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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...

Government information leaks and collisions with the media date back decades and decades. Think back to the Pentagon Papers. In the early 1970s, the Justice Department went to court to prevent further publication in The New York Times of portions of a top-secret study, dubbed the Pentagon Papers, which was packed with damaging details about America's conduct of the Vietnam War. It led to a landmark First Amendment case before the Supreme Court, which sided with the media. It also drew the ire...

More than 10,000 workers who handle disability claims at the Department of Veterans Affairs will be required to work at least 20 hours of overtime each month in an effort reduce a sizable backlog, the department announced Wednesday. The overtime requirement will last through September and comes as many federal workers face furloughs because of mandatory budget cuts. The VA was exempt from those spending reductions. "We need to surge our resources now to help those who have waited the longest...

Attorney General Eric Holder told Congress Wednesday that a serious national security leak required the secret gathering of telephone records at The Associated Press as he stood by an investigation in which he insisted he had no involvement. Pestered by Republicans and some Democrats, Holder testified that he has faith in the individuals conducting the broad investigation, driven in large part by GOP outrage last year over the possibility that administration officials leaked information to...

With no broader budget deal in sight, a key House panel responsible for implementing sweeping cuts to agency budgets moved Wednesday to exempt veterans and largely protect spending on border safety and other homeland security programs in the coming year. The strategy by the pragmatic House Appropriations Committee is to begin advancing a handful of its 12 yearly spending bills even as Republicans controlling the House and President Barack Obama are at an impasse over how much to lay out on the...

In a story May 14 about a Senate immigration bill, The Associated Press erroneously reported that two of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers entered the U.S. on student visas. In fact only one of them did. A corrected version of the story is below: Senators tackle student visas in immigration bill Senators move to strengthen student visa security provisions in immigration bill By ERICA WERNER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) _ Citing problems exposed by the Boston Marathon bombings, senators weighing...

Attorney General Eric Holder is defending Thomas Perez's tenure as head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and says he would make a great secretary of Labor. Holder told leaders of the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that Perez deserves praise for bringing a record number of cases alleging voting rights violations and police misconduct. He says Perez also has won record amounts of money in discrimination lawsuits. Republican Rep. Bob Goodlatte criticized Perez for declining...

Attorney General Eric Holder says the FBI's criminal investigation of the Internal Revenue Service could include potential civil rights violations, false statements and potential violations of the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in some partisan political activities. Holder, testifying to the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, was asked what criminal charges could be pursued against IRS employees. Holder announced on Tuesday that the Justice Department was the investigating...

The White House says President Barack Obama plans to meet with Republican Sen. John McCain on Wednesday to discuss ongoing efforts to pass an overhaul of immigration laws and budget issues. McCain, of Arizona, is one of the key Republicans in a bipartisan group of eight senators who drafted broad immigration legislation that would include a path to citizenship for immigrants illegally in the United States. The Senate Judiciary Committee has been assembling the bill as its key sponsors attempt...

A top Senate Democrat plans to revive legislation that would protect journalists and their employers from revealing their sources, days after it was revealed that the Justice Department secretly obtained Associated Press phone records. A congressional official said Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York plans to reintroduce the 2009 bill. The legislation stalled in Congress in past years. The government obtained the records from April and May of 2012 for more than 20 separate telephone lines assigned...

The Senate on Wednesday put aside its partisan differences to extend the federal government's main water resources law, which promotes investment in port improvements, flood protection, dam and levee projects and environmental restoration. The smooth passage of the Water Resources Development Act on a 83-14 vote was in sharp contrast to the last time Congress took up a WRDA bill in 2007, when President George W. Bush vetoed it and the Democratic-led Congress retaliated with the first veto override...

The number of dog attacks against letter carriers in select cities last year, according to the Postal Service. Los Angeles 69 San Antonio 42 Seattle 42 Chicago 41 San Francisco 38 Philadelphia 34 Detroit 33 St. Louis 32 Baltimore 29 Sacramento, Calif. 29 Houston 27 Minneapolis 27 Cleveland 26 Dayton, Ohio 26 Buffalo, N.Y. 24 Brooklyn,...

President Barack Obama is honoring police officers killed in the line of duty, saying members of law enforcement never let down their guard and that the public they serve should "never let slide our gratitude." Obama was speaking Wednesday at the National Peace Officers Memorial Service, an annual ceremony to remember those officers who died the previous year. Among those Obama singled out was Bruce St. Laurent, a 20-year veteran of the Jupiter, Fla. police department killed last September when...

