Congress

Congress is on track to shore up federal highway aid and veterans' health care before heading out of town this week for its August recess, leaving an array of sticky issues unresolved that are sure to complicate an autumn agenda already groaning under the weight of indecision.

Federal law enforcement officials warned Wednesday that data encryption is making it harder to hunt for pedophiles and terror suspects, telling senators that consumers' right to privacy is not absolute and must be weighed against public-safety interests.

Members of Congress return from July Fourth fireworks and parades Tuesday facing a daunting summer workload and an impending deadline to fund the government or risk a shutdown in the fall.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republicans finally won House approval Wednesday for a late-term abortion ban after dropping rape provisions that provoked a rebellion by female GOP lawmakers, forcing party leaders into an embarrassing retreat.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A powerful House committee is weighing legislation that would slash funds for Amtrak by 18 percent just hours after a deadly train crash in Philadelphia.

Just when you think you've seen it all in the road, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton has provided us with what is unequivocally the worst attempt at fitting into a parking spot of all-time.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republicans are using their new congressional majorities to push strikingly conservative budgets through the House and Senate, aiming to eliminate deficits by overturning President Barack Obama's health care law and slashing safety net programs for the poor.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Americans' confidence in all three branches of government is at or near record lows, according to a major survey that has measured attitudes on the subject for 40 years.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Bitterly admitting defeat, House Republicans on Tuesday abandoned their attempts to use the Homeland Security Department's spending bill to force concessions from President Barack Obama on immigration, and sent him legislation to fund the agency through the end of the budget year with no strings attached.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- In a speech that stirred political controversy in two countries, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Congress on Tuesday that negotiations underway between Iran and the United States would "all but guarantee" that Tehran would get nuclear weapons, a step he said the world must avoid at all costs.