JOE BIDEN

President Barack Obama must walk a fine line in a speech on Tuesday night as he highlights progress towards winding down the war in Iraq while trying to avoid any perception of a Mission Accomplished moment.

The U.S. military formally ends combat operations in Iraq on Tuesday as President Barack Obama seeks to fulfil a promise to end the war despite persistent instability and attacks that kill dozens at a time.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said on Sunday it was too soon to judge if a surge of U.S. troops into Afghanistan was winning the war and insisted he bore no ill will toward General Stanley McChrystal.

The passage of Wall Street reforms by Congress helps the economic recovery now under way by easing uncertainty that had been holding back investment, Vice President Joe Biden said on Sunday.

The United States will go after foreign websites that pirate American music and movies as part of a new strategy to stop sales of counterfeit and pirated goods at home and abroad, Vice President Joe Biden said on Tuesday.

Lawmakers accused BP Plc Chief Executive Tony Hayward of evasion and ducking responsibility for the worst oil spill in U.S. history at a hearing on Thursday that was rocked by a Republican member of the panel apologizing to the company.

(Reuters) - The week after passing landmark healthcare reform and handing President Barack Obama an important victory, members of the U.S. Congress returned to their home districts for a recess to face constituents and justify their votes after the bruising legislative battle.

(Reuters) - A jubilant President Barack Obama signed the most sweeping U.S. social policy legislation in decades into law on Tuesday, putting his name on a healthcare bill that will help shape his legacy and the Democrats' chances of holding on to power in Congress.

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama secured a landmark victory with the House of Representatives giving final approval to a sweeping healthcare overhaul, expanding insurance coverage to nearly all Americans.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected on Monday any curbs on Jewish settlement in and around Jerusalem, defying Washington in Israel's deepening crisis with U.S. President Barack Obama's administration.

Israeli-U.S. relations have hit a 35-year low over a West Bank settlement plan that threatens to derail peacemaking efforts with the Palestinians, Israel's envoy to Washington was quoted as saying on Monday.

Israel's relationship with the United States, a defining feature of the troubled Middle East, was under severe strain as diplomats scrambled on Saturday to save newborn U.S.-brokered peace talks with the Palestinians.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political standing is perilous because of divisions within his coalition over efforts to pursue peace with the Palestinians, a senior U.S. official said on Friday.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday condemned an announcement by Israel this week that it approved plans for new construction in East Jerusalem, saying it sent a deeply negative signal about U.S.-Israeli ties.

Palestinians told U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday that Israel's new plan to build 1,600 homes for Jewish settlers challenged Washington's efforts to get indirect peace talks underway.

The United States on Tuesday criticized Israeli plans to build new housing beyond a disputed line in Jerusalem as it prepares to broker indirect talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders meant to lead to a two-state solution in the region.

Vice President Joe Biden assured Israel on Tuesday of Washington's commitment to its security and preventing Iran from producing nuclear weapons.

The Obama administration has boosted U.S. defense ties to Israel and will close ranks with its ally against any threat from a nuclear-armed Iran, Vice President Joe Biden said on Monday ahead of a trip to Israel.

A key figure in the battle to revamp U.S. healthcare may soon be the U.S. Senate's little-known, mustachioed and highly respected umpire, Alan Frumin.

President Barack Obama hosts Republicans and Democrats at a high-level meeting Thursday that seeks to break an impasse over how to revamp the $2.5 trillion U.S. healthcare industry.

President Barack Obama vigorously defended his $787 billion stimulus on Wednesday, insisting it rescued Americans from the worst of the economic calamity and ripping Republican critics who called it a waste.