Gov't report: Smooth launch unsure for health law
WASHINGTON (AP) -- There's no guarantee that President Barack Obama's health care law will launch smoothly and on time, congressional investigators say in the first in-depth independent look at its progress....

CBO: Senate Immigration bill would help economy
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sweeping immigration legislation moving toward a vote in the Senate would boost the economy and reduce federal deficits, the Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday, at the same time it would bestow legal status on an estimated 8 million immigrants living in the United States unlawfully....

Military plans would put women in most combat jobs
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Declaring "the days of Rambo are over," a top general said Tuesday that cultural, social and behavioral concerns may be bigger hurdles than tough physical fitness requirements for women looking to join the military's special operations units....

Medicare: Cost-saving changes coming for diabetics
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Medicare begins a major change next month that could save older diabetics money and time when they buy crucial supplies to test their blood sugar - but it also may cause some confusion as patients figure out the new system....

AP sources: 4 US troops killed in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Defense officials say four U.S. troops were killed Tuesday at or near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan....

NSA director says plot against Wall Street foiled
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The U.S. foiled a plot to bomb the New York Stock Exchange because of the sweeping surveillance programs at the heart of a debate over national security and personal privacy, officials said Tuesday at a rare open hearing on intelligence led by lawmakers sympathetic to the spying....

Google asks FISA court to lift gag order
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Google on Tuesday sharply challenged the federal government's gag order on its Internet surveillance program, citing what it described as a First Amendment right to divulge how many requests it receives from the government for data about its customers in the name of national security....

Rural lawmakers push for farm bill votes in House
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Farm-state lawmakers are scrambling to win bipartisan support for a five-year, half-trillion-dollar farm bill on the House floor this week....

Obama opens 24-hour trip to Germany
BERLIN (AP) -- President Barack Obama is opening a 24-hour visit to Germany, the culmination of which will be a speech Wednesday at Berlin's iconic Brandenburg Gate....

Civil rights groups sue NYPD over Muslim spying
NEW YORK (AP) -- The New York Police Department's widespread spying programs directed at Muslims have undermined free worship by innocent people and should be declared unconstitutional, religious leaders and civil rights advocates said Tuesday after the filing of a federal lawsuit....