

Biographical information on Acting Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Daniel Werfel: NAME _ Daniel Werfel. AGE _ 42. EDUCATION _ Bachelor's degree in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University; J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; master's degree in public policy from Duke University. EXPERIENCE _ Controller of the Office of Management and Budget, 2009-present. Prior positions with the Office of Management and Budget: deputy controller, chief of the Financial...

As senior military leaders and government officials grapple with how to reduce sexual assaults in the military, a Pentagon report provides details of the problem. The numbers may not add up in all cases due to rounding or smaller categories that were not included. Key findings: _Overall, there were 3,374 reports of sexual assault during the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. _Based on that number and anonymous surveys of service members, the Pentagon estimates that as many as 26,000 military members...

President Barack Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan projected a united front Thursday on Syria, keeping stark differences about how much the U.S. should intervene behind closed doors as they looked to Russia and the global community to close ranks behind efforts to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad. Under a pair of umbrellas outside a drizzly White House, the two leaders offered no hints about new actions either country would take, but pledged to keep upping the pressure on...

A second federal appeals court has found that President Barack Obama exceeded his power when he bypassed the Senate to install a member to the National Labor Relations Board. The ruling by the 3rd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Philadelphia came on the same day that a Senate panel considered a slate of five nominees for full terms on the labor board. Senate Republicans said Thursday they would oppose two of the nominees _ Sharon Block and Richard Griffin _ because they currently sit on the board...

President Barack Obama on Thursday tried to turn the tables on Republicans who have criticized his administration's response to last year's deadly attack in Benghazi, Libya, calling on lawmakers to approve his request to increase funding for diplomatic security. Obama's call was the second step in as many days designed to combat GOP charges that his administration misled Americas about the circumstances of the attack, playing down the terrorist strike that killed four Americans amid the presidential...

Physicist Ernest Moniz won unanimous Senate confirmation Thursday to be the nation's new energy secretary. Moniz, 68, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, replaces Steven Chu, who served as energy secretary in President Barack Obama's first term. Moniz served as an energy undersecretary in the Clinton administration. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., chairman of the Senate Energy Committee, called Moniz "solution-oriented" and said he is "smart about energy policy and savvy about Energy...

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved three of President Barack Obama's judicial nominees, including one for an influential appeals court, for a full Senate vote. Senators voted 18-0 to move forward with nomination of Sri Srinivasan to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, considered the most important court in the country after the Supreme Court. Srinivasan is the principal deputy in the Office of the Solicitor General, the elite Justice Department unit...

The days of fixed-rate student loans could be coming to a close, with House Republicans on Thursday advancing a proposal that would link rates to financial markets. The GOP-led House Education and the Workforce Committee sent to the full House a bill that would offer some students a better deal at first. Democratic critics warned that graduates would face steadily climbing rates and costs over the long haul if the markets change. "Our families deserve better than this bait and switch," said Rep....

The Internal Revenue Service controversy dogging President Barack Obama is hardly the first time a White House and the tax agency have been accused of political meddling and bias. Nor is it the first time that political and social advocacy groups have searched for and exploited loopholes and fine points in the federal tax code. Over the past week, Republicans have been trying to link Obama to what the IRS has acknowledged was improper extra scrutiny of conservative political groups seeking tax-exempt...

Senate Republicans said Thursday they would not support five nominees to the National Labor Relations Board, raising the possibility the troubled agency could be rendered mostly inoperable later this year. The board has already been working under a cloud since January, when a federal appeals court said the president violated the Constitution by filling vacancies on the board through recess appointments without Senate confirmation. But an impasse over the latest slate of nominees could pose broader...

Forget, for just a moment, about a shield law for the media. The question at the White House Thursday was who would shield President Barack Obama? A blistering sun had given way to a light but steady rain by the time the president and the Turkish prime minister stepped from the Oval Office into the Rose Garden for a news conference, about 47 minutes behind schedule. After an opening statement from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (REH'-jehp TY'-ihp UR'-doh-wahn), Obama offered to get him...

President Barack Obama will appoint senior White House budget officer Daniel Werfel to be acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, a White House official says. Werfel will replace Steven Miller, ousted Wednesday amid revelations that the IRS improperly singled out conservative groups for special scrutiny. The 42-year-old Werfel is the controller of the Office of Management and Budget, a job akin to a chief financial officer. Though Werfel was appointed to that job by Obama, he also...

