Who's scripted now? White House, Palin trade jibes over human crib notes and teleprompters
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The jokes about Barack Obama's close relationship with his teleprompter have been constant since he became president....

Obama would take health care bill without items he pursued; Republicans doubt his sincerity
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Signaling he'd meet critics part way on health care, President Barack Obama said Tuesday he's willing to sign a bill even if it doesn't deliver everything he pursued through a year of grinding effort at risk of going down as a dismal failure....

PROMISES, PROMISES: Lawmakers eager to abolish widows' tax, until they can try to do it
WASHINGTON (AP) -- For a decade, war widows in matching yellow suit jackets and hats quietly and persistently have knocked on Capitol Hill doors seeking an end to the "widows' tax," a government policy that deprives them of benefits from their husbands' military service....

Government has pushed fitness efforts even as childhood obesity has climbed
WASHINGTON (AP) -- First lady Michelle Obama isn't the first national leader to try to get America's kids off the couch. President Dwight D. Eisenhower tried more than 50 years ago, and it's been a losing battle since....

Obama and Republicans talk bipartisanship, but most of the action is in the other direction
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Partisanship is reaching new heights in Washington, even as President Barack Obama makes almost daily pleas to get along. He's scheduled a bipartisan health care summit, and just Tuesday he hosted GOP leaders at the White House for the first time in two months....

Death of powerful lawmaker a reminder of rare risks from even routine gallbladder removal
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Gallbladder surgery is usually a very safe operation, but a powerful congressman's death is a reminder of the known risks....

Obama welcomes crowd to White House to honor music he credits with his election to presidency
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Crediting civil rights-era protest songs and their spiritual predecessors for his election, President Barack Obama on Tuesday sat in the East Room of his White House and listened to an all-star lineup of performers pay tribute to the music that he said fueled freedom marches and civil disobedience....

Former Va. Gov. Douglas Wilder urges Obama to fire DNC chief Tim Kaine, state's ex-governor
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Democratic former Virginia Gov. L. Douglas Wilder is urging President Barack Obama to fire Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine, another former Virginia governor....

Senate Democrats pitch jobs package with tax cuts for businesses making new hires
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate Democrats circulated a jobs bill Tuesday that's light on new initiatives on boosting hiring and heavy with provisions sought by lobbyists for business groups, doctors and the satellite broadcasting industry....

Obama says initial job-creation bill need not be ideal, says measure needed quickly though
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama says he doesn't think it's necessary to get an ideal jobs package out of Congress, but that passing something quickly could build momentum toward greater achievements....