They're back: Social issues overtake US politics

Legal challenge launched to Suu Kyi's candidacy

Aung San Suu Kyi's bid for a seat in Myanmar's Parliament has been challenged by a rival candidate.

Obama tells gay donors more work to be done

President Barack Obama told gay and lesbian supporters at a big-ticket fundraiser Thursday that there's more work to do to ensure fairness for all, but he said he "couldn't be prouder" of his track record for them.

FBI file: Steve Jobs was considered for govt post

FBI background interviews of some people who knew Apple co-founder Steve Jobs reveal a man driven by power and alienating some of the people who worked with him.

What settlement will and won't do for homeowners

The mortgage settlement that government officials announced Thursday is intended to help victims of foreclosure abuses that followed the housing bust.

GOP candidates to woo conservatives at big event

Three of the four GOP presidential candidates are addressing a major conservative gathering in Washington, giving them a high-profile stage to reshape their messages at a moment of uncertainty in the contest.

A fourth defeat for Romney? Lack of ads could hurt

Mitt Romney is in danger of losing his fourth straight state in Saturday's caucuses in Maine, where he and his allies have been all but absent from TV.

Egypt's angry soccer fans are deep into politics

Egypt's ruling generals have a new enemy: the legions of angry soccer fans who have injected fervor into recent protests demanding the military step down and battled police for days in the streets of Cairo.

Mortgage rates for the past 52 weeks, at a glance

Death row inmates sue to stop drug importation

Death row inmates are suing to stop the importation of a drug used in executions.

Biden 'determined' to work out birth control issue

Vice President Joe Biden says he believes the Obama administration can address concerns raised by the Catholic church and religious groups about a new birth control policy that says church-affiliated employers must provide contraceptive coverage for their employees.

Obama praises Italian leader's economic efforts

Eager for Europe to contain its economic troubles, President Barack Obama praised Italian Premier Mario Monti on Thursday for his efforts to lead Italy out of its fiscal quagmire. The president said Monti has boosted confidence in Italy throughout Europe and in the marketplace.

Obama gives education waivers to 10 states

President Barack Obama says his decision to free 10 states from the No Child Left Behind education law will give the flexibility they need to set high standards for students and hold schools accountable.

Democrats renew push for campaign finance overhaul

The campaign finance system is so broken that legislative changes, including a constitutional amendment, are needed to rein in runaway, secret spending in elections, congressional Democrats said Thursday.

FDA outlines path for lower-priced biotech drugs

The Food and Drug Administration is preparing to review the first lower-cost versions of biotech drugs, expensive medications which have never before faced generic competition.

Obama: Mortgage deal turns page on reckless era

President Barack Obama says a $25 billion settlement between mortgage lenders and states over foreclosure abuses "will begin to turn the page on an era of recklessness that has left so much damage in its wake."

Leaving 'No Child' law: Obama lets 10 states flee

It could be the beginning of the end for No Child Left Behind.

House bill delays rail safety mandate

A long-sought safety feature that Congress required after a deadly 2008 rail crash would be delayed for five years under legislation that the House is expected to take up next week.

If anyone has mastered the power of using humor to make a (sometimes ridiculous) point, it’s Stephen Colbert – and it seems that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is following in the footsteps of the late-night comedian.

A privacy advocacy group has swayed Congress to hold a hearing next week into the Department of Homeland Security’s practice of monitoring social networks such as Twitter and Facebook, as well as media reports and organizations, including The Drudge Report. The Electronic  …

In a stunning turn of events Mitt Romney has conceded the 2012 election and endorsed President Obama for another four year term.

DC is the most liberal region of the country, but until now all the talk on the radio dial skewed right. The District of Columbia, Gallup tells us, is the most progressive region in the country – 40 percent of those living in the nation's capitol identify themselves as l …

Rep. Connie Mack (R – Fla.) was a guest onStarting Point Friday morning — live from CPAC — and took the occasion to rip into President Obamafor his health care mandate, saying that the President doesn’t respect the Constitution and th …

Have you ever known Newt Gingrich to identify a flaw or fault with a politician, the President, the Democratic Party (etc), that he didn’t turn into the gravest, most evil transgression that humanity have ever been subjected too? When it comes to making proverbial mounta …

On Wednesday night we reached the high and the low, so far, in the debate over the Obama administration’s requirement that Catholic institutions that employ non-Catholics include contraception coverage in their health insurance policies. The high, in terms of reason and  …

The 2012 primary campaign has repeatedly demonstrated that Republicans are trying to mobilize their voters by tapping into racial anxieties. Newt Gingrich calling Obama a “food stamp president,” Rick Santorum implying that African Americans are parasites who l …

If ever there was proof that President Obama will be attacked on Fox no matter what he says, it was this segment in which Sean Hannity and Liz Cheney whined that Obama spoke too highly of the United States’ place in the world.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not measuring the drapes or anything, but the President's reelection odds are looking a little better than even.  As such, it doesn't hurt to jump back from the horse-race of the election and plan a little for the future.

Having given up on pillorying Mitt Romney for plundering his way to vast wealth — because, unfortunately, it isn't true — the Non-Fox Media seem to have settled on denouncing him as a rich jerk. Liberals are disgusted by people who made their own money, as Romney d …

Yet not a single Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee voted in favor last week when the committee approved a well-crafted reauthorization bill introduced by its chairman, Senator Patrick Leahy, and Senator Michael Crapo, a Republican of Idaho, who is not on the committe …

Former presidential candidate Herman Cain endorsed 2008 campaign mini-celebrity Joe the Plumber in his bid for Congress in a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Cain said Joe the Plumber (née Wurzelbacher), is a leading proponent of his 9-9-9 tax pl …

At first glance, President Obama and Mitt Romney share some similar traits. Both Harvard Law School grads are smart and analytical. Both are emotionally reserved rather than touchy-feely. Both are traditionalist in their family and personal lives.

In the “closed circuit world on the right,” MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow is often the subject of ugly denigrations.