ST. CHARLES, Missouri (Reuters) - President Barack Obama declared on Wednesday the "time for talk is over" and urged the U.S. Congress to vote on healthcare as his health secretary directly challenged insurers to forgo profits to make coverage more affordable. Visiting America's ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama, anxious to spur growth and tackle unemployment, will name two top executives from Boeing and Xerox on Thursday to spearhead his drive to boost U.S. exports, the White House said. Obama, who pledged in his State of the Union address to double U.S. ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate on Wednesday passed a $149 billion package of jobless aid and tax breaks, as Democrats continued efforts to lower the 9.7 percent unemployment rate before congressional elections in November. The measure, approved by a vote of 62 to 36, now heads to the House of ...

Gates said a rival's withdrawal from the multibillion dollar competition should not create further delays. "We will certainly be sharpening our pencil when it comes to negotiating with Boeing," Gates said at a military base at an undisclosed location in southwest Asia.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats in the House of Representatives moved on Wednesday to limit the ability of lawmakers to tuck pet projects into spending bills amid mounting election-year ethics concerns. Top Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee said the new rules prohibit lawmakers from ...

TOKYO (Reuters) - Toyota Motor said on Thursday it has handed over to a U.S. congressional committee a letter sent to its management by a splinter union in 2006 seeking reforms to improve safety after a recall crisis at the time. On Monday, Rep. Edolphus Towns, a New York Democrat who chairs the ...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - With Governor David Paterson enveloped in scandal, New York's lieutenant governor is leading the notoriously difficult budget process and freeing up his boss to fight for his political life, experts say. Richard Ravitch, who would assume the top job should Paterson be brought ...

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Vice President Joe Biden publicly scolded Israel on Wednesday over a Jewish settlement plan, saying it was undermining peace efforts after Palestinians agreed to U.S.-mediated talks. "It is incumbent on both parties to build an atmosphere of support for ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The controversial "Volcker rule" to curb risky trading by banks got a boost in the Senate on Wednesday, as two Democrats introduced a bill that would enact and expand the rule. Senators Jeff Merkley and Carl Levin introduced their bill on the rule, which was first ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Republican senator who held up action earlier this month on a bill to renew jobless benefits faced more criticism on Wednesday for blocking approval of President Barack Obama's nominee to be U.S. ambassador to the World Trade Organization. Senator Jim Bunning, a Kentucky ...