Representative Edward J. Markey and Gabriel Gomez differed sharply on issues like banning assault weapons, United States involvement in Syria and abortion rights.    

President Obama named Susan E. Rice and Samantha Power to major national security posts on Wednesday, promoting two outspoken voices for humanitarian intervention.    

As China seeks to become more competitive, scientists on the job in the United States are being asked to share technology data.    

A federal agency said it would suspend action against the University of Alabama at Birmingham, which it said did not adequately tell parents about risks to their premature infants enrolled in a research trial.    

Recent unapologetic selections reflect a conclusion in the West Wing that when it comes to choosing personnel, the president can never satisfy Republicans.    

Even with extensive precautions, gene-altered plants turn up in unwanted places regularly enough that farmers have come to consider a few of them weeds.    

Former President Bill Clinton and Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. were among those honoring Medgar Evers at a service at Arlington National Cemetery.    

A federal appeals court ordered that some types of emergency contraceptives be made available to women of all ages without a prescription.    

The decision by Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey to have a special election to fill the seat of the late Senator Frank R. Lautenberg annoyed both parties.    

With the Affordable Care Act poised to make addiction treatment available to millions of new patients, the groups are pursuing a formal business alliance.    

Death row inmates in North Carolina will no longer be able to cite patterns of racial bias in seeking to have their sentences set aside.    

The action comes as the agency faces mounting criticism for lavish spending and improperly targeting conservative political groups.    

Gloria C. Mackenzie, 84, who bought her Powerball ticket after another customer let her get ahead in line came forward on Wednesday to claim the $590 million jackpot.    

A judge in the court-martial of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the Army psychiatrist accused in a shooting rampage at Fort Hood, instructed prospective jurors to return home while the court clears up logistical and legal issues.    

The First District Court of Appeals is giving the state’s prison agency the green light to privatize health care services.    

Public health researchers have long said that their work on gun violence has been complicated by a lack of data.    

Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, the figure at the center of the worst American war crime in recent memory, admitted for the first time deliberately killing 16 Afghan civilians, most of them women and children.    

Only a fraction of the anticipated beneficiaries have applied for compensation, raising questions ahead of the June 15 deadline about whether ample time has been provided to ask for help.    

The agency said easing the ban would allow security workers to focus on “higher threat” items, but attendants saw a danger to crew and passengers.    

Thirteen people escaped without serious injury in the accident in Center City.