Romney stumps in Ohio as Obama hunkers down for second debate

Three days before Tuesday's crucial second debate, an upbeat Mitt Romney acknowledged the larger crowds showing up at his rallies in Ohio and took another jab at President Obama over "Big Bird."

Biden muffs Obama's tax plans during debate

Vice President Joseph R. Biden on Thursday seemed to open the door to adjusting President Obama's tax increases to only apply to those making $1 million or more a year — a much higher threshold than the $250,000 level they had pushed previously.

Nationals' season comes crashing down

In the end, there was nothing but silence to greet them.

Gary Collins: Actor, TV host dies at 74 in Miss.

Gary Collins, an actor, television show host and former master of ceremonies for the Miss America Pageant, has died. He was 74.

Obama talks up auto industry rescue: More cars, better cars

President Obama on Saturday touted his administration's rescue of the American auto industry, a theme the president and vice president have been hammering home on the campaign trail, especially in swing state Ohio.

Turkish premier slams Security Council over Syria

Turkey's prime minister sharply criticized the U.N. Security Council on Saturday for its failure to agree on decisive steps to end Syria's civil war, as NATO ally Germany backed the Turkish interception of a Damascus-bound passenger jet earlier in the week.

IMF urges quick, effective moves to buoy growth

Global financial ministers called Saturday for quick and effective action to safeguard faltering economic growth and rebuild shaken confidence as they ended an annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund.

Gary Collins: Actor, TV host dies at 74 in Miss.

Gary Collins, an actor, television show host and former master of ceremonies for the Miss America Pageant, has died. He was 74.

'Parent 1' and 'parent 2' could legally replace mom and dad in France

If France's new Socialist government has its way, mothers and fathers will cease to exist — in legal papers, that is.

Duggars clan to stump for Akin

Rep. Todd Akin, make room on your campaign platform — the Duggar family is on its way.

Shot fired at Obama campaign office in Denver

Denver police are reviewing video footage from city surveillance cameras after a shot was fired through the window of President Barack Obama's campaign office.

Final 2012 federal deficit tops $1 trillion — again

The federal government officially closed out the fiscal year with a $1.089 trillion deficit — the fourth straight trillion-dollar year in the red — according to the Treasury Department's final count, released Friday afternoon.

Justice Dept.: Exempted Indian tribes can use eagle feathers, parts

While federal wildlife laws criminalize the killing of eagles and other migratory birds for their feathers, the Justice Department on Friday exempted members of federally-recognized Indian tribes from the law, saying the use of eagle feathers was both "religious and cultural."

EU detractors slam Nobel Peace Prize decision

While some Europeans swelled with pride when the European Union won the Nobel Peace Prize, howls of derision erupted from the continent's large band of skeptics.

D.C. traffic whistleblower's efforts stall

A veteran Metropolitan Police sergeant says higher-ups at the department and the city council chairman are protecting a manager accused of misusing department funds, failing to rescind defective speed-camera citations and improperly voiding legitimate tickets.

Commentary

WEINER: Democrats' debate debacle

President Obama's inexplicable silence in the first debate has led to a large bump for Mitt Romney -- now slightly ahead, according to the Pew poll -- the game-changer that Democrats were convinced would not happen.

DECKER: Biden meltdown burns Obama campaign

The 2012 presidential election is one of the most momentous crossroads in U.S. history. As Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, the GOP's vice-presidential nominee, stated in his Thursday debate against Vice President Joe Biden, the outcome on Election Day will determine "what kind of country we are going to give our kids."

KNIGHT: Buying Obama's whoppers

You know it's bad when the president deputizes Big Bird as his thuggish surrogate. Aside from Big Bird's checkered past as a well-to-do federal welfare recipient, wouldn't Joe Biden or Oscar the Grouch put up a better fight?

MILLER: What Biden didn't say

Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s bizarre behavior in Thursday night's debate was no accident. The exaggerated expressions and overheated theatrics were meant to distract the public from arriving at the obvious conclusion: This administration has no viable solutions to America's problems.