Nedra Pickler

President Obama urged Congress on Wednesday to authorize military action against terrorists who are cutting a swath across the Middle East. Yet he ruled out large-scale U.S. ground combat operations reminiscent of Iraq and Afghanistan.

A contempt of court citation against the prosecutors who tried the late Sen. Ted Stevens has been upheld on appeal.

A former Senate Republican aide who became a lobbyist was sent to jail for the afternoon today for treating Capitol Hill staffers -- including an aide to Alaska Rep. Don Young -- to a World Series game, in a case arising from the Jack Abramoff scandal.

Fervent tea party Republicans are headed to Congress carrying ambitious promises to overhaul taxes, spending and health care, with activists pressuring them to buck their own party if necessary to achieve their goals. "They are not in a mood for compromise," said Tea Party Patriots co-founder Mark Meckler.