The House and Senate Agriculture Committees laid the groundwork this week for reducing the size of the federal food stamp program, approving farm bills that would shrink food aid and alter the way people qualify for it. The two chambers are far apart on how much the $80 billion-a-year program should be cut, however, reflecting a deep ideological and at times emotional divide on the role of government in helping the poor. Resolving those differences will be key to passage of the massive five-year...

Germany and France recognize that their cooperation is key to overcoming Europe's persistent economic crisis, but comments Thursday by the leaders of the continent's No. 1 and 2 economies suggested they still have diverging priorities. French President Francois Hollande argued that the 17-nation eurozone should integrate more, calling for greater pooling in the long run of political and financial resources. He favors easing back on debt reduction measures to help the economy grow. Chancellor...

Members of Connecticut's congressional delegation announced plans Thursday to try to secure federal funds to help Newtown build a new elementary school after last year's massacre _ and they say senators owe the residents after failing to support legislation that would have expanded background checks for certain gun purchases. U.S. Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, and U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty, all Democrats, said they plan to offer legislation in both the Senate and House of Representatives...

President Barack Obama's pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency has moved one step closer to getting the job, but it came without Republican support. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Thursday voted 10-8, along party lines, to advance Gina McCarthy's nomination to the full Senate. McCarthy now leads the EPA's air pollution office, and has had a long career in government working for both parties. Republicans boycotted the panel's vote last week over transparency concerns....

A Senate panel has endorsed the nomination of Justice Department official Thomas Perez to head the Labor Department despite opposition from Republicans. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee voted 12 -10 to confirm Perez, currently the nation's top civil rights enforcer. All Republicans on the committee voted no. The party-line vote signaled a bruising fight to come when the full Senate takes up his confirmation. He is likely to need at least 60 votes in the 100-member Senate...

Anger over President Barack Obama's policies drove businessman Tom Zawistowski to file paperwork with the Internal Revenue Service nearly three years ago to create the Ohio Liberty Coalition. His nonprofit organization largely attracted conservatives who were new to politics but concerned about the growth of government, fiscal issues and perceived threats to Americans' constitutional protections. It eventually swelled to more than 20,000 members, becoming one of the region's largest groups affiliated...

The Senate and House agriculture committees approved separate versions of the farm bill this week, and the full Senate is expected to take up the bill next week. A look at some similarities and differences between the two versions of the legislation: OVERALL COST: Both five-year bills would cost almost $100 billion annually, with nearly $80 billion of that annual total going to domestic food aid. The Senate bill would save about $2.4 billion yearly from current spending, and the House bill would...

The House Agriculture Committee on Wednesday approved a sweeping farm bill that would trim the $80 billion-a-year food stamp program. The panel rebuffed Democratic efforts to keep the food stamp program whole, as debate on the farm bill turned into a theological discourse on helping the poor. The House bill would cut about $2.5 billion a year _ or a little more than 3 percent _ from the domestic food aid program, which is used by 1 in 7 Americans. The committee rejected a Democratic amendment...

A look at events leading to the disclosure that the Internal Revenue Service placed conservative groups under special scrutiny for 18 months before the 2012 elections, a practice that has prompted congressional inquiries, a Justice Department criminal investigation and the ouster of the agency's acting chief: 2010: March-April: IRS agents begin giving extra attention to tax-exempt applications from groups associated with the tea party or with a political sounding agenda in their names, such as...

One after another, the charges have tumbled out _ allegations of sexual assaults in the military that have triggered outrage, from local commanders to Capitol Hill and the Oval Office. But for a Pentagon under fire, there seem to be few clear solutions beyond improved training and possible adjustments in how the military prosecutes such crimes. Changing the culture of a male-dominated, change-resistant military that for years has tolerated sexism and sexist behavior is proving to be a challenging...

Then CIA-Director David Petraeus objected to the final talking points the Obama administration used after the deadly assault on a U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, because he wanted to see more details revealed to the public, according to emails released Wednesday by the White House. Under pressure in the investigation that continues eight months after the attacks, the White House on Wednesday released 99 pages of emails and a single page of hand-written notes made by Petraeus' deputy,...

Under mounting pressure, President Barack Obama on Wednesday released a trove of documents related to the Benghazi attack and forced out the top official at the Internal Revenue Service following revelations that the agency targeted conservative political groups. The moves were aimed at halting a perception spreading among both White House opponents and allies that the president has been passive and disengaged as controversies consume his second term. In another action, the White House asked Congress...

Hurrying to check a growing controversy, President Barack Obama ousted the acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service late Wednesday amid an outcry over revelations that the agency had improperly targeted tea party groups for scrutiny when they filed for tax-exempt status. Obama said Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew had asked for and accepted Steven T. Miller's resignation. Obama made no public criticism of Miller but spoke of inexcusable "misconduct" by IRS employees and said new leadership...

