BARACK OBAMA

With time running out, an ideological battle flared in the Congress over abortion and environmental issues Thursday as negotiators launched a late push to avert a looming government shutdown.

With time running out, an ideological battle over abortion and environmental issues threatened on Thursday to scuttle a congressional deal to avert a looming government shutdown.

America “is in serious, serious trouble,” said 2012 presidential hopeful Donald Trump.

House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Thursday hardened their public stances on negotiating a budget and policy deal to avert a shutdown of the federal government ahead of a third meeting on the matter with President Barack Obama.

The Congress on Thursday neared a budget deal to avert a looming government shutdown but disputes over abortion and environmental issues posed late hurdles to a final agreement.

Here are some potential ”candidates” for the role of first US woman president:

President Barack Obama said late Wednesday that averting a shutdown of the federal government will require sufficient urgency from all parties involved as negotiating House and Senate teams worked throughout the night to reach a package deal to pass a federal budget and non-budget policy elements by a midnight Friday deadline.

President Barack Obama and leaders in Congress will attempt to reach a spending-cut deal on Thursday that would avert a dangerous government shutdown at week's end.

Robert Richard Titcomb, 49, a close friend of President Barack Obama has been arrested by the Honolulu Police Department on a prostitution charge.

President Barack Obama and top lawmakers said progress was made in urgent budget talks late Wednesday and that negotiators would work through the night to try to avert a government shutdown.

President Barack Obama and top lawmakers said progress was made in urgent budget talks on Wednesday night and that negotiators would work through the night to try to avert a government shutdown.

President Barack Obama held an urgent round of budget talks with U.S. congressional leaders on Wednesday evening to try to avert a government shutdown.

U.S. congressional leaders saw signs of hope on Wednesday for a budget deal that would cut billions of dollars in spending in time to prevent a government shutdown.

President Barack Obama and allied Senate Democrats are sparring with House Republicans on non-budget related items attached to a budget measure that would keep the government funded for the rest of the fiscal year and avoid a shutdown of non-essential government services.

Investors are facing two possible U.S. government shutdown scenarios, one of limited impact on markets, and another so potentially devastating that analysts are struggling to fully assess it.

Moammar Gaddafi has sent U.S. President Barack Obama a three-page letter in which he asked the western coalition to stop bombing Libya.

'Nonstop' negotiations on passing a federal budget for the remainder of the fiscal year were continuing ahead of a Friday deadline to avert a shutdown of a big portion of the government, as House Republicans and Senate Democrats allied with President Obama sought to break an impasse that could put hundreds of thousands of workers on leave without funding in place.

President Barack Obama's late entry into a budget battle that could shut the government marks an attempt both to play dealmaker and avoid blame if Republicans and Democrats fail to forge agreement in time.

Congressional negotiators on Wednesday raced against a looming deadline to craft a budget deal that would cut billions of dollars in spending and keep the government operating beyond Friday.

Congressional negotiators on Wednesday raced against a looming deadline to agree on billions of dollars in spending cuts in a budget deal that keeps the federal government operating beyond Friday.

The European Union (EU) and Palestinians have condemned a plan by the Israel government to construct hundreds of homes in an area claimed by Palestinians.