October 19, 2012, 12:51 PM

President Barack Obama, during an interview shown on Comedy Central, has responded to a question about his administration's confused communication after the Benghazi attack, by saying: 'If four Americans get killed, it’s not optimal.' Obama was speaking to Jon Stewart of The Daily Show for a programme that was broadcast last night. Stewart, a liberal whose young audience is full of potential voters prized by the Obama campaign, asked the president about his handling of the aftermath of the Benghazi attack.

October 16, 2012, 04:17 PM

President Obama and former Governor Mitt Romney won’t be the only people in the spotlight at tonight’s presidential debate in Hempstead, NY. About 100 undecided voters from Nassau County on Long Island will have an opportunity to ask Obama and Romney questions in the town-hall format...Many reside in New York’s 4th congressional district. Taxpayers in that district will be subject to an eye-popping $4,492 tax increase on Jan. 1, 2013, as a result of Taxmageddon.

August 20, 2012, 04:21 PM

An armed intruder, spouting opposition to social conservatism, walked into the Washington headquarters of the Family Research Council on Wednesday and shot a security guard before the wounded guard and others wrestled him to the floor and subdued him until police arrived, authorities said.

August 13, 2012, 10:07 AM

Mitt Romney's campaign has announced that the presumptive GOP nominee has chosen House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan as his vice-presidential running mate.

August 06, 2012, 02:01 PM

The unemployment rate ticked up to 8.3 percent in July, reflecting a stagnant economic picture as hiring improved but not by enough to make a dent in the sea of unemployed Americans.

August 02, 2012, 07:55 AM

The chicken sandwich became a political statement for a day as supporters of the Chick-fil-A president’s stance against gay marriage caused traffic jams at the fast-food chain’s restaurants nationwide.

July 31, 2012, 01:18 PM

Republican congressional investigators place much of the blame for the ATF "Fast and Furious" scandal on at least three Justice Department officials and five ATF agents - particularly then-Special Agent in Charge in the Phoenix division William Newell - in a draft report expected to be released in final form sometime this week.

July 26, 2012, 03:29 PM

President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney will meet for three prime-time debates in October, a schedule released by the Commission on Presidential Debates shows.

July 24, 2012, 02:40 PM

After decades roaming the world in search of lower costs, U.S. manufacturers are finding that factories at home can compete with China, India, Mexico and other low-cost countries. To be sure, labor-intensive industries like clothing and electronics, which are heavily dependent on hand assembly, are seen as unlikely to come back to the United States in a major way. But higher transportation costs and wage inflation in China could drive more production back to the United States.

July 20, 2012, 09:07 AM

A gunman in a gas mask barged into a crowded Denver-area theater during a midnight premiere of the Batman movie on Friday, hurled a gas canister and then opened fire, killing 12 people and injuring at least 50 others in one of the deadliest mass shootings in recent U.S. history.

July 19, 2012, 01:10 PM

The Postal Service, faced with continuing financial losses because of a drop in mail volume, expects to default for the first time on its annual payment for future retiree health benefits. The $5.5 billion payment, which was deferred from the 2011 fiscal year, is due Aug. 1. The Postal Service is also scheduled to make a $5.6 billion payment for 2012 in September. A spokesman for the agency said that barring intervention from Congress, it would default on both payments.

July 16, 2012, 09:58 AM

Hit the brakes on the fiscal cliff and hit the gas on raising the debt ceiling. That was the message to Congress from the International Monetary Fund on Monday. The IMF and others have often advised that the United States come up with a serious plan to reduce its debt over time. But the so-called fiscal cliff - a series of expiring tax cuts and the onset of a record amount of spending cuts - would be anything but gradual when it comes to deficit reduction.

July 10, 2012, 06:34 AM

Justice Department (DOJ) officials indicted five individuals for the death of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry — who was murdered by drug traffickers armed through Operation Fast and Furious – and a $1 million reward for information leading to their arrest.

July 09, 2012, 11:28 AM

In the latest jobs report, the Labor Department said employers added a meager 80,000 jobs in June, leaving the unemployment rate unchanged at 8.2 percent. The number of jobs added in June was lower than expected, and rounded out a poor second quarter for 2012.

July 05, 2012, 11:55 AM

At least 15 governors have indicated they will not participate in the expansion of Medicaid under the healthcare law, striking a blow to President Obama’s promise of broader insurance coverage. Before Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling, states had the option of either increasing their Medicaid rolls or being penalized by the federal government. The high court struck down that offer as unconstitutional.

June 27, 2012, 10:26 AM

The Supreme Court struck down the harshest parts of an Arizona law targeting illegal immigrants, ruling the state interfered with congressional authority over U.S. borders, but it let stand a requirement that police check the immigration status of people they stop for traffic or other offenses.

June 22, 2012, 10:42 AM

Downgrades by ratings agency Moody's will make funding more expensive for banks that rely the most on capital markets, while reinforcing the competitive advantage of "safe haven" banks that can fund themselves from stable customer deposits. Stock markets took Moody's announcement that it had downgraded 15 of the world's biggest banks in their stride, as the rating agency's lowering by up to three notches had been widely anticipated.

June 21, 2012, 11:38 AM

Commerce Secretary John Bryson, who has been under investigation for his role in two car crashes earlier this month, said on Thursday he was resigning to "prevent distractions" at the department he led for less than a year.

June 20, 2012, 11:00 AM

A pair of top senators asked the Supreme Court to break precedent and allow television cameras to broadcast the announcement of the upcoming decision surrounding the constitutionality of President Obama's signature health care law. The nation's highest court is expected to make its decision public later this month in a written opinion.

June 15, 2012, 01:14 PM

The Obama administration issued a politically charged executive order Friday that will make about 800,000 young people who were brought to the United States illegally as children safe from deportation proceedings, and may make them eligible for work permits.