IRS replaces official in tea party controversy
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A day after she refused to answer questions at a congressional hearing, Lois Lerner was replaced Thursday as director of the Internal Revenue Service division that oversaw agents who targeted tea party groups....

Obama sees narrower terror threat, defends drones
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama sought Thursday to advance the U.S. beyond the unrelenting war effort of the past dozen years, defining a narrowing terror threat that still imperils the nation but now is defined by smaller networks and homegrown extremists rather than the grandiose plots of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida. He defended his controversial drone-strikes program as a linchpin of the U.S. response to the evolving dangers....

IRS replaces official in tea party controversy
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A day after she refused to answer questions at a congressional hearing, Lois Lerner was replaced Thursday as director of the Internal Revenue Service division that oversaw agents who targeted tea party groups....

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....

Senate votes to cut crop insurance aid for wealthy
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate on Thursday voted to limit the amount of government subsidies the wealthiest farmers receive when purchasing crop insurance....

Tea party vs. old guard in GOP Senate rift
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A long-simmering feud between establishment Republicans and tea partyers broke into full view Thursday, with Sen. John McCain accusing younger colleagues of overplaying their hands and tempting Democrats to change Senate rules that protect the minority party....

Smooth confirmation hearing for Pritzker
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama's nominee for commerce secretary was questioned briefly about her ties to a subprime mortgage lender that failed in 2001 and her role as a beneficiary of family offshore trusts in the Bahamas, but those were minor bumps in an otherwise smooth Senate confirmation hearing Thursday....

Senate confirms Obama nominee to key appeals court
WASHINGTON (AP) -- After five years of trying, President Barack Obama has placed his first nominee on a key appeals court in Washington....

House immigration group resolves dispute
WASHINGTON (AP) -- House members writing a bipartisan immigration bill said Thursday they had patched over a dispute that threatened their efforts, even as they and the rest of Congress prepared to return home for a weeklong recess where many could confront voters' questions on the issue....

Report: Nation's kids need to get more physical
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Reading, writing, arithmetic - and PE?...