Success of lone gunmen may shift al-Qaida strategy
WASHINGTON (AP) -- On Christmas Day, a passenger on a Northwest Airlines flight bound for Detroit tried to blow up the plane with plastic explosives in his underwear. He failed, yet the very attempt shook the U.S. government, set federal agencies against each other and triggered months of political second-guessing....
Democrats, White House close in on health bill
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A final agreement nearly in hand, President Barack Obama and Democratic leaders are about to embark on one last sales job that will determine the outcome of the president's signature health care overhaul....
Toyota troubles put spotlight on US safety agency
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Toyota's massive recalls are prompting Congress to reconsider whether the nation's auto safety agency has lived up to its mission of protecting motorists....
Lawmaker's clash with fellow Democrats nothing new
WEST BRANCH, Mich. (AP) -- Shortly after entering Congress in 1993, Rep. Bart Stupak withstood President Bill Clinton's charm offensive and voted against free-trade legislation - an early display of the independent streak that has put him at odds with fellow Democrats many times since....
Critics of Justice Dept. lawyers under fire
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A conservative group's bashing of several Obama administration lawyers as the "al-Qaida Seven" has struck a nerve in the U.S. legal community, prompting even some fellow Republicans to denounce the group's attack....
Gates: Iran support for Taliban 'pretty limited'
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday downplayed Iran's influence on Afghanistan, but the war of words escalated, with Iran's president promising that the region's people would "cut your hands off of the Persian Gulf oil."...
Ex-freshman, veteran kingpin equal Democratic woes
WASHINGTON (AP) -- One is a former Democratic freshman little known outside his Corning-Olean-Pittsford, N.Y., district. The other, a 20-term Democratic kingpin from Harlem, is widely known to New Yorkers and anyone following tax legislation....
Gates regrets Northrop withdrawal from tanker bid
A U.S. MILITARY BASE IN SOUTHWEST ASIA (AP) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday he regrets that a major defense contractor has pulled out of the contest to build a badly needed new Air Force plane....
House leader: Ethics panel ends Massa probe
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The House Democratic campaign chief said Wednesday the ethics committee has ended an investigation of former Rep. Eric Massa, but the freshman's alleged harassment of his staff members - with possible sexual overtones - could spell continuing trouble for the party....
