WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown was sworn in as a U.S. senator Thursday, ending a Democratic Party supermajority and making it harder for President Barack Obama to pursue healthcare and other legislative reforms. Brown, who replaces the late Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy, became the 41st Republican in the Democratic-controlled Senate. Until Thursday, Republican strength was at 40 seats ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House of Representatives on Thursday voted to increase the government's borrowing authority to $14.3 trillion, sending the measure to President Barack Obama to sign into law. By a vote of 233 to 187, the House voted to raise the nation's debt limit by $1.9 trillion, which will probably allow lawmakers to avoid revisiting ...

Congress has adopted new budget curbs to try to make it harder to run up the U.S. deficit with new tax cuts or federal benefit programs. The Democratic-backed plan would make it more difficult to permanently extend some tax cuts that expire at the end of this year and ...

Chancellor Angela Merkel's new government marks 100 strife-filled days in office Thursday in a defensive mood, with a nervous eye on an upcoming state election that could hamper the German leader's ability to set the agenda for Europe's biggest economy. Merkel ...