The Silicon Valley is adding jobs faster than it has in more than a decade as the tech industry roars back. But a bleaker record is also being set this year: Food stamp participation just hit a 10-year high and homelessness rose 20 percent in two years.

Confronted with a revolt among the rank and file, House Republicans abruptly put off a vote Thursday night on legislation allowing tax rates to rise for households earning $1 million and up, complicating attempts to avoid a year-end "fiscal cliff"...

When lawmakers return to Washington on Monday, they face big issues, including taxes, spending cuts and the prospect of a debilitating "fiscal cliff" in January. Yet Congress is expected to do what it often does best: punt problems to the future.

A program that puts billions of dollars in the pockets of farmers whether or not they plant a crop may disappear with hardly a protest from farm groups and the politicians who look out for their interests.

A divided House on Friday endorsed the indefinite detention without trial of terrorist suspects, even for U.S. citizens seized on American soil.

Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney, confident after his Florida primary victory, ended up inviting criticism Wednesday when he said he's "not concerned about the very poor" because they have an "ample safety net."

Conservatives who say welfare recipients should have to pass a drug test to receive government assistance have momentum on their side.