Democrats 'got beat' in May fundraising

Mitt Romney and the Republican National Committee trounced President Obama and national Democrats in fundraising last month, according to numbers both campaigns released Thursday, signaling that the Republicans can compete on equal footing with the White House in November.

Workers still feeling the pain in paychecks

Presidential candidates like to say it's all about jobs, but for the nearly 92 percent of the American workforce with jobs, it's about the wages.

Congress, Holder put relationship to the test

Before Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. testified to the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday, the ranking Democrat had a warning for his colleagues on the panel: Play nice.

Troops close to taking Somalia out of terrorists' control

African troops are targeting the Somali port city of Kismayo, the last main town controlled by al-Shabab terrorists, after driving the al Qaeda-linked rebels out of strongholds across a nation afflicted by 20 years of instability, war and famine.

I'll Have Another takes shot at Triple Crown

There's nothing in sports quite like the roar and electricity as horses turn for home in the Belmont Stakes with a Triple Crown on the line.

Motorists in tunnel could get refund of speeding fines

The Metropolitan Police Department has issued some 7,000 speeding tickets and demanded more than $1.2 million in fines since November from speed cameras in the Third Street Tunnel in Northwest D.C.

Same-sex marriage question will be on Maryland ballot

Organizers of a petition against Maryland's same-sex marriage law have collected enough valid voter signatures to send the law to a November referendum, state election officials said Thursday.

Obama team calls Romney blind trust 'not-so-blind'

The Obama campaign launched a new attack on Mitt Romney's personal finances Thursday, this time arguing that his Republican rival's blind trust for his $250 million fortune is "not so blind."

Former D.C. Council chairman Brown faces new charge

Federal prosecutors accused former D.C. Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown on Thursday of violating the city's campaign finance laws by allowing a relative to set up a "side account" for his 2008 re-election campaign as an at-large member of the council.

Inside the Beltway: Ron Paul's optimism

Rep. Ron Paul has more or less suspended his presidential campaign, but he has not suspended his hold on political influence, either among his devoted followers or at the upcoming Republican National Convention.

GOP faults Obama in impasse on student loans

The White House has been mum on new Republican offers to break an impasse on student loans, and President Obama's schedule on Thursday offered a reason for the stall: It gave Mr. Obama another chance to flog the issue on a college campus in the midst of a multimillion-dollar campaign-fundraising trip.

Transport funding may be delayed

House Speaker John A. Boehner said Thursday that if Congress can't come up with a long-term transportation funding bill this month he will shelve the matter until the late-year lame-duck session, a stance Democrats say is a stalling tactic designed to stifle the economy — and make President Obama look bad — until after the November elections.

Bernanke signals no imminent steps to aid economy

Slumping job growth has alarmed some economists who fear the U.S. economy is in trouble. Ben Bernanke doesn't appear to be one of them.

Annan urges new unity on Syria — with consequences

International envoy Kofi Annan is urging the world's nations to unite behind a new effort to end the escalating Syrian conflict and says there should be "consequences" if his peace plan isn't implemented.

Mega-lawsuit says NFL hid brain injury links

A concussion-related lawsuit bringing together scores of cases has been filed in federal court, accusing the NFL of hiding information that linked football-related head trauma to permanent brain injuries.

Panetta: Patience with Pakistan 'reaching limits'

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Thursday pressured Pakistan to do more to root out the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani terrorist network from its territory, saying that U.S. officials are "reaching the limits of our patience."

Commentary

DECKER: Wisconsin wake-up call

The battle for Wisconsin is over. Conservatives won by fending off the union-orchestrated attempt to oust Republican Gov. Scott Walker. Now the fight is on to spin what it means. On the eve of Mr. Walker's sizable 7-point victory, GOP standard-bearer Mitt Romney announced, "Tonight's results will echo beyond the borders of Wisconsin."

KYL AND NOVACK: Tossing Obamacare anchor to small business

When Obamacare passed in 2010, one of its essential elements was the "essential health benefit" (EHB) mandate - in essence, the things Washington politicians thought every American's health care plan must contain.

NAPOLITANO: Big Brother's all-seeing eye

For the past few weeks, I have been writing in this column about the government's use of drones and challenging their constitutionality on Fox News Channel, where I work.

MILLER: Political convention blowout

Every four years, thousands of politicians, lobbyists, activists and consultants get together for an extravagant weeklong party. It's all paid for by the taxpayers. These shindigs, otherwise known as national political conventions, no longer realistically serve the purpose of selecting a presidential nominee.

GHEI: Europe in denial

Time is running out for Europe. As Spain's banking crisis deepens, politicians on the continent remain in denial. The only solutions in their mind involve borrowing or subsidies from German taxpayers. With the International Monetary Fund (IMF) acting as their enabler, Europe's high-debt countries may be able to put off the required reforms, but delaying the inevitable is taking a toll on their economies.