Pentagon: Chinese vessels harassed unarmed ship
WASHINGTON – The White House said Monday that U.S. Navy ships will continue to operate in the South China Sea, where five Chinese vessels shadowed and maneuvered dangerously close to a Navy surveillance ship, prompting an American protest.

US denies economic rift with Europe
WASHINGTON (AFP) – The White House Monday denied a rift with Europe over whether economic stimulus or regulatory reform offers the best path to revival ahead of a G20 summit in London next month.

Obama Turkey visit to focus on Iraq, Afghanistan
ANKARA, Turkey – For one of his first foreign visits, President Barack Obama will call on NATO ally Turkey, an overwhelmingly Muslim country viewed as critical to aiding the U.S. pullout from Iraq, turning around the Afghanistan war and blocking Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

US to invite Iran to conference on Afghanistan
BRUSSELS – In a sign of the new emphasis on diplomacy, the Obama administration said Thursday that Iran would be invited to a high-level conference on Afghanistan’s future.

Obama signs memo seeking science strategy
WASHINGTON – In an implicit criticism of his predecessor, President Barack Obama is calling for a strategy that he says will restore scientific integrity to government decision-making.

Obama overturns Bush policy on stem cells
WASHINGTON – Reversing Bush policy, President Barack Obama on Monday cleared the way for a significant increase in federal dollars for embryonic stem cell research and promised no scientific data will be “distorted or concealed to serve a political agenda.”

Obama calls cloning ‘dangerous, profoundly wrong’
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama says human cloning is “dangerous, profoundly wrong” and has no place in society.

Obama orders review of signing statements
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama has ordered a review of his predecessor’s signing statements which often told officials how to implement laws.

White House budget director says economy is ‘weak’
WASHINGTON – The White House’s top budget official declared on Sunday that “fundamentally, the economy is weak” while saying the administration’s own financial predictions could need a revision by midyear.

On earmarks, budget chief says wait till next year
WASHINGTON – When it comes to dealing with all those pet projects in the big spending bill before Congress, President Barack Obama’s budget chief says wait till next year.

Producers want higher ethanol limits for gasoline
WASHINGTON – Ethanol producers are asking the Environmental Protection Agency to boost the amount of ethanol that can be blended with gasoline. They want the ceiling on ethanol content to be raised from 10 percent to 15 percent.

Vilsack: US should boost ethanol blend in gasoline
WASHINGTON – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says the government should move quickly to increase the amount of ethanol allowed in gasoline.

AP INTERVIEW: Salazar pushes for wind energy
WASHINGTON – Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Monday that the waters off the Atlantic coast hold some of the country’s greatest wind energy potential, and he promised to move aggressively to develop plans to exploit the resource.

Obama signs memo seeking science strategy
WASHINGTON – In an implicit criticism of his predecessor, President Barack Obama is calling for a strategy that he says will restore scientific integrity to government decision-making.

Obama gently departs from Holder’s race comment
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama says he would not have used the same language that Eric Holder did last month when the attorney general declared that the United States is a nation of cowards on matters of race.

FDIC has funds but would like ‘bigger cushion’
WASHINGTON – The head of the agency that insures bank deposits said Monday it has plenty of money to cover any failures this year.

IRS shifts away from private debt collectors
WASHINGTON – So much for privatizing the federal government.

Congress OKs stopgap bill to keep government open
WASHINGTON – With a $410 billion catchall spending bill stalled in the Senate and a midnight deadline looming, Congress rushed through stopgap legislation Friday to keep the government running for another five days.

Senator tries to eliminate automatic pay increases
WASHINGTON – Members of Congress would lose their annual cost-of-living pay raises under a proposal that’s headed for a vote in the Senate next week.

Pelosi, Reid learn about life in Obama’s shadow
WASHINGTON – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi didn’t lose her temper. But she unleashed a bit of sarcasm when someone suggested, yet again, that she’s a thorn in President Barack Obama’s side.

Ex-NASA official indicted for steering funds
WASHINGTON – A former top NASA official has been indicted on charges of steering $9.6 million in agency funds to a consulting client.

Court refuses to expand minority voting rights
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court ruled Monday that a part of the Voting Rights Act aimed at helping minorities elect their preferred candidates only applies in electoral districts where minorities make up more than half the population.

Court refuses to reconsider state ballot rules
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court is letting stand a decision that invalidated state laws regulating the ways independent presidential candidates can get on state ballots.

Court turns down NYC case against gun industry
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court has turned away pleas by New York City and gun violence victims to hold the firearms industry responsible for selling guns that could end up in illegal markets.

Court to look at mutual fund fees
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court is stepping into a case over large fees paid to the investment advisers who pick the stocks for mutual funds, a popular investment choice among Americans.

Court refuses to get involved in tobacco fight
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court has refused to get in the middle of a patent fight over a way to cure tobacco that may make it less carcinogenic.

Court rules for prosecutors in speedy trial case
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court ruled Monday that a state ordinarily is not responsible for a public defender’s delays in bringing a criminal case to trial.

Court turns down appeal from Infospace founder
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court has refused to allow InfoSpace founder Naveen Jain to sue a stock management company and his former lawyers for allegedly bungling an insider stock trading case that resulted in a $247 million judgment against him.

Court rules for consumer in dispute with Discover
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court has ruled that consumers can sometimes resist credit card companies’ push to move their dispute over finance charges and late fees to arbitration.

Court refuses to hear Texas A&M bonfire case
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court has refused to consider whether the mother of a Texas A&M student injured in a deadly bonfire collapse nearly a decade ago can sue because of the damage to her relationship to her son.

Court sides with Colorado in fee dispute
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court has rejected claims by Kansas that it is owed $9 million in legal fees from Colorado over their century-long dispute over water rights to the Arkansas River.