WASHINGTON President Barack Obama will leave the country for a four-nation tour of Asia starting Wednesday despite a host of domestic concerns, including the massacre at Fort Hood, a sharply rising jobless rate, his health care legislation stalled in the Senate and his Afghanistan troop decision still pending.

WASHINGTON When it comes to combating global warming, Sen. Lindsey Graham is right where he loves to be - ahead of the curve, in the mix on a major issue, at the table for high-level, bipartisan talks behind closed doors.

WASHINGTON Oh, how the tables have turned.

WASHINGTON The House has opened debate on President Barack Obama's landmark health care overhaul that would extend insurance to tens of millions of Americans and enact dramatic changes to the country's medical system.

WASHINGTON Joe Sullivan was sent away for life for raping an elderly woman and judged incorrigible though he was only 13 at the time of the attack.

WASHINGTON President Barack Obama summoned Democrats to "answer the call of history" Saturday as the House pushed toward a vote on a landmark health care bill holding out the promise of coverage for tens of millions who lack it.

WASHINGTON The killings of 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, by an Army psychiatrist who also was a Muslim set off a rancorous debate Friday that once again spotlighted the fear among Muslims in America that they'll be collectively found guilty for the actions of one man.

WASHINGTON Finally, Gen. Casimir Pulaski became an American citizen on Friday, 230 years after the Polish nobleman died fighting for the as yet-unborn United States.

WASHINGTON Opponents of opening Cuba to American tourists are touting a letter signed by 53 Democrats in the House of Representatives, saying it shows that they have the votes to derail an effort to lift the ban on travel to the island.

WASHINGTON Democrats in the House of Representatives struggled Friday to find enough votes to pass sweeping health care legislation, as lawmakers prepared for an all-day debate and perhaps a final vote on the bill Saturday.