Senate Democrats made a case for legislation to revamp the nation’s health care system in a parade of floor speeches aimed at cementing party unity ahead of a first crucial vote.

A variety of economists say that stimulus legislation is helping the economy to grow again.

Even popular bills and generally acceptable nominees have had to traverse a procedural thicket.

A report released by Republicans in Congress said that a school chancellor in Washington intervened on behalf of her fiancé, who was under investigation by AmeriCorps.

A committee found that Senator Roland W. Burris had been less than candid in statements on his dealings with associates of the Illinois governor, who was later forced from office.

The official responsible for the problem-plagued disability compensation system at the Department of Veterans Affairs will resign early next year, the department announced Friday.

Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska, one of three wavering Democrats, said Friday that he would vote to start debate on a giant health care bill.

The effort had been seen by opponents as a possible new front in the national debate over the matter.

Michigan had the highest jobless rate at 15.1 percent, followed by Nevada at 13 percent and Rhode Island at 12.9 percent.

The Senate majority leader’s deep personal involvement in assembling the overhaul of the health care system has led the measure to the brink of a historic Senate debate.

Advocating civil disobedience to resist laws compelling institutions to perform abortion or recognize unions.

Amid concerns over an aging stockpile, federal advisers have concluded that programs to extend the life of the nation’s nuclear arms ensure their destructiveness for decades to come.

Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner said on Thursday that the government would close the $700 billion program “as soon as we can,” and that part of it would be used to lower the federal debt.

Senator Harry Reid scheduled the first crucial procedural vote on the major health care legislation for Saturday, after what is expected to be two marathon days of debate.

A federal judge ruled that the Army Corps of Engineers’ negligence caused huge flooding after Hurricane Katrina.

How do Senate leaders persuade fence-sitters to vote against their own political instincts?

The role thrusts Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton into the thick of a critical international problem.

Rejecting warnings by the Obama administration, a committee approved a plan by Representative Ron Paul to carry out sweeping new audits of the central bank’s policy decisions and operations.

President Obama pledged to complete a long-stalled trade agreement with South Korea that he inherited from former President George W. Bush.

The Court of Appeals left to the Legislature the broader issue of whether same-sex marriage should be legal in New York.