Obamas host Halloween at the White House President Barack Obama welcomed area students and children of military families Sunday to celebrate Halloween at the White House. Joined by his wife, Michelle, the president handed out treats to the gaggles of costumed children gathered on the lawn. Neither the president nor his wife dressed up. The trick-or-treaters -- ranging in age from 6 to 14 -- were from schools in the Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia areas, the White House said. They were greeted by ...

Congress Approves Debt Relief Measure For Haiti Congress is calling for the United States to take the lead in relieving earthquake-shattered Haiti of its debts to international institutions. The House approved by voice vote Wednesday and sent to President Barack Obama legislation that instructs U.S. directors at the International Monetary Fund and other global development institutions to use their votes and influence to cancel Haiti's debt. Debt relief is one of several approaches to helping Haiti recover from the January earthquake that took ...

Half of U.S. pays no federal income tax Credits for low- and middle-income families exempt many Tax Day is a dreaded deadline for millions, but for nearly half of U.S. households it's simply somebody else's problem. About 47 percent will pay no federal income taxes at all for 2009. Either their incomes were too low, or they qualified for enough credits, deductions and exemptions to eliminate their liability. That's according to projections by the Tax Policy Center, a Washington research organization. Most people still ...

Iran ridicules Obama's "cowboy" nuclear strategy Iran's hard-line president on Wednesday ridiculed President Barack Obama's new nuclear strategy, which turns the U.S. focus away from the Cold War threats and instead aims to stop the spread of atomic weapons to rogue states or terrorists. Obama on Tuesday announced the new strategy, including a vow not to use nuclear weapons against countries that do not have them. Iran, however, was pointedly excepted from that pledge, along with North Korea, because Washington accuses them ...

AP Analysis: Karzai Remarks Risk US-Afghan Rift President Hamid Karzai's startling threat to join the Taliban if foreigners don't stop meddling in Afghanistan and his strident criticism of the West's role have worsened relations with Washington at a time when the U.S. military wants closer cooperation ahead of a potentially decisive offensive this summer. Karzai has been fuming for months about what he considers Washington's heavy hand. He's gambling that blaming outsiders for the troubles in a society with a long tradition ...

Time to sell Health Care Lawmakers Set to Sell Their Version of Health Care Law to Constituents With lawmakers ending the yearlong health care fight in Congress this week by sending legislation to President Obama to sign into law, they now face a new front on the battle back home in their districts: justifing their "yea" or "nay" vote to the bosses - their constituents. Kathleen Gudaitis, of Johnston, R.I., protests against the health care reform bill recently signed into law by President ...

Democrats Push Wall Street Bill to Full Senate Democrats push Wall Street regulation bill through bank committee to full Senate, no GOP votes Democrats  sent a massive Wall Street  regulation bill to the full Senate on a party line vote Monday after a temporary retreat by Republicans  that still left the bill's chances for bipartisan passage in doubt. In a surprise move, the Senate Banking Committee met briefly to approve the bill 13-10, but not before Republicans jettisoned more than 300 amendments they ...

Obama's 8-Month Nightmare Could Begin Tomorrow For months now, the pundits have predicted doom and gloom for Barack Obama and the Democrats come November. But we're not totally convinced. A very likely storyline goes something like this (as we've already written): Healthcare passes. On Friday, April 2 at 8:30 AM the March jobs numbers come in, and they show for the first time decisive job growth (very possible). Finally Case-Shiller shows the housing rebound that stalled out over the winter, and voila, the ...

Adm. Michael Mullen, the highest-ranking man in the U.S. military, said the situation in Afghanistan is getting worse, as fresh indications emerge that President Obama soon could be asked to commit more American troops. "I think it is serious and it is deteriorating. And I've said that over the last couple of years, that the Taliban insurgency has gotten better, more sophisticated. Their tactics, just in my recent visits out there and talking with our troops, certainly indicate that," Mullen, ...

As President Obama struggles to regain control of the health care debate, he's finding himself caught in a game of tug of war with members of his own party. The conservative Blue Dog Democrats don't want a bill with a government-sponsored, public health plan, and liberal Democrats have said they won't pass legislation without one. Despite strong majorities in both chambers of Congress, Democrats have been unable to reach an agreement on the legislation. And the administration has acknowledged ...