Women's breasts are not the usual topic of public discourse in Washington, at least not outside the context of a scandal. But for the past few weeks, the question of when women should be screened for breast cancer has become the subject of intense medical debate, partisan congressional bickering and a whole lot of confusion among mothers, daughters, sisters and friends, not only inside the Beltway but throughout the rest of the country. On Nov. 16, the 16 ...

It may not officially be part of his job anymore, but Senator Chuck Schumer, 58, is still very much focused on elections. The architect of the Democrat's 60-seat super-majority, who helped the party add a total of 14 seats in the 2006 and 2008 elections, is worried these days about how disappointed the Democratic base will be if Congress doesn't make a determined effort to pass health care reform with a public plan in it. Odds are good that ...

Negotiators for deposed Honduran President Manuel Zelaya and de facto President Roberto Micheletti have reached an agreement to form a government of national reconciliation that could reinstate Zelaya.The country's congress had outlawed the vote and the supreme court had ruled it illegal. Honduras has been in turmoil since Zelaya was forced out of the country in a military-backed coup on June 28 and replaced hours later by legislative leader Micheletti. Micheletti and his supporters say Zelaya's removal was ...

The Uninsured: A Primer Key Facts About Americans Without Health Insurance The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation; 36 pages The Gist: As members of Congress vote on controversial health-care-reform legislation, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation has analyzed census data to provide a closer look at the people without health insurance in the U.S. Its report, focused on people younger than age 65, found 45.7 million "nonelderly" uninsured people in the U.S. last year . Low-income adults without dependent children — ...

Israeli settlers on Sunday set Palestinian fields and olive groves on fire after their illegal outpost in the West Bank was dismantled, Israeli military sources told CNN. Asked whether he thought the war in Afghanistan could be won with fewer troops than Gen. Stanley McChrystal has reportedly requested, McCain said, "I do not." The Arizona Republican, who was defeated by President Obama in the 2008 presidential election, spoke in a wide-ranging interview that aired Sunday on CNN's "State of the ...

After 16 hours of debate, Argentina's Senate passed a controversial reform law Saturday that critics say targets media outlets critical of the government. The 44-24 vote is a victory for Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who had pushed to change the way the media operates in the South American nation after her party suffered devastating political losses earlier this year. Kirchner blamed media coverage, especially by conglomerate Grupo Clarin, for her party's defeats. The law approved by the Senate ...

A former Brazilian state legislator and TV host who authorities allege also was a drug dealer who ordered rivals killed has surrendered to police after being missing for four days, the government said Friday. Wallace Souza had been considered a fugitive since officials went to arrest him Monday and found him missing, police said this week. He was expelled from the state congress last week, stripping him of his legislative immunity from prosecution and opening the way for authorities to ...

The Senate Finance Committee completed debate on proposed health care legislation early Friday. The Finance Committee was the last congressional panel to consider a health care reform bill. It finished its work at 2:18 a.m. and plans to vote next week, after the bill's final language has been made public and the Congressional Budget Office has provided final cost figures. Unlike several health care reform proposals championed by House Democrats, the version that emerged from the Senate Finance Committee does ...

President Obama, in an effort to stimulate the economy and support critical research, will announce $5 billion in grants when he visits the National Institutes of Health on Wednesday, according to an administration official. The money, which comes from Recovery Act funds, is aimed at supporting "12,000 critical research projects -- and tens of thousands of jobs associated with them, ranging from teachers and lab technicians to database managers and scientists," the official wrote in an e-mail. Obama, who will ...

These are extraordinary times for our country. We are confronting an historic economic crisis. We are fighting two wars. We face a range of challenges that will define the way that Americans will live in the 21st century. (CNN) -- These are extraordinary times for our country. We are confronting an historic economic crisis. We are fighting two wars. We face a range of challenges that will define the way that Americans will live in the 21st century. ...