Vermont became the first state to ban the controversial natural gas drilling practice known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

Mapping the way out of an unpopular war, the United States and NATO are trying to build an Afghan army that can defend the country after 130,000 international troops pull out.

The House has passed Republican legislation to renew an anti-domestic violence law.

Republicans on Capitol Hill are furious over the Obama administration’s handling of a purported Hezbollah commander connected to the killing of five U.S. soldiers in 2007 and now reportedly set for release by an Iraqi court.  

Thirty-seven percent of voters believe gays and lesbians should be allowed to get married legally. While that’s unchanged from 2010, when the question was most recently asked, it’s nearly double the 20 percent who felt that way in March 2004, the first time it was asked.

On the heels of an Ohio school's decision to abandon its student health insurance plan, another Catholic university in Florida is considering whether to follow suit over concerns about premium costs associated with the federal health care overhaul, FoxNews.com has learned. 

Obama would have an advantage of 46 percent to 39 percent over Romney, if the election were held today, the polls shows, while three weeks ago the candidates were tied at 46 percent each.

The model was built in six weeks by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and used by military and intelligence leaders to plan the daring nighttime raid on May 2, 2010, that killed the Al Qaeda leader.

Democrats controlling the Senate rejected for the second year in a row Wednesday a budget plan passed by House Republicans.

In a letter to FBI Director Robert Mueller, Republican Rep. Frank Wolf has demanded a copy of the still-classified report about the alleged Fort Hood shooter's email exchanges with Al Qaeda operative Anwar al-Awlaki. 

A new in-depth database of federal worker salaries shows the government paid out a whopping $105 billion in salaries last year for most of its civilian workforce -- to boot, the workers got $439 million in bonuses. 

Nebraska state Sen. Deb Fischer has won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, setting the stage for a high-stakes November election against former Democratic Sen. Bob Kerrey.

With the Obama White House now inserting footnotes at the end of past presidents’ official online bios to tout administration accomplishments, some Republican groups are having a little fun with it. Here are a few images from a Republican National Committee micro-site that imagine Obama showing up to mark some of history’s most momentous milestones.

An independent group favoring Republican Mitt Romney is launching a $25 million, monthlong advertising campaign against President Barack Obama in 10 states, further escalating an expensive TV ad war in presidential battleground states less than six months before Election Day.

A California Democratic congressman is asking the Navy to name a ship after the late San Francisco lawmaker and gay activist Harvey Milk, but some of the strongest opposition appears to be from the gay community.

FBI Director Robert Mueller said Wednesday the bureau has launched an investigation into who leaked information about an al-Qaida plot to place an explosive device aboard a U.S.-bound airline flight.

Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain endorsed Mitt Romney Wednesday afternoon, calling on disgruntled conservatives who didn't consider Romney their first choice to "get over it." 

A Senate committee has approved legislation to give benefits to same-sex partners of federal workers.

John Edwards' defense rested its case Wednesday in the politician's corruption trial, after nearly a month of testimony that brought the jury deep into the Edwards family drama that unfolded as his hidden affair with Rielle Hunter was exposed. 

Vice President Joe Biden is pouncing on Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney in swing state Ohio, casting him as a corporate raider more interested in making profits than in the needs of workers.