The secretary of veterans affairs, retired Gen. Eric K. Shinseki, is trying to modernize a problem-plagued agency.

A federal judge ruled that the state cannot issue license plates showing the image of a cross in front of a stained glass window along with the phrase “I Believe.”

Parents of those jailed are questioning what seems to them like the criminalization of age-old adolescent pranks.

Prosecutors accused former journalism students of paying a witness to help them prove that a man was wrongfully convicted of a 1978 murder near Chicago.

About 4,000 Americans — rather than about 1,200 originally reported by officials — have died of swine flu since the disease emerged in April.

The appointment of Rajiv Shah could end months of drift at Usaid that has frustrated Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Craig Kelly went to Honduras to meet with the ousted president and the head of the de facto government.

Overhauling the health care system means making it more efficient, saving lives and giving Americans a long overdue raise. But the House bill won’t meet these goals.

After a slow start, the Obama administration’s mortgage relief program has reached one in five eligible homeowners, a government report said.

The mayor and the board of supervisors disagreed on when juvenile offenders should be turned over to the immigration authorities.

The nation of Belgium held an event to honor the American women who served as riveters and other civilian workers during World War II.

The storm drenched the Gulf Coast, causing one death in Louisiana but little damage elsewhere.

The American Medical Association voted to oppose the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, and declared that same-sex marriage bans contribute to health disparities.

Even the best cardholders are seeing their interest rates rise and credit lines get cut as financial firms struggle to make money in their card units.

In a switch that was expected, Anita Dunn, the White House communications director, is leaving the White House at the end of the month. Her deputy, Dan Pfeiffer, replacing her.

Health economists say it is impossible to know whether the bills would meet cost-cutting goals, and many are skeptical that they even come close.

The president said he wanted to make sure a health bill amendment was not “restricting women’s insurance choices.”

Authorities intercepted communications between Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan and a radical cleric but took no action, officials said.

Navigating the cosmos on winds of starlight is an ancient dream, and in about a year, a spacecraft called LightSail-1 may make it come true.

A majority of justices seemed inclined to find a way to take account of the age of young offenders who could face life without parole.