Herman Cain, the only declared 2012 presidential candidate, wins 'tea-party' poll

It always helps to show up. Republican Herman Cain, a former chief executive of Godfather Pizza and the only declared candidate of either party for the 2012 presidential election, won a straw poll Sunday among "tea-party" supporters at a weekend policy summit in Phoenix. Cain was one of the weekend's most popular speakers.

Boehner signals reluctance about federal shutdown

Obama, governors to meet as states face cutoff of funds

President Obama and the nation's governors will meet Monday at the White House amid worries by state executives that Washington's budget battles could damage a fragile U.S. economic recovery.

Protests unite public, private union workers

It's not just government workers who have descended on Wisconsin by the thousands with signs, shouts and pumped fists. Bob Cannon, wearing his Sprinkler Fitters Local 669 jacket, has joined with the masses. Randy Bryce of Iron Workers Local 8 has made three trips — and plans to bring his family to another rally Saturday.

Obama seeks a new approach on Mideast

President Obama is challenging his administration to formulate a new Middle East policy that emphasizes political and economic reforms to bolster U.S. allies now threatened by the protest movements sweeping the region.

State's racial past could hurt a presidential bid by Haley Barbour

As a two-term governor, he shepherded his state through one of the worst disasters in U.S. history. As a lobbyist, he mastered Washington's inside power game. As a GOP strategist, he orchestrated era-defining national victories for the Republican Party.

Wisconsin showdown looms over national governors' meeting

The showdown in Wisconsin between Republican Gov. Scott Walker and state public employee unions has injected an ideological flash point into what is traditionally a non-partisan annual gathering of the nation's governors in Washington this weekend.

Obama appoints first male and openly gay social secretary

President Obama made history Friday by appointing the first male and first openly gay social secretary at the White House.

Senate Democrats welcome GOP proposal to avoid shutdown

There were signs of progress Friday in negotiations to prevent a government shutdown, as Senate Democrats welcomed a revised plan from House Republicans for a two-week budget extension that includes $4 billion in spending cuts.

Gay marriage no longer as volatile politically

When President Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act into law in 1996, no state in the union had ordained same-sex marriage, gays and lesbians in the military were on official notice to keep quiet about their sexual orientation, and the gay-friendly sitcom "Will & Grace" had yet to air its first episode.

Controversial collective-bargaining measure clears Wisconsin Assembly

The Wisconsin Assembly early Friday approved a measure to strip most government workers of collective-bargaining rights, but the measure's fate remains in limbo with Democrats still out of state to prevent a vote in the state Senate.

Union battle in the Midwest a pull for political power

The labor fight blazing in Madison, Wis., and other state capitals is more than a feud over budgets or the rights of government employees. It is a battle that could fundamentally change the practice of politics in this country, with enormous consequences in 2012 and beyond.

Analysis finds Congress most polarized in decades

A new analysis of lawmakers' voting patterns finds that the most recent Congress was one of the most polarized in decades.

Wisconsin Assembly heads toward vote on collective-bargaining measure; state Senate Democrats continue to stall in absentia

The Wisconsin Assembly braced on Thursday for a vote on the bill that would limit collective bargaining for most public employees, while state police searched for Senate Democrats who remained out of state.

Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty show support for Wisconsin governor

Potential GOP presidential candidates announced on Thursday that they supported the Republican governor in Wisconsin in his standoff with unionized public employees, while the White House repeated its position that needed financial belt-tightening should not be an excuse to eliminate fundamental union rights.

Petraeus calls for investigation into 'psychological operations' allegations

WASHINGTON – Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, on Thursday called for an investigation into allegations that the commander of the American mission to train Afghan security forces ordered military personnel to manipulate visiting U.S. lawmakers into providing additional funding and support for the mission there.