Sean Lengell

Judge to review S.C. stimulus dispute

A federal judge on Monday will review arguments involving a complex South Carolina legal battle over how to spend $700 million of the state's federal stimulus money.

May 30, 2009

Geithner to focus on trade in China

Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner will meet top Chinese officials next week as part of high-level talks designed to strengthen economic ties between the United States and China -- a move that holds broad political ramifications.

May 28, 2009

Powell says GOP must expand its ‘very, very narrow base’

Former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said Sunday that he will not leave the Republican Party, although he thinks its future is threatened by a shift too far to the political right.

May 25, 2009

Lawmakers press Obama for Gitmo plan

A bipartisan chorus of Capitol Hill lawmakers Sunday called on President Obama to unveil a plan for dealing with the terrorism suspects held at the U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba - a campaign promise he has yet to fulfill.

May 25, 2009

Mullen assesses military’s gay ban

President Obama's top military adviser Sunday cautioned against a hasty move to lift the ban on gays serving openly in the armed forces, saying the military was in a tough, stressful situation fighting two wars and doesn't need to get involved in a bruising social-policy battle.

May 25, 2009

Colin Powell says he’s still a Republican

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday he will not leave the Republican Party but added that the GOP has threatened its future by shifting too far to the political right.

May 24, 2009

Geithner says AIG bailout ‘complicated’

Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner told a Senate panel Wednesday that the economy is showing convincing signs of a comeback but government intervention still is needed to help struggling financial institutions, including American International Group Inc.

May 21, 2009

Geithner: Economy is healing

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told a Senate panel Wednesday that a new public-private partnership to help banks shed their bad assets will be set up in the next six weeks and that the economy is showing convincing signs of improvement.

May 20, 2009

Senate OKs credit card curbs

The Senate on Tuesday approved sweeping credit card reform legislation that would significantly limit the industry's powers.

May 20, 2009

Senate passes credit-card reforms

The Senate passed a measure on Tuesday that would limit significantly the powers of the credit-card industry, but an amendment loosening gun laws at national parks threatens to delay a compromise with the House.

May 20, 2009

Health overhauls raise stake on taxing

Taxing employee health insurance benefits, soda and alcohol are among several options Congress is considering to help pay for a proposed overhaul of the nation's health care system.

May 19, 2009

HEALTH CARE REPORT: No easy answers

Rep. Michael C. Burgess, Texas Republican, said Monday that it's going to be hard for Democrats or Republicans to come up with a detailed health care reform bill that won't immediately be picked apart by the other party.

May 19, 2009

Liberal attack ads push medical reform

As Congress inches closer to drafting legislation intended to overhaul the nation's health care system, liberal groups - determined not to repeat the mistakes of

May 19, 2009

Congress pushes for credit card reforms

Congress and the White House are pressing hard to place limits on credit card companies amid an intensifying uproar against the purveyors of plastic.

May 14, 2009

Taxing worker health benefits considered

The Senate's top tax writer said Tuesday that taxing employer-provided health benefits is a possibility as lawmakers search for ways to pay for overhauling the nation's health care system and to insure 50 million Americans who lack coverage - a stance that riles both business and union leaders and is at odds with some leading Democrats.

May 13, 2009

Health care protesters disrupt Senate panel

Protesters supporting universal medical coverage for the second week in a row on Tuesday morning disrupted a Senate hearing on health care reform before being thrown out by police.

May 12, 2009

Health savings first step in long fight

The health care industry's pledge to the White House on Monday to reduce spending increases by $2 trillion was the first step as both sides began to jockey for the upper hand in the congressional battle over expanding health care coverage.

May 12, 2009

Billing software helps doctors get paid

Dr. Ben Carson's skills as a neurosurgeon made him the subject of a made-for-TV movie, but his frustration with the draconian billing systems employed by insurance companies nearly drove him out of medicine.

May 12, 2009

HEALTH CARE REPORT: Swine flu fears wane

A new national study that surveyed 1,477 physicians found that doctors have become less concerned about the impact of the H1N1 swine flu virus on themselves and their families.

May 12, 2009

Cheney: Limbaugh more loyal than Powell

Former Vice President Dick Cheney on Sunday took a shot at former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell by accusing him of turning his back on Republicans, adding that broadcaster Rush Limbaugh is a more loyal party member.

May 11, 2009