Politics - Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Saturday urged Americans to show patience over the economy and argued that his just-concluded Asia trip was critical for U.S. exports, countering criticism he had returned empty-handed.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's job approval rating has dropped below 50 percent in a second major poll in an indication he is suffering from the long healthcare debate and weakness in the economy, Gallup said on Friday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The chairman of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, Representative Ike Skelton, cast doubt on Friday about the Obama administration's decision to try the September 11, 2001, conspirators in a U.S. criminal court.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A former U.S. State Department official and his wife pleaded guilty on Friday to charges that they spied for almost three decades for the Communist-led Cuban government.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Monday accused a U.S. congressional advisory panel of bias for a report in which it said the Chinese government appeared increasingly to be piercing U.S. computer networks to gather useful data for its military.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Other than President Barack Obama, perhaps no one's political future is riding more on the Senate battle to revamp the healthcare system than the chamber's Democratic majority leader, Harry Reid.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate Banking Committee said on Friday it will hold a hearing on Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's renomination to a second term on December 3, putting the central bank chief under scrutiny at a time when the Fed is facing intense criticism in Congress.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's announcement of a new strategy on Afghanistan will not take place until after the Thanksgiving holiday next week, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Friday.

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Honduras's post-coup de facto leader said on Friday he would give up his presidential duties for a week, a step Washington welcomed as a way to help ease a five-month-old political crisis.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate ethics committee on Friday admonished Roland Burris, saying he had been less than candid about his gubernatorial appointment to the Senate seat previously held by President Barack Obama.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - It's not just spending on U.S. healthcare that is breaking records. Drugmakers, insurers and industry groups are on track to spend an all-time high of more than $500 million this year to influence Congress' revamp of the healthcare system.

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (Reuters) - The United States must tighten control of Afghan aid contracts as a first step toward stemming rampant corruption, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Friday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai is an "unworthy partner" who does not deserve a big boost either in U.S. troops or civilian aid, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Adding to lawmaker criticism of U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's performance is a new survey released on Friday showing 42 percent of Americans say he has done a "poor job" handling the credit crisis and federal bailout programs.

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's prime minister and U.S. President Barack Obama meet next week to strengthen ties, with the emerging Asian power increasingly playing a bigger role on global issues such as climate change and trade.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Budget shortfalls pose a direct threat to millions of U.S. jobs, many in the private sector, as state and local governments lay off workers and cut spending on contracts and other business services, a think tank said on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Democratic-led U.S. Senate, having smashed through a Republican wall of opposition, confirmed on Thursday U.S. President Barack Obama's first and longest-stalled judicial nominee.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Thursday to boost Medicare payments to physicians in a move that could help shore up support from doctors for a sweeping Democratic-backed healthcare overhaul.