From Iraq to Washington: Petraeus has long record of facing tough situations

The fall of David H. Petraeus as the nation's spy chief does not erase his long record as a military commander who turned the tide of the war in Iraq and set up new tactics for killing Islamic terrorists, his friends and military observers say.

U.S. poised  to overtake  Saudi oil  production

By about 2020, the United States will overtake Saudi Arabia as the world's largest oil producer and put North America as a whole on track to become a net exporter of oil as soon as 2030, according to a report from the International Energy Agency.

Obama looks to Asia as trade markets beckon south

President Obama's postelection trip to Southeast Asia presages a greater second-term focus on that region, but some foreign-policy analysts say that shouldn't distract from the need to build better alliances with U.S. neighbors, which could be key to restoring the nation's sluggish economy.

D.C. flag AWOL at military ceremony

D.C. residents Tomi Rucker and Michael Boyd beamed with pride as their son walked out for his basic-training commencement from the Great Lakes Naval Station in Illinois.

Congress jumps on Libya inquiry

President Obama survived the election without having to answer many key questions about the September terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, but getting through the lame-duck session of Congress that opens Tuesday could be even tougher — especially with one key senator already talking about the possibility of subpoenas.

Along with facing fiscal cliff, Obama must reshuffle Cabinet

President Obama took a few days after the election to regroup, play some golf and let his re-election victory sink in, but that didn't slow Washington speculation about the expected reshuffling of his Cabinet.

Bryce Harper wins NL Rookie of the Year

As Bryce Harper made his way through his first major league season, a day rarely went by without another milestone for the Washington Nationals' outfielder. Another small bit of history made. Another step toward a conversation among the game's greats.

Israel strikes Syria armor, hiking spillover fears

An Israeli tank struck a Syrian army vehicle Monday after a mortar shell landed on Israeli-held territory, the military said, in the first direct confrontation between the countries since the Syrian uprising broke out, sharpening fears that Israel could be drawn into the civil war next door.

Inside the Beltway: Fifty shades of bimbo

The mutating "Petraeus affair" has conveniently filled the media vacuum left after the presidential election ended, providing press, pundits and assorted officials a veritable gold mine of material.

West refusing to concede House re-election battle

Combative Republican tea party icon Rep. Allen B. West won't concede his re-election fight despite Florida ballot counts showing Democratic challenger Patrick Murphy with a slim lead.

Euro nations split on how to help Greece cut debt

European finance ministers appeared no closer Monday to agreeing on whether they were ready to take decisive action to help Greece dig itself out of its mountains of debt, despite a proposal from the country's international creditors to grant the country extra time to meet its targets.

Many on N.Y.'s Long Island still dark after Superstorm Sandy

More than 70,000 customers of Long Island Power Authority in New York were without electricity Monday, two weeks after Superstorm Sandy struck, and the often-criticized government entity mostly blamed factors beyond its control.

U.S. colleges look to foreign students

New figures out Monday show international enrollment at U.S. colleges and universities grew nearly 6 percent last year, driven by a 23-percent increase from China, even as total enrollment was leveling out. But perhaps more revealing is where much of the growth is concentrated: big, public land-grant colleges, notably in the Midwest.

Gawkers head to N.Y.'s storm-ravaged neighborhoods

Two weeks after Superstorm Sandy socked the region, cleanup continues in New York and New Jersey, which bore the brunt of the destruction. But the storm didn't just bring darkness and despair; it also brought the gawkers.

Rupert Murdoch gleeful at BBC debacle in Britain

Few seem to be enjoying the management meltdown at the venerable BBC more than Rupert Murdoch, the News Corp. chief whose rival British newspapers have been caught up in their own lengthy, embarrassing and expensive phone hacking scandal.

Afghans find hope for justice in video testimony

Through a video monitor in a military courtroom near Seattle, Staff Sgt. Robert Bales saw young Afghan girls smile beneath bright head coverings before they described the bloodbath he's accused of committing. From the other side of that video link, in Afghanistan, another man saw something else: signs that justice will be done.

Commentary

WOLF: Obamacare taxes mean Obamacare layoffs

America's race toward the so-called "fiscal cliff" of automatic, massive tax increases is only part of the problem. This Thelma has her Louise -- the Obamacare taxes -- and hand-in-hand, these two terrors are racing toward Jan. 1.

RAHN: Misdiagnosing the stagnation

Last Friday, President Obama said, "We can't just cut our way to prosperity. If we are serious about reducing the deficit, we have to combine spending cuts with revenue -- and that means asking the wealthiest Americans to pay a little more in taxes."

FEULNER: Obama's immediate challenges

President Obama's second term means for the first time since the early days of our republic (Jefferson-Madison-Monroe), we'll have three straight two-term presidents.

EDITORIAL: Obama's Christmas wish

All President Obama wants for Christmas is to borrow another $1 trillion. Tax hikes are also on his wish list, but nothing is more important than solving his soon-to-be maxed credit line for the holiday season. The question is, will Republicans be in a giving mood this year?

EDITORIAL: Pulling billions out of thin air

As home to the entertainment industry and the land of make-believe, California is known for embracing fads. The latest rage among the Democrats who just won a supermajority sway in the Sacramento Statehouse may prove to be the most costly.