Sean Lengell

W.H. prepares for possible flu pandemic

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Sunday that the deadly human swine influenza that has spread through Mexico is a "great concern" for the administration and that the government is preparing for the possibility of a pandemic to hit the United States.

April 26, 2009

Economy improving, Summers says

The U.S. economy no longer is in an "unremitting free fall," and its outlook has improved significantly in recent weeks, President Obama's top economic adviser said Sunday.

April 26, 2009

‘Morning-after’ pill available to minors

The Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday that the "morning-after" birth-control pill now will be available to teenage girls as young as 17 without a prescription.

April 23, 2009

Sebelius backed by Senate panel

Congress moved a step closer Tuesday to filling a critical vacancy in President Obama's Cabinet when a Senate committee approved the nomination of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to head the Department of Health and Human Services.

April 22, 2009

Senate panel OKs Sebelius for HHS

A Senate panel on Tuesday approved the nomination of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to head the Health and Human Services secretary, but not before several Republicans criticized her for having ties to a high-profile abortion doctor.

April 21, 2009

HEALTH CARE REPORT: This week on Capitol Hill

The Senate Finance Committee has scheduled a vote for Tuesday on President Obama's nominee for health and human services secretary, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, a key step in filling a vacancy that has become a political sore spot for Mr. Obama.

April 21, 2009

Florida’s in spotlight with open Senate seat

Heads up, political junkies — Florida's back.

April 21, 2009

Congress makes health care top priority

President Obama begins his push to enact health-insurance legislation this week.

April 20, 2009

Guidelines ease limits on stem cells

Guidelines released Friday by the National Institutes of Health would ease restrictions on federally funded human embryonic stem cell research, allowing for cells culled from fertility clinic embryos that otherwise would be discarded.

April 18, 2009

Tax demonstrators teed off

Tens of thousands of protesters staged anti-tax "tea parties" to mark tax-filing day and attack the Obama administration's spending plans.

April 16, 2009

Tossed package ends D.C. ‘Tea Party’

A demonstration against government waste and high taxes outside the White House on Wednesday was halted after a suspicious package was thrown over the White House fence.

April 15, 2009

HEALTH CARE REPORT: Cigarette tax hike

Rhode Island last week increased its tax on a pack of cigarettes by $1 in a move praised by health advocacy groups as a way to help reduce smoking rates.

April 14, 2009

Congress set to tighten key tobacco restrictions

Anti-smoking advocates soon may breathe easier, as a long-standing push on Capitol Hill for tighter tobacco restrictions is expected to come to a head when Congress returns from a two-week break Monday.

April 14, 2009

Senators target firms doing business with Iran

Sens. Evan Bayh and Tom Coburn on Sunday called for increased sanctions against foreign companies that trade with Iran.

April 13, 2009

Iraq has final word on June withdrawal

The top U.S. commander in Iraq said Sunday that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki - not American leaders - would decide whether a June 30 deadline for pulling U.S. forces out of the country's major cities should extended.

April 13, 2009

Senators push for more sanctions on Iran

Sens. Evan Bayh and Tom Coburn on Sunday called for increased sanctions against foreign companies that do business with Iran, saying that such action is crucial to stunt the Middle East country's push for nuclear weapons.

April 12, 2009

Inside Politics

"Mr. Obama has hastened the decline of Republican support with petty attacks on his critics and predecessor," writes Karl Rove, former senior adviser to President George W. Bush, in the Wall Street Journal.

April 10, 2009

Inside Politics

With about 2 1/2 months under his belt, 56 percent of registered voters nationwide approve of the job President Obama is doing in office, with 30 percent disapproving, according to a Marist Poll released Wednesday.

April 9, 2009

Ethics panel probes Jackson

Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr. confirmed Wednesday he is cooperating with a House ethics panel investigating his attempts to have since-ousted Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich appoint him to the Senate.

April 9, 2009

Inside Politics

Despite calls for a "post-partisan" presidency, a recent Pew Research Center study found that President Obama has the most polarized job-approval ratings for a new president in 40 years.

April 8, 2009