Republicans in Congress want to grant a permit to TransCanada’s $7 billion project, cutting out President Barack Obama, who last month said the pipeline’s route needed more study before his administration could approve it.But to fast-track the stalled Canada-to-Texas pipeline, Republicans need to first try to attach the issue to must-pass legislation and gather enough [...]

Vice President Biden emphasized the importance of building a U.S.-China relationship that addresses practical issues important to both countries and expressed support for efforts … to further develop bilateral cooperation, the White House said in a statement summarizing the leaders’ phone call on Tuesday.Xi, considered China’s president-in-waiting, will meet President Barack Obama at the White [...]

Romney was backed by 29 percent of Republican voters in the telephone poll conducted February 2-6, down from 30 percent in a survey in early January, although the change was within the poll’s margin of error.The results suggest Romney – despite his vast advantages in organization, fundraising and momentum after victories in New Hampshire, Florida [...]

Vice President Xi’s visit to the United States next week will enhance his aura of readiness to lead China from late this year. It could also set the mood for the next decade that he is likely to serve as president, an era when Sino-U.S. relations face deep and potentially troublesome shifts.I think this is [...]

The report found significant, widespread and at times intentional misconduct by Justice Department prosecutors, according to a brief summary released in November by U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan.But the report did not recommend any criminal prosecution.Sullivan said releasing the report, scheduled for March 15, would help the public understand what went wrong with the prosecution [...]

The Obama administration in December blocked South Carolina’s law, signed by Republican Governor Nikki Haley in May, because of concerns it would hurt the ability of members of minority groups to cast ballots.The law requires voters to show either a driver’s license, passport or military identification along with a voter registration card at the polls. [...]

Yet Casillas was dismayed when the Obama administration recently ruled that religious institutions had to follow the same rules as other employers and offer free contraception as part of health insurance coverage. The idea that the government would force Catholic hospitals to subsidize birth control – or, to avoid the mandate, drop health insurance for [...]

The Obama administration is hoping it can declare a start to authentic political negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban at the May 20-21 summit in Chicago, after a year of initial, uncertain contacts with militant representatives.It would be a needed victory for the White House and its NATO partners in Afghanistan as they [...]

Speaking to an audience at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, he expressed frustration that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is trying to move ahead on sweeping money market fund reforms.I think that money market funds are under attack. I think there is a concerted effort to impose very, very, very troublesome regulations [...]

I am proud to announce today that we have finally put these burdensome and potentially damaging trade disputes behind us, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said in a statement on the zeroing deal struck with the European Union and Japan.What this means for the American people and the country as a whole is that American [...]