More than $98 billion in taxpayer dollars spent by government agencies was wasted, much of it on questionable claims for tax credits and Medicare benefits, representing an increase of $26 billion from the previous year. ...more

November 17, 2009

NEW YORK (AP) — President Barack Obama will give an interview to Fox News Channel's Major Garrett, perhaps signaling a thaw in relations between the network and administration. ...more

November 17, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) — Foreign demand for long-term U.S. financial assets rose in September as China and other countries boosted their holdings of Treasury securities. ...more

November 17, 2009

President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao promised a determined, joint effort to tackle climate change, nuclear disarmament and other global troubles yet emerged from their first full-blown summit Tuesday with scant progress beyond goodwill. ...more

November 17, 2009

The Arizona Republic, on health care reform: There is a lot wrong with the current state of affairs in American health care. But the rapid rise in costs - including a 131 percent rise in employer-sponsored premiums in just the past 10 years - is what drives this current fight for reform. ...more

November 17, 2009

Before starting college in 2008, my sister, Ti-Anna, spent a year in Washington advocating for our father, Wang Bingzhang, a political prisoner in China. She accomplished a great deal: She met influential politicians and policymakers and even had an op-ed published in January. ...more

November 17, 2009

CAPE CANAVERAL (AP) - Space shuttle Atlantis rocketed into orbit Monday with six astronauts and a full load of spare parts for the International Space Station. ...more

November 17, 2009

WASHINGTON — More than 15 million taxpayers may owe the government $250 or more because of how the IRS last spring set up President Barack Obama's tax break that was designed to help consumers spend the U.S. economy out of recession. ...more

November 16, 2009

Americans are worried about the fine print in the health care overhaul, an Associated Press poll says, and those concerns are creating new challenges for President Barack Obama as he tries to overcome doubts in Congress. ...more

November 16, 2009

In Asia, Obama, Medvedev see nuke pact in sight, climate-change deal illusive SINGAPORE (AP) - President Barack Obama said Sunday the United States and Russia would have a replacement treaty on reducing nuclear arms ready for approval by year's end, an announcement designed as an upbeat ending to a summit with Asia-Pacific leaders. ...more

November 16, 2009