Obama wins little from China

BEIJING - President Barack Obama on Wednesday wraps up a three-day visit to China that has left him keenly aware of the limits of his administration's leverage over this economic powerhouse on issues from currency exchange rates to human rights.

Olver, other area lawmakers, endorse Capuano for Senate

U.S. Senate candidate Congressman Michael Capuano has picked up the endorsement of fellow Congressman John W. Olver, of Amherst, and a handful of state legislators.

Report: Gitmo closing bungled

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama's decision to close the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, military prison by Jan. 22 was followed by a series of mistakes and missteps by his administration that will delay the prison's closure for months, according to a report from a policy organization with close ties to the White House.

Obama said to push for other war options

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama does not plan to accept any of the Afghanistan war options presented by his national security team, pushing instead for revisions to clarify how and when U.S. troops would turn over responsibility to the Afghan government, a senior administration official said Wednesday.

Bishops shaping health 'reform'

WASHINGTON - The call came in from Rome, just as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her top lieutenants were scrambling to round up scarce votes to pass their sweeping health overhaul. Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, the former archbishop of Washington, was on the line for Pelosi, calling to discuss adding strict abortion restrictions to the House bill. It was just one element of an intensive lobbying effort orchestrated by the nation's Catholic bishops, who have emerged as a formidable force in the health care negotiations.

Abortion dispute may derail health reform

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - America's 40-year argument over abortion has moved to the center of its 100-year debate over health care reform.

The House health care reform package, which passed 220-215 on Saturday, includes tough regulations on insurance coverage for abortions - restrictions added at the last minute to attract enough votes for the measure.

As House health vote nears, opponents take to streets

WASHINGTON - With a historic House vote on a $1 trillion health care bill barely 48 hours away, battle lines are hardening as lobbying groups for seniors and doctors endorsed the legislation, while thousands of protesters swarmed Capitol Hill to oppose it.