Posted: 10:23 AM House Democrats say President Barack Obama should consider invoking a little-known constitutional provision to sidestep Republican demands for major spending cuts as a condition to raising the debt ceiling.

Updated: 8:33 AM White House chief of staff Jack Lew is President Barack Obama's expected pick to lead the Treasury Department, with an announcement possible before the end of the week.

Posted: 8:19 AM Vice President Joe Biden will meet at the White House on Wednesday with victims groups and gun-safety organizations, as the administration seeks to spur action on gun legislation.

Posted: 8:19 AM The Obama administration says it might leave no troops in Afghanistan after December 2014, an option that defies the Pentagon's view that thousands of troops may be needed to contain al-Qaida (al-KAH'-ee-duh) and to strengthen Afghan forces.

Updated: 5:00 PM California Gov. Jerry Brown says he feels great after concluding treatment for early-stage prostate cancer.

Updated: 1:51 PM The top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee says Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton likely will testify before the panel on Jan. 22 about the assault in Libya that killed four Americans.

Posted: 8:11 AM The Obama administration is calling gun owners' groups, victims' organizations and video-game industry representatives to the White House to discuss potential policy proposals for curbing gun violence.

Updated: 3:00 PM The low-cost tickets to President Barack Obama's inaugural ball were mistakenly put on sale a day early and are now sold out.

Updated: 9:35 AM A report on immigration enforcement from a Washington think tank says the Obama administration spent more money on enforcement efforts in the last fiscal year than all other federal law enforcement agencies combined.

Updated: 11:32 AM President Barack Obama says Chuck Hagel, his choice as the new secretary of defense, is "the leader that our troops deserve."

Posted: 12:22 PM Former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel is President Barack Obama's pick to be the next defense secretary.

Posted: 6:03 AM Chief Justice John Roberts will swear in President Barack Obama for a second term later this month.

Posted: 1:02 PM The House has re-elected embattled Republican John Boehner (BAY'-nur) speaker.

Posted: 8:48 AM Congress ushers in new and old today, with dozens of eager freshmen determined to change Washington and the harsh reality of another stretch of bitterly divided government.

Posted: 8:50 AM President Barack Obama has signed a bill that boosts taxes on the wealthiest Americans, while preserving tax cuts for most American households.

Posted: 8:50 AM The House is headed for a vote on aid for Superstorm Sandy victims after House Speaker John Boehner mollified Republicans from New York and New Jersey upset with his decision to cancel action on the bill.

Updated: 5:57 PM In 1982, Michael Jackson released "Thriller," the Rubik's Cube swept the nation and Nevadans elected 41-year-old Harry Reid to represent them in Congress.

Posted: 3:56 PM Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has been released from a New York hospital where she was treated for a blood clot in her head.

Posted: 12:09 PM The State Department says Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is speaking with staff and reviewing paperwork while she continues to recover from a blood clot in her head.

Posted: 9:21 AM The tax package negotiated by President Barack Obama and Senate Republicans and passed by Congress will protect 99 percent of Americans from an income tax increase. But that doesn't mean that most of them won't see their taxes rise.

Updated: 9:58 AM New York area-lawmakers in both parties are erupting in anger, saying the House Republican leadership has decided to let Congress adjourn without holding a vote on aid for victims of Superstorm Sandy.

Updated: 6:43 AM President Barack Obama says an effort to change the nation's tax code that is too skewed toward the wealthy has been achieved with the "fiscal cliff" deal approved in Congress.

Updated: 10:00 PM House Democratic leaders are pressing Speaker John Boehner to let the House vote on the Senate-approved bipartisan compromise that would avert much of the impact of the so-called fiscal cliff.

Posted: 10:28 PM The No. 2 Republican in the House leadership says he opposes a Senate-passed measure to avert the so-called fiscal cliff.

Updated: 1:44 AM Senate Democratic aide: White House and GOP Reach deal on Fiscal Cliff.