washington

WASHINGTON -- Swimmer Michael Phelps won a record eight Olympic gold medals, made dozens of television appearances and just received a homecoming parade with tens of thousands of fans in his hometown, Towson, Md.

But he said Tuesday that there is nothing that measures up to meeting President Bush at the White House.

WASHINGTON -- Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt made headlines -- and got kudos -- for his department's proposal Wednesday to use postal workers to distribute protective antibiotics to individual households in the event of an anthrax attack.

WASHINGTON -- While crafting a bill intended to rescue the U.S. economy this week, lawmakers couldn't stop themselves from adding billions of dollars in tax breaks that have little to do with restoring confidence in financial markets.

WASHINGTON -- Could there be an October surprise headed our way from the Caribbean? That's what some Cuba watchers are warning.

After being pummeled by four hurricanes, Cuba is a wreck, with 500,000 homes damaged, 200,000 people homeless and 30 percent of all crops ruined. Schools and hospitals are out of commission, the electrical grid is damaged and food is scarce.

WASHINGTON -- After weeks of being pummeled, the Department of Veterans Affairs has backed down from its refusal to let nonpartisan groups hold voter-registration drives in VA facilities, including hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and homeless shelters.

WASHINGTON -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has struggled all year to connect with voters on the economy, and this week into his lap dropped a Wall Street meltdown of historic proportions.

WASHINGTON -- All major railroads would be required under new legislation in Congress to install a collision-prevention system that experts have said could have averted last week's deadly train crash in California.

WASHINGTON -- Life is about to get a lot more entertaining for Capitol Hill lawmakers and their staffs. A big upgrade is under way for the cable-TV system to which those who toil in Congress are privy.

When the next U.S. administration grapples with how to remake Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, pretty much everything will be on the table, from nationalization to an outright retreat from the mortgage market.

WASHINGTON -- Just three years ago Richard Pombo, the cowboy boot-wearing California Republican lawmaker, faced an outcry from Democrats for pushing a bill to lift the 27-year-old ban on drilling off the East and West coasts and let states choose whether to allow oil rigs off their shores.