Diplomacy now trumps defense as the main instrument of U.S. foreign policy. ...more

January 26, 2009

President Barack Obama on Friday quietly ended the Bush administration's ban on giving federal money to international groups that perform abortions or provide information on the option. Liberal groups welcomed the decision, while abortion rights foes criticized the president. ...more

January 23, 2009

Democratic Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand emerged as a leading contender Thursday night as New York Gov. David Paterson closed in on a decision to fill the state's vacant Senate seat, according to party officials monitoring events in the wake of Caroline Kennedy's abrupt withdrawal from consideration. ...more

January 23, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate has confirmed Hillary Rodham Clinton to become secretary of state. ...more

January 21, 2009

The Senate swiftly approved six members of President Barack Obama's Cabinet on Tuesday, but put off for a day the vote on his choice of Hillary Rodham Clinton to be secretary of state. ...more

January 20, 2009

First lady Laura Bush has agreed to write a memoir with one of the world's oldest publishing houses, Scribner. Publication for the book, currently untitled, is scheduled for 2010. ...more

January 5, 2009

Here are excerpts from editorials in newspapers around the world: The Observer, London, on Caroline Kennedy as New York's new senator: ...more

December 31, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) — The world opened its wallet for Bill Clinton. Governments, corporations and billionaires with their own interests in U.S. foreign policy gave the former president's charity millions of dollars, according to records he released Thursday to lay bare any financial entanglements that could affect his wife Hillary Rodham Clinton as the next secretary of state. ...more

December 18, 2008

Caroline Kennedy has avoided politics most of her life. She has yet to utter a word publicly about her interest in running for Hillary Rodham Clinton's Senate seat. ...more

December 16, 2008

The star of "The Nanny" wants to go from playing nasally New Yawkers to succeeding Hillary Rodham Clinton in the U.S. Senate. ...more

December 11, 2008