A white man who pleaded guilty to six robberies in Ohio used a black mask so lifelike that police initially arrested a black man for one of the crimes, authorities said Tuesday.

Negotiators worked on a deal Thursday that would extend expiring tax cuts for everyone even as House Democrats moved toward a vote to show their commitment to letting taxes on the wealthy go up.
The House bill is a political maneuver to satisfy Democratic supporters who oppose extending tax cuts for the wealthy.

Rep. Charles Rangel faces an almost certain censure by the House, a devastating defeat for a 40-year veteran who insisted to the end that he never meant to violate House rules.
If the House votes for censure Thursday as expected, the New York Democrat will have to humbly walk to the front of the chamber to receive his punishment. He'll stand in front of his colleagues while Speaker Nancy Pelosi — in one of her most solemn duties — reads him a resolution condemning his ethical misbehavior.

Julian Assange's legal options narrowed Thursday as the WikiLeaks founder lost an appeal against a court order for his arrest and his British lawyer said authorities knew his precise location

Fifty-five years ago today, Dec. 1, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on an Alabama bus.
Google has dedicated its homepage doodle to Rosa Parks and they are not the only one commemorating her anniversary today.

Is it journalism or espionage or something in between? Justice, State and Defense Department lawyers are discussing whether it might be possible to prosecute the WikiLeaks founder and others under the Espionage Act, a senior defense official said Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon is playing down the risk of infantry and other combat arms troops causing problems if "don't ask, don't tell" is overturned ... The survey of some 400,000 troops found a strong correlation between a person's experience with gays and their acceptance of open service. The study found that of those who believe they have served alongside a gay person, 92 percent said their unit was able to work together.

The Wisconsin teen who held 24 classmates hostage has died of self-inflicted gunshot injuries.

The government says the number of Americans without health insurance is now nearly 47 million, up 7 percent from 2006. With unemployment remaining at an all-time high, one in five people say they have put off medical care for conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, and HIV-AIDS

The release of more than 250,000 classified State Department documents forced the Obama administration into damage control, trying to contain fallout from unflattering assessments of world leaders and revelations about backstage U.S. diplomacy.