Furlough Friday: Unpaid day off for many in gov't
WASHINGTON (AP) -- No one answered the tax-help hotline at the IRS on Friday. And you could forget about getting advice on avoiding foreclosures at the 80 Housing and Urban Development field offices nationwide....

Obama: Sexual assault threatens trust in military
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- With a growing sexual assault epidemic staining the military, President Barack Obama urged U.S. Naval Academy graduates Friday to remember their honor depends on what they do when nobody is looking and said the crime has "no place in the greatest military on earth."...

Obama's drone rules leave unanswered questions
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama left plenty of ambiguity in new policy guidelines that he says will restrict how and when the U.S. can launch targeted drone strikes, leaving himself significant power over how and when the weapons can be deployed....

Obama OKs honor for Birmingham bombing victims
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama signed legislation Friday to award Congress' highest civilian honor to four girls killed in an Alabama church bombing during the civil rights movement. He called it a tragic loss that "helped to trigger triumph and a more just and equal and fair America."...

IRS replaces official who revealed targeting
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Internal Revenue Service official who led the unit that targeted tea party groups and publicly disclosed the activity has been replaced, making her the third top IRS official moved aside since the episode was revealed two weeks ago....

Kerry blasts Iranian election maneuvering
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry harshly criticized Iranian authorities on Friday for eliminating hundreds of presidential candidates, suggesting that Tehran is standing in the way of legitimate, representative democracy....

Kerry's focus on peace talks, not settlements
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged Israel's government on Friday to prevent further settlement construction where possible to help revitalize Middle East peace hopes, but stressed that the Jewish state and Palestinians alike should remain focused on the larger goal of restarting direct negotiations....

Obama lifts ban on Guantanamo transfers to Yemen
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama is lifting his self-imposed ban on transferring Guantanamo Bay detainees to Yemen, where a leadership upheaval has improved the country's security but not eliminated a terrorist organization trying to recruit jihadists....

Obama balances threats against Americans' rights
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Forecasting the changing nature of threats against the U.S. for years to come, President Barack Obama says "America is at a crossroads." And so, too, is his presidency's counterterrorism policy, which has long struggled to balance protecting the nation from terror attacks while upholding Americans' rights....

Some unions now angry about health care overhaul
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Some labor unions that enthusiastically backed President Barack Obama's health care overhaul are now frustrated and angry, fearful that it will jeopardize benefits for millions of their members....