Chief Justice John Roberts found State of the Union scene 'troubling'
TUSCALOOSA, ALA. -- Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said Tuesday that the scene at President Obama's State of the Union address was "very troubling" and that the annual speech has "degenerated to a political pep rally."
FDA says Basic Food Flavors knew plant was contaminated with salmonella
The company at the heart of a growing recall of processed foods knew that its plant was contaminated with salmonella but continued to make a flavoring and sell it to foodmakers around the country, according to inspectors at the Food and Drug Administration.
Massa investigated for allegedly groping staffers
Not long after Eric Massa joined Congress in January 2009, several male staff members began to feel uncomfortable with the sexually loaded language their boss routinely used, according to accounts relayed to the House ethics committee.
Napolitano says suicide plane crash wasn't related to domestic terrorism
A suicide plane crash that killed the pilot and an Internal Revenue Service worker at an office building in Austin on Feb. 18 was not a case of domestic terrorism, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Tuesday in a radio interview.
Ex-British spy chief: U.S. misled Britain about treatment of terrorism suspects
LONDON -- U.S. intelligence agencies misled key allies, including Britain, about its mistreatment of terrorism suspects, the former head of the country's domestic spy agency, MI5, said Tuesday.
Some Muslims, fearing backlash, worry about intent of census
The millions of blue forms being mailed this month in the first census count since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, do not ask about religion. But the idea of answering any questions posed by the government makes some Muslims uneasy, and community leaders are worried that many may avoid the...
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What You Said
After Thursday's shooting at the entrance to the Pentagon -- which ended with the wounding of two security officers and the death of shooter John Patrick Bedell -- Washington Post reporters visited several federal sites.
More Metro funding demanded by coalition to avoid service cuts
A coalition of activists launched a petition this week to press governments in Virginia, Maryland and the District to increase funding for Metro by $74 million to help stave off service cuts and fare increases.
Maryland eases environmental restrictions on some developers
Maryland officials have agreed to make developer-friendly changes in a law that requires new building projects to reduce the pollution that rain washes off their roofs and parking lots.
Ex-producer pleads guilty in Letterman extortion case
In a move that spares David Letterman a potentially messy trial that would have focused on his affairs with "Late Show" staffers, a former CBS News producer pleaded guilty Tuesday to attempting to extort $2 million from the comedian.
Stars 4, Capitals 3 (SO) SCORING FIRST PERIOD Scoring: 1, Washington, Poti 4 (Steckel, Bradley), 2:51. Penalties: None.
Israel tries to jump-start calls for Iran nuclear sanctions
Israeli officials are beginning to signal impatience with the slow pace of diplomacy aimed at restraining Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Obama launches attack on health insurance companies
The White House is mounting a stinging, sustained broadside against health insurance rate increases as President Obama and his aides enter what they hope will be the final stretch of a year-long political war over health-care reform.
Analysis finds uneasy mix in auto industry and regulation
Dozens of former federal officials are playing leading roles in helping carmakers handle federal investigations of auto defects, including those for Toyota's runaway-acceleration problems.
Politics & The Nation
Supreme Court to rule on funeral protests A3 Conservatives point to claim by Massa A3
Corrections
-- A Dec. 31 A-section article about Rep. John P. Murtha's use of earmarks for federal spending projects, and the extent to which the numbers of jobs promised were delivered, incorrectly said that in 2005 the Pennsylvania Democrat steered $150 million to Caracal Inc., a technology company opening in...
Supreme Court to rule on anti-gay protests at military funerals
The Supreme Court will review whether anti-gay protests at funerals of American soldiers are protected by the First Amendment, taking up the appeal of a Maryland man who won and then had reversed a $10 million verdict against the small Kansas church that conducts the demonstrations.
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Bankruptcy law doesn't restrict free speech, Supreme Court says
A federal law that bars attorneys from telling clients who are contemplating bankruptcy to take on more debt is not an unconstitutional restriction on the free-speech rights of lawyers, the Supreme Court decided Monday.
As of Monday, the death toll of U.S. forces in Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan and elsewhere) was 1,004. The Washington Post has published galleries of the fallen since 2003. The information has been compiled from military releases, news service reports and local newspaper stories. The...
Petty Officer 3rd Class Benjamin P. Castiglione, 21
Petty Officer 3rd Class James R. Layton, 22 Riverbank, Calif.
Sgt. Andrew H. McConnell, 24 Carlisle, Pa. 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Spec. Corey J. Kowall, 20 Murfreesboro, Tenn. 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
Staff Sgt. Jack M. Martin III, 26 Bethany, Okla. 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Sgt. Ryan C. Adams, 26 Rhinelander, Wis. 951st Engineer Company (Sapper), Wisconsin Army National Guard, Rhinelander, Wis.
Staff Sgt. Thomas D. Rabjohn, 39 Litchfield Park, Ariz.
Pfc. Brandon M. Styer, 19 Lancaster, Pa. 569th Mobility Augmentation Company, 4th Engineer Battalion, Fort Carson, Colo.
Pfc. Devin J. Michel, 19 Stockton, Ill. 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.
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Sgt. Nikolas A. Mueller, 26 Little Chute, Wis. 3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Regiment (Airborne), Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.
Sgt. Dale R. Griffin, 29 Terre Haute, Ind. 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Spec. Julian L. Berisford, 25 Benwood, W.Va. 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska
As of Monday, the death toll of U.S. forces in Iraq was 4,371.
