Ailsa Chang

The U.S. Senate was scheduled to begin voting on gun control measures this week when Congress returns from recess, but Senate staffers say a bipartisan agreement has yet to be reached on universal background checks. That snarl may end up delaying a vote on gun legislation for another week, as ...

When can the federal government be sued when a law enforcement officer intentionally injures or harms someone? Apparently, any time the officer is acting within the scope of his or her employment.

That was the answer Justice Clarence Thomas gave when he wrote today's opinion for a unanimous court ...

As oral arguments were beginning Tuesday in the first of two same-sex marriage cases inside the Supreme Court, the steps in front of the court were filled with throngs of what looked to be mostly gay-marriage supporters, spilling out in front of the building and to the other side of ...

A lot of fanfare followed last November's election, when the number of women in the U.S. Senate surged to 20 — more than ever before.

But quieter victories came after. Female senators now claim an unprecedented number of leadership positions, and for the first time in history, women are at ...

Two more gun control bills are heading to the Senate floor after narrowly winning approval from the Senate Judiciary Committee this week. The legislation requiring background checks for nearly all gun sales will likely face stiff opposition in its current version, but it's the second proposal, banning assault ...

Now that the sequester has taken effect, there's a new phrase that keeps popping up in Washington: the "continuing resolution." If Congress doesn't pass a continuing resolution by March 27, the government will run out of money and will likely shut down. Here's a list of four things you might ...

The earliest flu outbreak in years continues to claim victims. Businesses are taking a hit, too. They're faced with an unsolvable problem: If they tell too many sick employees to stay...

It was a busy year for federal authorities pursuing insider trading cases, such as the one against hedge fund manager Raj Rajaratnam. Investigators say that success comes largely from...

The accusations against HSBC were harsh — that the bank laundered money for Mexican drug cartels and conducted transactions on behalf of Iran and other states tied to terrorism. So, w...

In New York City, Thanksgiving has been mass-produced in shelters, churches and community centers. But many of the storm victims are sharing their holiday meal with people who are hungry year-round.

A lot of residents in the Rockaway section of Queens walk around wearing surgical masks. The streets are jammed with sanitation trucks, supply trucks and tractors. It looks and sounds...