Obama, Palin trade telling jibes over crib sheets
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The jokes about Barack Obama's close relationship with his teleprompter have been constant since he became president....

Obama would OK health bill minus items he pursued
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: War widows' futile fight
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....

Gov't fitness efforts haven't stemmed kid obesity
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....

AP sources: FAA eyes hefty fines for American
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Federal Aviation Administration is close to wrapping up a two-year investigation of safety violations at American Airlines that could result in one of the largest fines in the agency's history, according to government and industry officials familiar with the investigation....

Despite all the nice talk, partisanship reigns
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....

Lawmaker's death a reminder of surgery risks
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Gallbladder surgery is usually a very safe operation, but a powerful congressman's death is a reminder of the known risks....

Obama says music fueled civil rights movement
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. governor urges DNC chairman's firing
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 unveil jobs package
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....