The U.S. Postal Service says Los Angeles was the worst city in America for dog attacks on letter carriers last year, and it urged pet owners to help reduce the attacks. The agency on Wednesday released its city rankings ahead of National Dog Bite Prevention Week, which starts Monday. The Postal Service said nearly 5,900 postal workers were attacked last year, a tiny portion of the 4.7 million Americans bitten by dogs annually. Los Angeles was the worst with 69 attacks, followed by San Antonio...

The Senate Agriculture Committee approved a farm bill Tuesday and the House Agriculture Committee considers its version Wednesday. A look at some similarities and differences between the Senate and House versions of the legislation: OVERALL COST: Both five-year bills would cost almost $100 billion annually, with almost $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 save almost $4...

The good news is the budget deficit for the current year is projected to come in well below what was estimated just a few months ago. The bad news for deficit hawks is that the development could further curb the already slowing momentum for a budget pact this year. A Congressional Budget Office study released Tuesday cites higher tax revenues and better-than-expected payments from government-controlled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as the key reasons for this year's improved outlook....

The Justice Department is investigating the Internal Revenue Service for targeting tea party groups for extra scrutiny when they applied for tax exempt status, Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday, widening a probe that includes investigations by three committees in Congress. Ineffective management at the IRS allowed agents to improperly target tea party groups for more than 18 months, concluded one investigation, by the Treasury inspector general for tax administration. The inspector...

As a crowd of thousands roared from the lawn of the state Capitol, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton signed the bill Tuesday that makes gay marriage legal here come Aug. 1. "What a day for Minnesota!" the Democratic governor declared, as American and rainbow flags flapped in a sweltering hot wind. The Minnesota State Patrol estimated about 6,000 people made up the massive crowd, and many headed to downtown St. Paul afterward for a street party celebrating the bill's passage. Dayton's signature on the...

President Barack Obama says a government watchdog's report shows intolerable and inexcusable behavior by the Internal Revenue Service in targeting tea party groups. Obama says in a statement that some IRS employees failed to apply the law fairly and impartially. Obama says he's asked Treasury Secretary Jack Lew to hold accountable those responsible and to ensure it never happens again. He says regardless of how it happened, it was wrong. The report from the Treasury inspector general...

A bipartisan group of western lawmakers is pushing legislation in Washington to restore cuts of $110 million in federal mineral royalty payments to 35 states. Senators from New Mexico, North Dakota, Utah and Idaho signed onto legislation introduced Tuesday by Sen. Mike Enzi, a Wyoming Republican. Similar legislation was introduced in the House by Rep. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo. The bills would allow states to collect royalty payments directly from companies that produce minerals from federal lands...

The Pentagon says fragmentary remains of a Marine who perished in a failed helicopter rescue of the crew of the merchant ship Mayaguez in May 1975 will be buried Wednesday at Arlington National Cemetery. The Pentagon said it accounted for Pfc. Daniel A. Benedett of Seattle on January 30 using "circumstantial evidence and DNA process of elimination." Remains of 12 other U.S. servicemen who also were aboard the helicopter had been accounted for previously, following a series of searches off the...

A visibly frustrated Detroit Mayor Dave Bing announced Tuesday that he won't seek a second term and ripped Michigan officials for not giving him enough time to solve the financially strapped city's problems on his own. His announcement came just seven weeks after the city's checkbook was handed over to an emergency manager, making it the largest U.S. city placed under state oversight. Detroit has a budget deficit approaching $380 million and long-term debt over $14 billion. The city could run...

Citing problems exposed by the Boston Marathon bombings, senators weighing amendments to a sweeping immigration bill agreed Tuesday to boost security provisions around student visas. The Senate Judiciary Committee agreed by voice vote to an amendment by Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa meant to ensure that border patrol agents at U.S. ports of entry have access to information on the status of student visas. The committee action follows recent revelations that a student from Kazakhstan...

After weeks of debate and number-crunching, the Defense Department announced plans Tuesday to furlough about 680,000 of its civilian employees for 11 days through the end of this fiscal year, allowing only limited exceptions for the military to avoid or reduce the unpaid days off. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, in a memo to the department, called the decision "an unpleasant set of choices" between furloughing workers or cutting training and flight operations. And during a town hall meeting with...

