Politics - McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — The White House and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton upped the pressure Thursday on Iran to divulge any information it has about Robert Levinson, a retired FBI agent who went missing from a Persian Gulf island in March 2007. Full Story »

WASHINGTON — The head of the Secret Service accepted full responsibility Thursday for last week's security breach at President Barack Obama's first state dinner, but he said that the president and Vice President Joe Biden were never in danger from a party-crashing couple who shook hands and posed for pictures with them. Full Story »

WASHINGTON — The Senate voted 61-39 on Thursday to approve a plan that would make it easier for women to get medical screenings aimed at detecting a variety of diseases, such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Full Story »

WASHINGTON — Making a case for his confirmation to a second term as the chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke on Thursday defended unpopular actions he's taken that helped stem a spreading global financial crisis, and he offered a mea culpa for the Fed's failure to see the storm coming. Full Story »

WASHINGTON — The broadest revamp of financial regulation in seven decades cleared a key congressional committee Wednesday and will move next week to debate on the floor of the House of Representatives. Full Story »

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration sent what many lawmakers saw as vague and sometimes confusing signals Wednesday about its intentions in Afghanistan, leaving members of Congress unsure how to proceed as they consider his plan to deploy 30,000 more American troops there. Full Story »

WASHINGTON — A wary, divided Congress raised serious questions Tuesday about President Barack Obama's new strategy for the war in Afghanistan, as well as its timetables and his plans to pay for the troop buildup. Full Story »

WASHINGTON — The nation's 10.2 percent unemployment rate gets renewed attention this week as President Barack Obama hosts a jobs summit on Thursday, a day before the Labor Department reports new job numbers that are unlikely to show significant improvement. Full Story »

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — At the local Chamber of Commerce here, a handful of employers discussed what would spark them to hire. Not one thought a tax credit would be of any use. Full Story »

WASHINGTON — With eight years of blood and treasure already spent and perhaps his presidency hanging in the balance, President Barack Obama will tell the world Tuesday how he'll escalate the war in Afghanistan — and how he hopes his risky decision will lead finally to a path home for U.S. forces. Full Story »