Maj. David L. Audo, 35 St. Joseph, Ill. Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 22nd Military Police Battalion, 6th Military Police Group, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Chief Warrant Officer Earl R. Scott III, 24 Jacksonville, Fla.
Pentagon shooting puts federal building security back in spotlight
House members will resume discussions next week about federal building security in the wake of last week's shooting at the Pentagon -- the latest attack on federal facilities across the country.
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Federal faces: David Fahey, research physicist at NOAA
Research physicist Earth System Research Laboratory, Chemical Sciences Division, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Sens. Feingold and McCain still trying to trim presidential appointees
Sens. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Monday introduced a bill to slash the number of presidential political appointees, both full-time and part-time, from about 3,500 to 2,000 employees.
Answering the question about the safety of federal workplaces
After Thursday's shooting at the entrance to the Pentagon -- which ended with the wounding of two security officers and the death of shooter John Patrick Bedell -- Washington Post reporters visited several federal sites.
Pentagon resists Army's desire to stop development of MEADS missile system
Another battle is brewing at the Pentagon over a costly weapons program that many military leaders do not want but that so far has proven difficult to kill.
Immigrant rights group slam Obama, Democrats for slow action with legalization bill
Leaders of nearly a dozen grass-roots immigrant rights groups excoriated President Obama and congressional Democrats on Monday, accusing them of moving too slowly to legalize the status of undocumented immigrants and citing a record number of deportations in 2009.
Having health insurance doesn't ensure it will be easy to find a doctor
It seemed like a relatively simple process: When you get sick, first call your primary-care doctor. Second, visit said doctor. Third, follow doctor's orders: Fill prescriptions, take to bed, whatever. Fourth, get better.
Dry cleaning usually uses a toxic chemical, but the safety picture is unclear
I live around the corner from a dry cleaner, but there's also a "green" dry cleaner on the other side of town. Am I total jerk if I keep going to my regular spot?
Dinosaur extinction followed asteroid impact 65 million years ago, panel says
It's official: The extinction of the dinosaurs and a host of other species 65.5 million years ago was caused by a massive asteroid that crashed into the Gulf of Mexico, creating worldwide havoc, according to an international team of researchers.
Math and blogging
Wired magazine, March issue It's the hottest topic in applied math today: compressed sensing (as opposed to all those other topics that we've been so, ahem, diligently tracking). CS is an algorithm that takes low-resolution files and transforms them into sharp images. For instance, a blurry digit...
Mosquito season approaches
First it was just swatting. Then poison. Then sterilizing males. Is there anything people won't try in the war against mosquitoes? The latest idea: Genetic engineering that results in flightless females.
Massa blames resignation on health-care debate
The Associated Press ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) -- New York Rep. Eric Massa is blaming his resignation on a conspiracy by House Democratic leaders to force him out before a crucial vote on health care.
Filing deadlines loom for House incumbents
Sometimes doing what you say in politics comes as a surprise.
Corrections
-- A photo caption with a March 2 Style article about the presentation of the fall 2010 fashion collections in Milan incorrectly attributed two Dolce & Gabbana designs to Bottega Veneta. The photos are reprinted here.
U.S. reportedly gives billions to firms doing business with Iran
The U.S. government, while pushing for tougher sanctions against Tehran, has given $107 billion in the past 10 years to U.S. and foreign companies doing business in Iran, much of it in the energy sector, the New York Times reported in its Sunday editions.
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Scientists learn red grouper operate as underwater architects
Red grouper are known for a few key characteristics -- their hue, which can range from pink to bright orange; their tastiness, whether they're grilled or sautéed; and their predation method, in which they ambush fellow sea creatures and swallow them whole.
For scientists, Chile becomes the ideal lab for studying seismic activity
TALCA, CHILE -- When an aftershock nearly as big as Haiti's earthquake jolted this city on Friday, those already reeling from last month's huge quake shuddered in fear. But Jeff Genrich, a 53-year-old earthquake scientist from California, lolled in bed.
APPOINTMENTS
A-T Solutions of Vienna named Paul McQuillan , former president of Leonie Industries, executive vice president of business development.
INSIDER TRANSACTIONS
Face Time: Local tech events
MONDAY Job Search Support Group. A four-week workshop on practical job-search techniques also offers support and inspiration from others to help face the challenges of finding a job in the current economy. 10:30 to noon, 401 N. Washington St., Suite 100, Rockville. Sponsor: Montgomery County...
Bankruptcy filings in Virginia, Maryland and the District
These companies recently filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court's local clerk of court offices.
Gay couples find one marriage barrier gone, others still rigid
Dominic Russoli retired in 2001 from an Air Force squadron that flies national leaders, and he is now a paralegal at the Justice Department. He had been in the military for 22 years, almost as long as he has been with his partner, Rolf Preisendorfer.
Ethics clouds over Rangel and Paterson are the talk of political Harlem
NEW YORK -- Few will deny that the political landscape here in Harlem has yielded rich and galvanizing story lines. The arcs of those narratives have been taught and shared in classrooms across America.
Iowa governor faces tough reelection as another state sours on incumbents
MASON CITY, IOWA -- Republican Terry Branstad's lines have a familiar ring as he campaigns to return to the governor's office after 11 years away. He blasts the incumbent Democrat for "mismanagement," promising an "economic comeback" and the end of "more government than we can afford."
Obama calls Iraq vote 'an important milestone'
President Obama congratulated Iraqis who voted in national elections Sunday, saying that the apparently successful process will help his administration stick to its timetable to withdraw all American combat troops from the nation this summer.
