From GLOBAL ECONOMY 3:38pm

US budget woes sap consumer sentiment

Uncertainty weighs on confidence and future expectations

Lance Armstrong ©Reuters US SOCIETY 2:43pm

Armstrong’s past haunts cycling’s future

Texan confesses to doping on Oprah talk show

Lance Armstrong is interviewed by Oprah Winfrey in Austin, Texas ©Reuters US SOCIETY 2:19pm

Armstrong confession cuts little ice

Ex-cyclist admits to using drugs since 1990s

The President ties his white tie before the Alfred E. Smith dinner in New York ©Pete Souza/CNP/AdMedia From SPECIAL REPORTS 11:14pm

A master campaigner faces his hardest test

Barack Obama has a hostile environment to negotiate as he tries to secure a legacy beyond the financial crisis

US POLITICS & POLICY 7:52pm

Republicans weigh interim debt-limit hike

Short-term increase to avoid default meant to engage Democrats

From GLOBAL ECONOMY Jan 17, 2013

US debt talks complicated by timing

Tax payments muddle government cash flow

US POLITICS & POLICY Jan 17, 2013

DeMint urges face-off over debt ceiling

Conservative presses Republicans to take on Obama in budget talks

From GLOBAL ECONOMY Jan 17, 2013

Home construction surges in December

Housing recovery continues as home starts jump 12.1% in December

Denis McDonough ©AFP US POLITICS & POLICY Jan 17, 2013

Obama to name McDonough chief of staff

Security adviser involved in key foreign policy decisions

US POLITICS & POLICY Jan 17, 2013

US mortgage rules tightened

Consumer regulator unveils borrower protections

US POLITICS & POLICY Jan 16, 2013

Call to raise age for US’s Medicare

Washington grapples with a new fiscal crisis

From GLOBAL ECONOMY Jan 16, 2013

US economy withstands fiscal cliff concerns

‘Beige Book’ reports economic growth across county

Editorial from COMMENT Jan 16, 2013

Ending the culture of US gun violence

Obama must try to break the NRA’s grip on national politics

From GLOBAL ECONOMY Jan 16, 2013

Research rewrites global trade data

US trade imbalance with China shrinks under OECD findings

US POLITICS & POLICY Jan 16, 2013

Republicans urged to heed California threat

Openly gay lawyer seeks to lead party back to relevance in state

US POLITICS & POLICY Jan 16, 2013

Pro-gun lobby urged to tone down rhetoric

Conservative democrats seek moderation before gun control debate

US POLITICS & POLICY Jan 16, 2013

Obama signs executive orders on guns

Proposed laws are the toughest in two decades

From GLOBAL ECONOMY Jan 16, 2013

Business demand drives US factories

Industrial output rises 0.3% in December

From MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA Jan 16, 2013

Obama’s alleged remarks anger Israelis

Newspapers focus on reported comments over West Bank settlements

US POLITICS & POLICY Jan 16, 2013

White House questions Syrian weapons claim

US media report raises fears that Assad forces used poison gas

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