The House on Wednesday approved language that would allow Cuban-Americans to visit their relatives on the island more frequently and also ease some U.S. restrictions on trade with Cuba. ...more

February 25, 2009

House Democrats unveiled a $410 billion spending bill on Monday ...more

February 23, 2009

President Barack Obama sided with the Bush administration Friday, saying detainees in Afghanistan have no constitutional rights. ...more

February 20, 2009

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday relentlessly hammered home the Obama administration's message that America is under new management and ready to listen and engage the world. ...more

February 18, 2009

EPA administrator Lisa Jackson says the agency is moving toward regulating the gases blamed for global warming. ...more

February 17, 2009

President Barack Obama's top envoy to Afghanistan declared Sunday that Iran should play a vital role helping stabilize the war-torn country. It was the latest statement by Obama officials signaling a clear shift away from the Bush administration's policy of avoiding direct engagement with Tehran. ...more

February 16, 2009

By any normal political standards, last week's congressional agreement on an economic stimulus package was a great victory for President Barack Obama. He got more or less what he asked for: almost $800 billion to rescue the economy, with most of the money allocated to spending rather than tax cuts. Break out the champagne! ...more

February 15, 2009

In one of the first acts of his presidency, Barack Obama fulfilled a campaign promise and reversed the most disputed counterterrorism policies of the Bush administration. He signed executive orders closing the Guantanamo detention camp within a year, ending the CIA's secret prisons and requiring interrogators to use only methods prescribed in the Army Field Manual. ...more

February 13, 2009

The presidential campaign trail often loved Barack Obama more than he loved it. When he was sworn in last month, he told friends he was eager to tackle the rigors of the Oval Office. ...more

February 9, 2009

The United States will pursue a missile defense plan that has angered the Kremlin, Vice President Joe Biden said Saturday, but he also left open the possibility of compromise on the issue and struck a more conciliatory tone than the Bush administration on relations between the countries. ...more

February 8, 2009