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WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has been reluctant to probe Bush-era torture and anti-terrorism policies, but his Democratic allies aren't likely to let the matters rest.

WASHINGTON - Republicans lined up Sunday in opposition to a second economic stimulus package, a rare demonstration of unity from an out-of-power political party in search of a rallying cry against President Barack Obama.

WASHINGTON - Sonia Sotomayor enters confirmation hearings for her historic nomination to the Supreme Court with reason to be confident about the outcome — Democrats have the votes in the Senate to make her the court's first Hispanic and third woman justice.

CAPE COAST, Ghana - For a new president, there inevitably comes that moment: the first time he hears a foreign crowd hoarsely chanting his name, or sees thousands of well-wishers surging forward, or realizes youngsters are running pell-mell beside his motorcade, desperate for a glimpse of his face.

WASHINGTON - Former Vice President Dick Cheney directed the CIA eight years ago not to inform Congress about a nascent counterterrorism program that CIA Director Leon Panetta terminated in June, officials with direct knowledge of the matter said Saturday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The CIA withheld information from the U.S. Congress about a secret counterterrorism program on orders from former Vice President Dick Cheney, a senator said on Sunday as Democrats called for an investigation.

WASHINGTON - Last year's Republican presidential nominee, John McCain, says he doesn't think of Sarah Palin as quitting her job as much as changing her priorities.

WASHINGTON - Lawmakers from both parties are telling the White House they will go on vacation next month and leave behind — and incomplete — President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is set to return to the world stage this week when she delivers a major policy speech and resumes foreign travel after a she was sidelined by a broken elbow.

Text of President Barack Obama's speech Saturday in Accra, Ghana, as provided by the White House:

WASHINGTON - Not enough relevant officials were aware of the size and depth of an unprecedented surveillance program started under President George W. Bush, let alone signed off on it, a team of federal inspectors general found.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US Central Intelligence Agency had a secret plan to capture or kill Al-Qaeda operatives but it was terminated by new CIA Director Leon Panetta, The Wall Street Journal said late Sunday.

To some Republican activists, an epic battle over Sonia Sotomayor is just the kind of jolt the Republican Party needs to get out of its doldrums. 

KABUL, Afghanistan — The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said Sunday that when he gives his assessment to the Obama administration next month of what is needed to defeat the Taliban, he won't be deterred by administration statements that he cannot have more U.S. troops.

ACCRA (AFP) - US President Barack Obama has condemned tyrants who enrich themselves and urged Africans to demand stronger governments as he made a landmark trip to the continent where his father was born.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's pick to fill his first U.S. Supreme Court vacancy, Sonia Sotomayor, goes before a Senate hearing on Monday with most people betting she already has enough votes to win confirmation.