The Senate Agriculture Committee on Tuesday approved a massive five-year farm bill that would cut spending while also creating new subsidies for farmers. The legislation approved 15-5 includes concessions to Southern rice and peanut farmers, thanks to a new top Republican on the committee, Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran. The bill eliminates $5 billion in annual subsidies, called direct payments, that are important to those Southern farmers but makes it easier for them to receive alternate subsidies...

As of Tuesday, May 14, 2013, at least 2,085 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan as a result of the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to an Associated Press count. The AP count is one less than the Defense Department's tally, last updated Tuesday at 10 a.m. EDT. At least 1,727 military service members have died in Afghanistan as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers. Outside of Afghanistan, the department reports at least 123 more...

Nearly 100 people, including 14 doctors and nurses, were charged for their roles in separate Medicare scams that collectively billed the taxpayer-funded program for roughly $223 million in bogus charges in a massive bust spanning eight cities, federal authorities said Tuesday. It was the latest in a string of similar announcements by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Attorney General Eric Holder as federal authorities crack down on fraud that's believed to cost the program...

Two Republican governors are urging President Barack Obama to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the Internal Revenue Service's admission that it targeted conservative political groups. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker call the allegations "Big Brother come to life." They want a special prosecutor to find out if any laws were broken and say Obama should fire any IRS employees responsible for the situation. The IRS has apologized for what it calls "inappropriate"...

The acting commissioner of the IRS says the agency was guilty of a "lack of sensitivity" in screenings of political groups seeking tax-exempt status. Steven Miller said in an opinion piece in Tuesday's USA Today that there was _ in his words _ "a shortcut taken in our processes" for determining which groups needed special screening. He said the agency demonstrated "a lack of sensitivity to the implications of some of the decisions that were made." Miller has emerged as a key figure in the controversy...

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is dismissing suggestions that the Syrian government might not join a U.S.-Russia initiative to negotiate a peaceful transition in Syria. Syria's information minister says Damascus needs more details about the proposed initiative before it decides whether to attend. But Kerry says he expects Syrian officials to join the international effort and that the U.S. is aware that Syrian negotiators have been selected for the proposed conference. Kerry made his comments...

The House and Senate this week are considering legislation that would cut federal farm and food subsidies. A look at the bills: OVERALL COST: Both five-year bills would cost about $100 billion annually, with almost $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 save around $3.8 billion, including about $600 million saved in each bill due to across-the-board spending cuts that kicked...

President Barack Obama's political support group is joining with a Republican pro-immigration organization and an effort run by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to try to boost support for a comprehensive immigration bill. Organizing for Action, a grassroots group run by Obama loyalists that grew out of his 2012 re-election campaign, will co-sponsor a "virtual march on Washington" planned for next week aimed at getting people to use social media platforms to register their support for the immigration...

Huddling with A-list celebrities and top re-election donors, President Barack Obama bemoaned the partisan forces that have stymied compromise in Washington as he raised campaign cash for Democrats in New York. At a cozy suppertime fundraiser Monday, Obama said he had hoped his election in 2008 might "break the fever" of partisanship and gridlock that has stood in the way of his agenda. When those hopes proved unfounded, he looked to his re-election, believing a second consecutive victory might...

Acting Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Steven T. Miller repeatedly failed to tell Congress that tea party groups were being inappropriately targeted, even after he had been briefed on the matter. The IRS said Monday that Miller was first informed on May, 3, 2012, that applications for tax-exempt status by tea party groups were inappropriately singled out for extra, sometimes burdensome scrutiny. At least twice after the briefing, Miller wrote letters to members of Congress to explain the...

Turns out that cutting was the easy part. Now Republicans who control a majority of the state capitols in the United States face a far greater philosophical dilemma _ what to do with all the money when an improving economy suddenly creates a surplus in revenues. Save it? Refund it though tax cuts? Or spend it? Though they won majorities in more than half the statehouses on principled platforms of making government smaller, some Republicans now are feeling tremendous pressure to spend newfound...

Minnesota is set to become the 12th U.S. state where gay couples can get married after a final legislative vote Monday that will let the weddings start on Aug. 1. Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton has pledged to sign the bill, and scheduled a ceremony at 5 p.m. Tuesday on the front steps of the Capitol in St. Paul to do so. Minnesota is now the first state in Midwest to legalize gay marriage by legislative vote, and the third nationwide in just 10 days, joining Rhode Island and Delaware. Thousands...

