US Politics News

Two women died and at least 18 people-including one minor-were injured in a likely gas explosion that leveled two residential buildings in Manhattan's East Harlem neighborhood Wednesday morning, officials said.

Rep. Charles Rangel , New York Democrat, said Wednesday that he has no doubt that the explosion in East Harlem is the result of a gas leak, not a terrorist attack.

A dispute between the CIA and a Senate committee that oversees it burst into the open Tuesday when Sen. Diane Feinstein accused the agency of spying on Congress.

The turmoil over how to end an epidemic of sexual assaults in the U.S. military is far from over as Congress haggles over legislative remedies and new details emerge about a high-profile case involving an Army general and a female captain under his command.

In a diplomatic dig at Russia, President Barack Obama is hosting the new Ukrainian prime minister at the White House, a high-profile gesture aimed at cementing the West's allegiance to Ukraine's fledgling government.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein, a longtime defender of U.S. intelligence efforts, sharply criticized the Central Intelligence Agency, saying its actions undermined lawmakers' ability to oversee the administration.

Would Parmesan by any other name be as tasty atop your pasta? A ripening trade battle might put that to the test.

A member of the House armed services committee late Tuesday called on Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to direct the Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy to re-examine troops in sensitive posts in light Your Take contributions have not been reviewed for accuracy by USA TODAY.

The symbols of the Democratic and Republican parties are seen on display in Washington, DC on August 25, 2008.

Federal prosecutors are examining whether General Motors is criminally liable for failing to properly disclose problems with some of its vehicles that were linked to 13 deaths and led to a recall last month, according to a source familiar with the investigation.

The unusual NLRB ruling on Monday gave anti-UAW groups, including the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation and Southern Momentum, which back workers defending the election, more leverage in the fight over unionizing the plant.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor cheered the passage of one of his top priorities Tuesday, as a pediatric research funding bill he laboriously pushed through the House easily passed the Senate.

An illustration dated 12 April 2013 shows the display of a smartphone with the app logos of various social media plattforms in Schwerin, Germany.

In the shadow of the Washington Monument sits the headquarters of an organization, the oldest of its kind in the world, founded on the pillars of human rights and democracy promotion.

Zach Galifianakis scored a big get with his latest guest for " Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis ": President Barack Obama .

The head of the Senate Intelligence Committee says the CIA's improper search of a stand-alone computer network established for Congress has been referred to the Justice Department.

Voters on Florida's Gulf Coast head to the polls Tuesday to fill a vacant U.S. Congressional seat in a special election watched by both major parties for what it portends for November when all 435 congressional seats will be up for grabs.

President Barack Obama is bolstering his party's campaign coffers, joining an ally of former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to help the Democratic National Committee climb out of a worrisome deficit.

The review will be led by Jenner & Block chairman Anton "Tony" Valukas, who won wide regard for investigating Lehman Brothers after the financial services firm collapsed in 2008.

Thirty Senate Democrats are scheduled to stage an all-night talkathon to address climate change and its deniers, but notably missing from the extensive roster of speakers are moderate Democrats, especially those who are up for re-election in 2014.