Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid announced Monday that he will include a government-backed insurance plan in the chamber's health-care reform legislation, a key concession to liberals who have threatened to oppose a bill without such a public option.

When Matthew Hoh joined the Foreign Service early this year, he was exactly the kind of smart civil-military hybrid the administration was looking for to help expand its development efforts in Afghanistan.

Administration officials sought Monday to explain why so much less H1N1 flu vaccine is available than had been promised, blaming the manufacturers and the vagaries of science for nationwide shortages.

The nation's preeminent seniors group, AARP, has put the weight of its 40 million members behind health-care reform, saying many of the proposals will lower costs and increase the quality of care for older Americans.

Republican Robert F. McDonnell carries a double-digit lead over Democrat R. Creigh Deeds in the final week of the campaign for Virginia governor, according to a new Washington Post poll.

What Harry Reid did Monday afternoon gave new meaning to the phrase "public option."

An Oct. 23 Weekend listing misstated the start time for Tuesday's high-heel drag queen race on 17th Street NW. The race is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m., but spectators looking for good viewing spots are advised to arrive on

The Pentagon's chief auditor was forced from her post Monday following sharp criticism from lawmakers over failures to hold defense contractors accountable for overcharges and poor performance.

JACKSONVILLE, FLA. -- President Obama fired back Monday at critics who accuse him of taking too long to review war strategy in Afghanistan, telling an audience of military personnel he will not rush his decision on whether to send additional

The two pilots of a Northwest Airlines jet that overshot a Minneapolis airport by 150 miles last week might have lost track of time partly because they were using laptops, a violation of company policy, U.S. air safety investigators said

Privacy advocates have asked lawmakers to investigate the Department of Homeland Security office in charge of protecting Americans' privacy, saying it has shown "an extraordinary disregard" for its duty.

Bill and Melinda Gates will make an unusual personal appeal to Washington officials Tuesday night, asking them to continue funding global health initiatives despite the recession and to commit to nearly halve the number of child deaths worldwide by 2025.

MIAMI -- One of Fidel Castro's sisters says in a new memoir that she collaborated with the CIA against her brother, starting shortly after the United States' failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in 1961.

RIO DE JANEIRO -- The residents of Santa Marta, one of this violent city's many hillside slums, had never seen someone quite like the new police captain, a woman who strolled its maze of passageways to shake hands and ask

BAGHDAD -- Iraqi officials on Monday began assessing the scope of the damage from two devastating bombings carried out Sunday that are expected to cripple key government agencies for months, as the death toll climbed to nearly 160.

Sen. John F. Kerry declared Monday that he opposes sending more U.S. troops to Afghanistan unless the government and military there improve their performance, and said the top American military commander in the country is moving "too far, too fast"

KABUL -- In a day of military tragedy and political drama, 11 American troops and three U.S. civilians died Monday in two helicopter crashes in rural Afghanistan, while President Hamid Karzai and his top political rival escalated their dispute over

TEHRAN --As she watched a video at the exhibition booth of a pro-government news agency, the young Iranian woman became incensed at its portrayal of two leading opposition figures.

TEHRAN -- High-ranking Iranian officials appear divided over a draft proposal with the United States and other countries that would transfer the bulk of the Islamic republic's enriched uranium stockpile out of the country.

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA -- The Saudi king on Monday waived a flogging sentence against a female journalist who had been convicted as part of a crackdown on a controversial Lebanese television network.