A political group backed by Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida is coming to the aid of New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte, airing a new television ad in the Republican's home state defending her stance on gun legislation. Rubio's Reclaim America political action committee says in the new ad that Ayotte has sought to reduce gun violence in New Hampshire, home of the nation's first presidential primary. The ad points to "safety, security, family. No one understands these things like a mom and no...

House Republicans pushed ahead Monday with their investigation of the deadly assault on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, last year as President Barack Obama asserted that GOP charges of a cover-up are baseless. The latest Republican focus is the independent review that slammed the State Department for inadequate security at the installation before the twin nighttime attacks that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans on Sept. 11, 2012. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif.,...

They say every dog has its day, but in Colorado they get an entire legislative session. As shelter dogs and cats were designated the official state pets Monday, Gov. John Hickenlooper also signed a measure requiring police to undergo training to prevent animals from being shot. The measures passed the Colorado Legislature last month amid a combative lawmaking term, putting the state's four-legged friends among the big winners of the recently completed session. The training legislation, which...

President Barack Obama waded into British politics Monday, suggesting that the United Kingdom seek to reform its relationship with the European Union before it decides to simply break away from it. The stance put Obama squarely on the side of British Prime Minister David Cameron, who was visiting the United States as he faces growing pressure at home to abandon the European bloc. The two leaders also displayed a unified front on Syria, with both expressing hope that Russia could be a significant...

A high-ranking member of a Mexican drug cartel has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for conspiring to import multi-ton quantities of cocaine and marijuana into the U.S. U.S. District Judge Barbara J. Rothstein sentenced Aurelio Cano Flores on Monday, following his conviction by a jury back in February. Cano Flores was also ordered to forfeit $15 billion in drug proceeds. He had been extradited to the U.S. from Mexico in 2011, following his indictment on drug trafficking offenses the previous...

White House spokesman Jay Carney says the IRS inspector general notified the White House counsel's office during the week of April 22 that it was completing a review of the IRS office in Cincinnati that targeted conservative political groups for special examination. Carney says the counsel's office was not given details about the review. Carney said President Barack Obama was not told about the review, and he reiterated Obama's assertion Monday that he did not learn such groups had been targeted...

Immigration activists are calling on President Barack Obama to end deportations of immigrants who might be eligible for legal status under a new immigration bill. Activists have long complained of record deportations breaking up families under the Obama administration. Officials representing labor unions, day laborers and others held a conference call and released a letter Monday telling Obama it makes no sense to be deporting people that he's committed to legalizing through the immigration bill...

Former South Dakota U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin said Monday she will not seek the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Tim Johnson. Herseth Sandlin, 42, announced her decision on her Facebook page Monday morning and confirmed it to The Associated Press. The Democrat said she decided not to seek her party's nomination for the U.S. Senate because she wants to focus on her family and her job as an attorney and vice president for Raven Industries, a Sioux Falls-based company that...

The FBI says 47 law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty as the result of criminal acts last year, 25 fewer than in 2011. According to the preliminary data, the offenders who committed the killings used firearms in 43 of the 47 deaths. Two officers were killed with vehicles used as weapons, one was killed with a knife and one officer died after being beaten. Twenty of the slain officers were wearing body armor at the time of the incidents. Separately, 45 officers were killed...

Sen. Max Baucus says the Senate Finance Committee will investigate the IRS targeting conservative political groups, joining a growing list of congressional panels looking into the matter. The Finance Committee would be the first in the Democratic-controlled Senate to announce an investigation. The Montana Democrat is the panel's chairman. In the House, the Ways and Means Committee and the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, also are investigating. On Friday, the IRS apologized for scrutinizing...

A domestic natural gas boom already has lowered U.S. energy prices while stoking fears of environmental disaster. Now U.S. producers are poised to ship vast quantities of gas overseas as energy companies seek permits for proposed export projects that could set off a renewed frenzy of fracking. Expanded drilling is unlocking enormous reserves of crude oil and natural gas, offering the potential of moving the country closer to its decades-long quest for energy independence. Yet as the industry looks...

In roughly 75 hours of arguments at the Supreme Court since October, only one African-American lawyer appeared before the justices, and for just over 11 minutes. The numbers were marginally better for Hispanic lawyers. Four of them argued for a total of 1 hour, 45 minutes. Women were better represented, accounting for just over 17 percent of the arguments before the justices. In an era when three women, a Hispanic and an African-American sit on the court and white men constitute a bare majority...

