Romney's record on education includes successes, failures

Mitt Romney kept academic standards high, pushed for more charter schools and took other steps during his time as Massachusetts governor to keep the state in the top tier of student performance — but he stumbled in his efforts to institute merit pay for teachers, revamp the tenure system and other aims.

Women tough it out as sappers

Deep in the woods, mosquitoes whine, flies buzz, and thick brown spiders dart from under one fallen leaf to the next, trying to evade the nearly 100-degree heat.

Civil war feared in unstable Iraq

A dramatic uptick in violence and political instability in Iraq have raised fears that Baghdad once again is tilting toward civil war.

All bills lead to jobs in latest spin in Congress

With so many Americans looking for a job — or worried about keeping the one they have — lawmakers looking for an edge on Capitol Hill are increasingly labeling their proposals "jobs" bills.

Economy is in the eye of the policy beholder

Reading the economy these days is like taking a Rorschach test: Optimists see signs of progress in each economic report, while pessimists see the end of the expansion and many others host middling views.

Democrats sync attacks on Romney's tax returns, bank accounts

Prominent Democrats on Sunday, including the governor of Maryland, a former White House press secretary and the head of the Democratic National Committee, launched a coordinated attack on Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's finances.

CURL: Who's bailing on Obama? Just about everybody

The president is back on the campaign trail. What's striking is where he's going: Pennsylvania, Ohio, Iowa — places he won in 2008. Why? Simple. All the latest polls show he's losing … well, everyone.

Goode's third-party run: Bad news for Romney in Virginia?

Former Virginia Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr.'s bid for the White House as the Constitution Party's nominee could help resuscitate a political career cut short by a razor-thin loss in 2008 — but it also carries the risk of tipping the scales toward President Obama in the all-important swing state.

India's 'hugging saint' comforts with embrace

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.

Inside the Beltway: Hank Williams Jr. tunes up

Country music kingpin and patriot Hank Williams Jr. continues to sing of his politics, not to mention his vision for America and its citizenry. The man's got a new album out Tuesday titled "Old School, New Rules," complete with a few lyrics that go a little something like this:

Stand-down orders stymied 'Fast & Furious' gun tracking, memo says

Concerned that Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents were "too close and would burn the operation," the lead investigator in a Fast and Furious surveillance operation ordered an ATF team monitoring the pending transfer of weapons to Mexican drug smugglers to "leave the immediate area."

Record heat waves goodbye to area

The excruciating heat that smothered the mid-Atlantic under triple-digit temperatures came to an end Sunday, leaving in its wake buckled roadways, kinked train tracks, withered yards and a newfound sense of what it means to be hot.

Roger Federer wins 7th Wimbledon title

Once the Centre Court roof was closed, nothing could stop Roger Federer from winning his record-tying seventh Wimbledon title. The 30-year-old Federer finally equaled Pete Sampras' record at the All England Club, and won his 17th Grand Slam title overall, by beating Andy Murray 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 Sunday.

Tough ID laws could block thousands of 2012 votes

As more states put in place strict voter ID rules, an AP review of temporary ballots from Indiana and Georgia, which first adopted the most stringent standards, found that more than 1,200 such votes were tossed during the 2008 general election.

Liberal party says it is in lead in Libya election

A liberal alliance led by a former Libyan rebel prime minister said Sunday the party's unofficial preliminary results put it in the lead in the country's landmark parliamentary elections, the first since the ouster of dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

Afghan donors offer $16B in development aid

International donors offered $16 billion in development aid for Afghanistan on Sunday to show there will not be a mass exodus from the country after most foreign troops pull out in two years. They stressed the aid will be closely monitored to assure it is not squandered through corruption or mismanagement.

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.