WASHINGTON — Severe spending cuts now the law of the land, President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans refused Saturday to concede any culpability for failing to stave off what both parties acknowledged was a foolhardy way to slash $85 billion in federal spending. The still-fragile economy braced itself for the gradual but potentially grave impact […]

DENVER  — The weekend after a heated debate over gun control, Colorado state Rep. Rhonda Fields was flooded with emails, including some she later told police “disturbed and shocked” her. Fields usually gets a few dozen emails in a typical weekend, she said. But a handful of the 3,000 she received, along with a letter, […]

WASHINGTON  — He’s not a dictator and won’t entertain the idea of a “Jedi mind-meld” with opponents. There’s no “secret formula or special sauce” he can slip foes to make them see things his way. And not to worry, he says, the situation may look dire but won’t be an “apocalypse.” So who was the […]

WASHINGTON —   A deeply divided Senate voted on Tuesday to confirm Republican Chuck Hagel to be the nation’s next defense secretary, handing President Barack Obama’s pick the top Pentagon job just days before billions of dollars in automatic, across-the-board budget cuts hit the military. The vote was 58-41, with four Republicans joining the Democrats […]

WASHINGTON — Congress’ latest crack at a new assault weapons ban would protect more than 2,200 specific firearms, including a semi-automatic rifle that is nearly identical to one of the guns used in the bloodiest shootout in FBI history. One model of that firearm, the Ruger .223 caliber Mini-14, is on the proposed list to […]