The seasoned diplomat who penned a highly critical report on security at a U.S. outpost in Benghazi, Libya, defended his scathing assessment but absolved then-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. "We knew where the responsibility rested," Thomas Pickering said Sunday. "They've tried to point a finger at people more senior than where we found the decisions were made," Pickering, whose career spans four decades, said of Clinton's critics. The Accountability Review Board, which Pickering headed...

Republicans said Sunday that the Internal Revenue Service's heightened scrutiny of conservative political groups was "chilling" and further eroded public trust in government. Lawmakers said President Barack Obama personally should apologize for targeting tea party organizations and they challenged the tax agency's blaming of low-level workers. "I just don't buy that this was a couple of rogue IRS employees," said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. "After all, groups with `progressive' in their names...

In response to a federal court order, Gov. Jerry Brown pushed a novel approach through the Legislature two years ago to dramatically reduce California's prison population. People convicted of felonies that were considered non-violent, non-sexual and non-serious would serve their sentences in county jails rather than state prisons. Once released, they would be supervised by local probation officers instead of state parole agents. The shift in California's penal system, referred to as "realignment,"...

A former Pentagon chief says he worries that North Korea's young leader and his generals don't realize there's been a "dramatic change" in public opinion in South Korea in how to respond to belligerent actions by the North. Robert Gates says that after many years of "swallowing provocation," the South Koreas "are not prepared to take that anyone." Gates says that creates a situation where the next act of provocation "could result in an escalation and the situation getting out of control." Gates...

Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he thinks direct U.S. intervention in Syria's civil war _ particularly direct military involvement _ would be a mistake. Gates, who served both President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama, says he oversaw wars that began with quick regime change "and we all know what happened after that." He asks on CBS' "Face that Nation, "Haven't we learned that when you go to war, the outcomes are unpredictable?" To those who think intervention might be `clean"...

In roughly 75 hours of arguments at the Supreme Court since October, only one African-American lawyer appeared before the justices, and for just over 11 minutes. The numbers were marginally better for Hispanic lawyers. Four of them argued for a total of 1 hour, 45 minutes. Women were better represented, accounting for just over 17 percent of the arguments before the justices. In an era when three women, a Hispanic and an African-American sit on the court and white men constitute a bare majority...

First lady Michelle Obama urged Eastern Kentucky University graduates on Saturday night to reach out to people with different political beliefs, saying the country would benefit from the conversations. "If you're a Democrat, spend some time talking to a Republican," Mrs. Obama told about 600 education, business and technology graduates at the third and final commencement ceremony of the day. "And if you're a Republican, have a chat with a Democrat. Maybe you'll find some common ground, maybe you...

Senior Internal Revenue Service officials knew agents were targeting tea party groups as early as 2011, according to a draft of an inspector general's report obtained by The Associated Press that seemingly contradicts public statements by the IRS commissioner. The IRS apologized Friday for what it acknowledged was "inappropriate" targeting of conservative political groups during the 2012 election to see if they were violating their tax-exempt status. The agency blamed low-level employees, saying...

Attorney General Eric Holder says those who argue that civilian courts are incapable of handling terrorism cases "are simply wrong." He says that after Sept. 11, members of Congress "placed unwise and unwarranted" restrictions on where certain suspected terrorists could be held, charged and prosecuted. In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings, Holder says "many of these tired and meritless political arguments" about the effectiveness of civilian courts have come up again. On Saturday, he...

President Barack Obama on Saturday praised the nation's police officers for everyday acts of courage, saying they often rush into danger to do "some really tough stuff." In a White House ceremony honoring some of the bravest, he said America need look no further than the Boston Marathon bombings to know what police are made of: "Police officers ... running towards explosions not knowing if there was something more on the way. Law enforcement from different agencies in different parts of the...

President Barack Obama says Congress must give more homeowners the chance to refinance their mortgages to save money. Obama says more than 2 million people are saving about $3,000 a year after restructuring their loans under his administration but that more deserve the same chance. In his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama also calls on the Senate to confirm "without delay" his choice of Democratic Rep. Mel Watt to lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees government-controlled...

Reporters and photographers were evacuated briefly from the West Wing of the White House early Saturday because of smoke from an overheated transformer in a mechanical room. President Barack Obama and his family were not affected by the incident, according to the White House. U.S. Secret Service spokesman Max Milien said that at about 7 a.m., smoke was seen coming from a mechanical room closet on the first floor. Journalists and others were evacuated out of "an abundance of caution" and the...

