These were supposed to be heady days for African-Americans in Congress, with President Barack Obama occupying the White House and a half dozen blacks holding powerful committee chairmanships and leadership jobs.

Federal prosecutors have decided not to pursue an investigation of U.S. Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, over connections to an Alaska businessman convicted of bribing state lawmakers.

Rep. Joe Sestak, D-Pa., makes remarks during an interview with The Associated Press in Philadelphia, Monday, Aug.

Lawmakers pressed scientists Wednesday to explain what effects a chemical used to get rid of oil will have on the Gulf's ecosystem, even as a new report by the Obama administration characterized the effort as remarkably successful.

Senate Democrats on Wednesday overcame Republican opposition and cleared the way for a $26 billion measure to help states ease their severe budget problems and save the jobs of tens of thousands of teachers and other public employees.

In this June 30, 2010 file photo, Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington before the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on her nomination Democrats and Republicans presented dueling portraits Tuesday of Elena Kagan and the Supreme Court she's seeking to join at the start of a politically charged debate over her ...

WashingtonA Senate committee Tuesday delayed consideration of a nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia, a sign that the White House and its Senate allies are still struggling to line up Republican votes for the pact.

Attorneys in the corruption trial of Rod Blagojevich say they'll meet with the judge to discuss how jurors might decide whether to seize the former Illinois governor's property if he's found guilty.

Voters had no shortage of options in choosing party nominees in Tuesday's primaries as they focused on successors to Republican senators in Kansas and Missouri and term-limited Michigan Gov.

Andrew Breitbart strips off his blazer, windmills it over his head and lets it fly to the stage with a matador's flourish.

The head of the nation's largest labor federation on Tuesday urged union leaders to step up support for Democrats in the November elections, despite some frustration with the pace of gains on labor's agenda.

A federal judge says Illinois' special election for President Barack Obama's former Senate seat will feature the same candidates who qualified for the regular election.

Chelsea Clinton has gotten married. The former first daughter wed longtime boyfriend Marc Mezvinsky in a sunset ceremony Saturday in Rhinebeck, N.Y., according to The New York Times .

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray will speak later this week in support of an amendment to extend Medicaid match money that many states have already factored into their budgets.

The top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee is telling colleagues that Elena Kagan has a dangerous political approach to the law that makes her unfit for the Supreme Court.

A spokeswoman for Sen. John McCain says the senator is blocking President Barack Obama's nominee to be the director of national intelligence.

A few months ago, Dr. Thomas Einhorn was treating a patient with a broken ankle that wouldn't heal, even with multiple surgeries.

New Jersey's U.S. senators say they'll continue their investigation into whether British Petroleum played a role in the release of convicted Pan Am 103 bomber Abdel Baset al-Megrahi last year.

The report, however, does not estimate how many of those jobs would have been added without the tax break.

Federal Reserve Board Chairman and South Carolina native Ben Bernanke is speaking in his home state.