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama held assets last year that were worth between $1.8 million and nearly $7 million, according to federal financial disclosure forms the White House released Wednesday. Required by law, the forms allow public officials to list their assets in broad ranges, such as between $1 million and $5 million, which makes it difficult to determine a precise net worth. Obama signed the eight-page report Tuesday and the White House released it Wednesday as...

President Barack Obama says he's ready for more questions at a news conference Thursday about revelations that the IRS singled out conservative groups for extra scrutiny. Obama has scheduled a joint news conference for noon with visiting Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (REH'-jehp TY'-ihp UR'-doh-wahn). The president announced the question-and-answer session Wednesday as he delivered a brief statement about how his administration is handling the IRS situation. Obama says the agency's...

President Barack Obama on Wednesday announced the ouster of the top official at the Internal Revenue Service following disclosures that the agency targeted conservative political groups. Obama, who has been criticized for appearing passive in his response to the matter, declared, "I am angry about it" and said the American people had a right to be angry as well. Before announcing the departure of Acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller, Obama conferred with top officials from the Treasury Department,...

Detroit's next mayor will inherit a city low on cash and an office low on power, yet nearly two dozen candidates are seeking the job anyway. In announcing he won't seek a second term, Mayor Dave Bing slammed Michigan officials for ceding most of his power to an emergency manager who currently controls almost every aspect of City Hall, from spending to hiring. That arrangement, coupled with a stubbornly high crime rate, blighted neighborhoods and a financial crisis that has pushed Detroit toward...

Sen. Lamar Alexander says President Barack Obama's plan to consider selling the Tennessee Valley Authority has already cost hundreds of millions of dollars _ even if the nation's largest public utility is never sold. The Tennessee Republican said TVA bonds lost about $500 million in value after the president's announcement last month, largely because of uncertainty over whether the utility would be sold. Alexander said customers in the seven states served by the TVA will likely pay more for electricity...

A list of some recent military directives and actions related to the Defense Department's sexual assault prevention program: ONGOING/FUTURE: The Pentagon is developing policy for responding to victims that will include training and certification standards for special victim investigators. MARCH 2013: The Pentagon published a revised "sexual assault program" policy that enhances procedures and standardizes sexual assault prevention efforts. JANUARY 2013: The Pentagon published a new policy on...

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell told a Senate panel Wednesday that "Indian education is embarrassing" as she laid out her priorities on issues affecting Native Americans and Alaska Natives. Jewell made her first appearance as Interior secretary before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, chaired by Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. The Interior Department includes the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which oversees a school system for Native Americans. Jewell said some $2 billion has been spent on American...

Two conservative religious groups say they were also the subject of unusual scrutiny from the Internal Revenue Service. The son of the Rev. Billy Graham as well as leaders of Z Street, a conservative Jewish organization, have said they believe they were pressed by the IRS for more information because they advocated for conservative causes. In a letter Tuesday to President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, the Rev. Franklin Graham said charities built by his father may have received extra...

A former intensive care nurse with a businesslike approach to a politically divisive public policy area won Senate approval Wednesday to run Medicare and other major health insurance programs. By an overwhelming 91-7 vote, the Senate confirmed Marilyn Tavenner to oversee Medicare, Medicaid, children's health insurance and coverage for the uninsured under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. Together, the programs under the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services cover more than 100...

Politics has long been a family business in Illinois, a place where who you know _ and who you're related to _ matters more than most. But the family drama shaping up around the next governor's race adds a new layer of intrigue in a Capitol already grappling with huge financial problems. Though the election is a year away, the possible candidates include both a Daley and a Madigan _ two surnames that represent the royal families of Illinois politics, the local equivalent of the Kennedys or Bushes....

Congressional Republicans and Democrats on Wednesday challenged Attorney General Eric Holder over the Justice Department's handling of the investigation of national security leaks and its failure to talk to The Associated Press before issuing subpoenas for the news service's telephone records. In exchanges that often turned testy, Holder defended the inquiry while pointing out that he had removed himself from any decision on subpoenas. The attorney general explained that he had been interviewed...

Attorney General Eric Holder and a leading House Republican clashed Wednesday over the Justice Department's refusal to turn over the private emails of Thomas Perez, a top department official nominated to be labor secretary. California Rep. Darrell Issa repeatedly pressed Holder about why the Justice Department won't release the personal emails of Perez, who heads the department's civil rights division. Issa speculated that Justice had something to hide as Republicans probe whether Perez illegally...