Libyans hold 1st nationwide vote in decades

Jubilant Libyans chose a new parliament Saturday in their first nationwide vote in decades, but violence and protests in the restive east underscored the challenges ahead as the oil-rich North African nation struggles to restore stability after last year's ouster of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

D.C.-area temperatures approach all-time record highs

Temperatures in the D.C. area peaked at 105 degrees Saturday, falling short of an all-time heat record but surpassing the previous high for the day.

Obama touts transportation, student loans; GOP hits economy, health care

President Obama, in his weekly radio address, highlighted a bill he signed into law Friday that will provide more money for transportation projects and prevent interest rates for student loans from doubling, opting to stray from the two subjects that have dominated the headlines in recent days — the economy and health care.

Romney: Jobs figures underscore Obama failure

GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney said Friday that the latest jobs numbers released Friday, showing anemic job growth and an unemployment rate unchanged at 8.2 percent, are the latest proof that President Obama's economic plans have failed the country.

U.S. delivers 'powerful commitment' to Afghanistan

The U.S. designation Saturday of Afghanistan as its newest "major non-NATO ally" amounts to a political statement of support for the country's long-term stability and solidifies close defense cooperation after American combat troops withdraw in 2014.

Bryce Harper added to NL All-Star team as injury replacement

Turns out, Nationals rookie phenom Bryce Harper will be heading to Kansas City, Mo., after all.

With McCotter out, another tea party vs. GOP bout takes shape

On one side, a political newcomer with ties to the tea party. On the other, a veteran Republican lawmaker who's clearly the preferred pick of the party establishment. It's a scenario that has played out in race after race across the country since 2010, and it's taking shape again in the congressional contest in Michigan's 11th District, a seat that Republicans had considered safe before Rep. Thaddeus McCotter's implosion.

'Hugging saint' embraces Alexandria

Thatched-roof food stands, jewelry vendors and a massage booth transformed an Alexandria hotel into a marketplace Friday morning, and the people browsing teas, fragrances and stained glass all waited patiently for one thing: a hug.

Congressman Barney Frank marries longtime partner

U.S. Rep. Barney Frank has tied the knot with his longtime partner in a ceremony officiated by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick.

Israeli draft pits secular Jews vs. ultra-Orthodox

Deep in the heart of Mea Shearim, a Jerusalem bastion of hardline ultra-Orthodox Jews, hundreds of bearded young men in black suits have their noses burrowed into books, immersed in biblical study and oblivious to their surroundings.

Afghan donors meet, expected to pledge $16B in aid

An international donor meeting for Afghanistan that is expected to bring pledges of $16 billion in aid over the next four years has begun in Tokyo.

MOVIE REVIEW: 'Savages'

Typically in his movies, Oliver Stone buries the pulp and flashes the prestige. With his latest film, "Savages," he does just the opposite.

Nationals' Ian Desmond to miss All-Star Game

For Washington Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond, getting named to the 2012 All-Star Game was a huge honor. The fact that manager Tony La Russa hand-picked him to be on it made the designation that much more special for Desmond.

Boy, 4, killed by falling tombstone was helping dad

A 4-year-old Utah boy was helping his father by trying to make other children smile for a picture when a 6-foot-tall tombstone that weighed hundreds of pounds fell on the boy and killed him at a historic cemetery, family members and friends said.

California OKs funding for high-speed rail line

California lawmakers approved billions of dollars Friday in construction financing for the initial segment of the nation's first dedicated high-speed rail line connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Serena wins 5th Wimbledon title in 3 sets

For Serena Williams, the low point came in early 2011, when she spent hours laying around her home, overwhelmed by a depressing series of health scares that sent her to the hospital repeatedly and kept her away from tennis for 10 months.

Commentary

KEENE: Fast and furious cover-up at Holder's Justice

Obama administration officials must remind each other daily that they will never have to accept responsibility for anything that goes wrong on their watch as long as they can find some way to blame their troubles on George W. Bush.

SCOTT: Florida will not implement Obamacare

Obamacare, in its effort to force everyone into a health insurance plan, is attempting to treat a symptom - the uninsured - rather than the cause of the problem.

CROUSE: New hope for life worldwide

During discouraging times, pro-lifers remind themselves that William Wilberforce worked for two decades before he began to change hearts and minds and end 19th-century slavery in Great Britain. In efforts lasting twice as long, pro-life activists are just now beginning to see signs of success.

MILLER: D.C. recoils from gun prosecutions

The nation's capital treats gun owners like criminals. Even after a Supreme Court smackdown in 2008, Washington still has the country's most stringent gun-control laws. The city's anti-firearm ordinances are so convoluted and beyond the norm that average Americans can find themselves in big trouble for doing something that is entirely legal in almost every state.

EDITORIAL: Obama gambles, America loses

The latest Obama 2012 campaign slogan is "Betting on America." However, the latest round of dismal economic news shows that when it comes to the economy, President Obama is a poor gambler, and the country is headed for bust.