Presidential Election

Education Department giving Newtown $1.3 million

WASHINGTON — Schools in Newtown, Conn., will receive $1.3 million in federal aid to recover after the shootings that left 26 students and educators dead last year.

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GOP's Walker touts state ties during trip to Iowa

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Scott Walker tried to introduce himself to Iowa Republicans Thursday as so many would-be presidential candidates often do - one of their own.

GOP's Walker touts state ties during trip to Iowa

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Scott Walker tried to introduce himself to Iowa Republicans Thursday as so many would-be presidential candidates often do - one of their own.

Obama to tour Jersey Shore with Gov. Christie

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama plans to give the Jersey Shore a boost with a post-Memorial Day visit to showcase recovery efforts in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.

Obama sees narrower terror threat, defends drones

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama sought Thursday to advance the U.S. beyond the unrelenting war effort of the past dozen years, defining a narrower terror threat from smaller networks and homegrown extremists rather than the grandiose plots of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida.

IRS replaces official in tea party controversy

WASHINGTON — A day after she refused to answer questions at a congressional hearing, Lois Lerner was replaced Thursday as director of the Internal Revenue Service division that oversaw agents who targeted tea party groups.

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Foreign Service officer made millions in visa-for-money scam, feds charge

WASHINGTON — A State Department official “received several million dollars in bribes” from Vietnamese residents seeking visas, according to newly public court documents.

IRS replaces official in tea party controversy

WASHINGTON — Moving quickly to stem a raging controversy, the new acting head of the Internal Revenue Service started cleaning house Thursday by replacing the supervisor who oversaw agents involved in targeting tea party groups.

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Scandal draws questions about IRS role in enforcing Obamacare

WASHINGTON — The blossoming IRS scandal over the targeting of conservative groups is provoking new scrutiny and terse questions about the agency’s role in shaping and implementing the controversial new national health care law, with the biggest changes set to begin next year.

Senate votes to cut crop insurance aid for wealthy

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Thursday voted to limit the amount of government subsidies the wealthiest farmers receive when purchasing crop insurance.

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Rep. Jo Bonner resigning to take Ala. college post

MOBILE, Ala. — U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner announced Thursday that he is resigning from Congress effective in August to take a post with the University of Alabama system.

NJ students to help Michelle Obama harvest garden

WASHINGTON — Schoolchildren from New Jersey shore communities battered by Superstorm Sandy will join Michelle Obama for a garden harvest next week.

Tea party vs. old guard in GOP Senate rift

WASHINGTON — A long-simmering feud between establishment Republicans and tea partyers broke into full view Thursday, with Sen. John McCain accusing younger colleagues of overplaying their hands and tempting Democrats to change Senate rules that protect the minority party.

Alaska Rep. Don Young, gone hunting in Africa, misses subcommittee oil hearing

WASHINGTON — When a key House of Representatives panel took up a bill this week that would require annual lease sales and streamline permitting in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, home state Rep. Don Young missed the session.

Obama increases fed share of Sandy relief for NY

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is providing more Hurricane Sandy disaster relief to New York, increasing the share of public assistance that the government will pay from 75 percent to 90 percent of the cost.

Obama's drone policy at a glance

President Barack Obama defended the United States' use of drone attacks as an important part of the U.S. counterterrorism policy on Thursday but signed new presidential policy guidelines to spell out for Congress and the public the standards that the U.S. will use before carrying out drone attacks.

Obama lifts ban on Guantanamo transfers to Yemen

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is lifting his self-imposed ban on transferring Guantanamo Bay detainees to Yemen, where a leadership upheaval has improved the country's security but not eliminated a terrorist organization trying to recruit jihadists.

Marijuana is drug most often linked to crime, study finds

WASHINGTON — Marijuana is the drug most often linked to crime in the United States, the U.S. drug czar said Thursday, dismissing calls for legalization as a “bumper-sticker approach” that should be avoided.

House immigration group resolves dispute

WASHINGTON — House members writing a bipartisan immigration bill said Thursday they had patched over a dispute that threatened their efforts, even as they and the rest of Congress prepared to return home for a weeklong recess where many could confront voters' questions on the issue.

NOAA expects ‘above normal’ hurricane season

WASHINGTON — Expect another busy Atlantic hurricane season, government forecasters said Thursday.