Can we agree on this? Americans still think alike much of the time even if our politicians don't. To get heads nodding, just say something worrisome about the economy or dismissive of Washington. Almost all Americans consider themselves very patriotic, believe in God, value higher education and admire those who get rich through hard work. Not much argument there. But here's the oft-overlooked truth: Even some issues that are highly contentious in the partisan capital have solid public support...

What can 9 out of 10 Americans agree on? Survey says: not much. That's partly because the big polls such as Pew, Gallup and the General Social Survey are designed to explore differences, not to document what unites the United States. Still, a few questions discover 90 percent agreement, or close to it. Americans nearly all: _believe in God. _are very patriotic. _consider preventing terrorism a very important foreign policy goal. _admire those who get rich by working hard. _think society...

The Federal Aviation Administration is keeping open for now the 149 control towers at small airports that were slated to close as the result of governmentwide automatic spending cuts imposed by Congress. The towers, which are operated by contractors for the FAA at low-traffic airports, had been scheduled to close June 15. They will now remain open at least through Sept. 30, the end of the federal budget year, the Transportation Department said Friday. A bill hastily passed by Congress last month...

Malcolm Shabazz, grandson of political activist Malcolm X, died in Mexico City after a violent dispute in a bar, Mexican authorities said Friday. He was 28. City prosecutors are investigating the attack that sent Shabazz to a nearby hospital where he died Thursday of blunt-force trauma injuries. United States officials confirmed that Shabazz was killed in Mexico City. Much like his grandfather, Shabazz spent his youth in and out of trouble. At 12, he set a fire in his grandmother's apartment,...

Republican Sen. Rand Paul opened his presidential exploration tour Friday with a splashy set of speaking engagements in Iowa designed to broaden his tea party brand into something more mainstream and, perhaps, viable. At the same time, another Republican, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, became the first potential 2016 presidential candidate this year to visit New Hampshire, unofficially kicking off the state's presidential primary season roughly 2 1/2 years before voting begins. Paul, the son of...

The Federal Aviation Administration will keep open for now the 149 control towers at small airports that were slated to close as the result of governmentwide automatic spending cuts imposed by Congress, the Transportation Department said Friday. The towers, which are operated by contractors for the FAA at low-traffic airports, had been scheduled to close June 15. They will now remain open at least through Sept. 30, the end of the federal budget year, the department said in a statement. A bill...

A fundraising push by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is drawing criticism from a key Senate Republican who questions whether she has a conflict of interest. HHS spokesman Jason Young confirms that Sebelius in recent weeks has asked various charitable foundations, businesses executives, churches and doctors to donate money to nonprofit organizations, such as Enroll America, that are helping to implement President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. Young said there is a...

President Barack Obama says he will nominate former U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker to the Broadcasting Board of Governors. The independent agency oversees U.S.-supported, civilian international broadcasts such as the Voice of America. Crocker cited health issues when he retired last year after serving three decades in world hotspots, most recently in Afghanistan. The Arabic speaker came out of retirement in 2011 to oversee the embassy in Afghanistan at Obama's request. Crocker also was in charge...

The Internal Revenue Service apologized Friday for what it acknowledged was "inappropriate" targeting of conservative political groups during the 2012 election to see if they were violating their tax-exempt status. IRS agents singled out dozens of organizations for additional reviews because they included the words "tea party" or "patriot" in their exemption applications, said Lois Lerner, who heads the IRS division that oversees tax-exempt groups. In some cases, groups were asked for lists of...

In a story May 9 about a proposal to allow some non-citizens to vote in New York City local elections, The Associated Press reported erroneously that Chicago allows immigrants to vote in school board elections. Members of the Chicago Board of Education are appointed, not elected. A corrected version of the story is below: NYC weighs allowing many immigrants to vote NYC weighs allowing people who are in US legally, but not citizens, to vote in local elections By JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press...

A co-author of a disputed Heritage Foundation report on a new immigration bill has resigned amid controversy over claims he made about immigrants having low IQs. A spokesman for the conservative think tank confirmed Jason Richwine's resignation Friday without offering details. Richwine was one of two authors of a report released Monday that said immigration legislation pending in the Senate would cost $6.3 trillion over 50 years as immigrants consumed federal benefits without making up for it...