John Boehner: 'Not my job' to convince skeptics on Obama birth, religion

WASHINGTON -- Speaker John Boehner said Sunday that he believed President Obama was a U.S. citizen and a Christian but that it wasn't up to him to convince people who were skeptical of the president's birthplace and religion.

Ron Paul of Texas wins CPAC presidential straw poll

Ron Paul again triumphed in the presidential straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference, overwhelming the support for most other potential Republican candidates at the annual gathering of conservatives in the nation's capital.

'Raw Deal': Historian makes waves with scathing look at Franklin D. Roosevelt

For more than half a century, biographers have treated Franklin Delano Roosevelt with Rushmore-like reverence, celebrating the nation's 32nd president as a colossus who eased the agony of the Great Depression and saved democracy from Nazi Germany.

Pawlenty, Romney bash Obama at CPAC

On a seeming collision course toward the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, Tim Pawlenty and Mitt Romney spoke to cheering crowds Friday at the second day of a gathering of the nation's conservatives, blasting President Obama for what they said was his failure to lead on national security and the economy.

At 'tea party' urging, Republicans deepen spending cuts

House Republicans called for cuts in hundreds of government programs Friday night in a $61-billion savings package they toughened at the demand of "tea party"-backed conservatives.

U.S. faces critical test of influence on Egypt

The Obama administration got what it said it wanted when Hosni Mubarak surrendered power. Now it must deal with another daunting task: coaxing the country's new military rulers to deliver genuine democratic reforms they have resisted for decades.

CPAC: Tim Pawlenty, John Thune talk fiscal policy

Tim Pawlenty and John Thune, two Midwesterners and possible 2012 presidential contenders, cast themselves as fiscal warriors before a receptive political action conference crowd Friday.

CPAC: Mitt Romney says Obama is 'weak president'

WASHINGTON -- Steaming toward a White House bid, Mitt Romney addressed CPAC on its second day Friday, charging that Barack Obama has failed to lead on national security and the economy, calling him a "weak president."

House Republicans to propose deeper budget cuts

On the heels of an uprising by rookie Republican lawmakers, House leaders Friday will unveil a new budget proposal that instructs appropriators to slice deeper to reduce the 2011 budget by the $100 billion the GOP promised voters last fall.

Emanuel at 49%, Chico at 19% in Tribune/WGN poll

Rahm Emanuel is in striking distance of being elected Chicago's next mayor on Feb. 22, with Gery Chico emerging as the rival with the best chance of forcing him into a runoff, a new Tribune/WGN poll shows.

CPAC: Donald Trump says he's considering 2012 presidential run

Developer and reality-show star Donald Trump added a touch of glitz and hubris to the CPAC conference Thursday, making a surprise and somewhat surreal appearance to tell the crowd that he still has not decided whether to seek the Republican nomination for president in 2012.

Obama to meet with national security team on Egypt

Reporting from Marquette, Mich., and Los Angeles

House Republicans see timely target in Planned Parenthood

In their rush to slash the federal budget, House Republicans are taking aim at Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest provider of abortions, after a campaign season that largely ignored social issues.

CPAC: Newt Gingrich criticizes, challenges Obama

Newt Gingrich, speaking to a packed house Thursday at CPAC and sounding much like a Republican presidential candidate for 2012, challenged President Obama to adopt GOP policies on energy, environment and the economy to convince the American public that he's committed to a centrist approach.

John Boehner: Rep. Christopher Lee was not forced out

— Speaker John Boehner said Thursday that former Rep. Christopher Lee, who resigned Wednesday after photos of his bare torso were posted on a website, made "his own decision" to resign and was not forced out.

Jon Kyl, No. 2 Republican in Senate, won't seek a fourth term

Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, will not seek reelection to the seat he has held for three terms.