Senator Kent Conrad says health care reform is a necessity, not an option. Conrad has been holding public meetings around the state to get comments from health care providers, business leaders and patient advocates, and to push his plan for priv

Sen. Kent Conrad says health care is a tough issue to tackle but it can't be ignored. The North Dakota Democrat is holding public meetings around the state to get comments from health care administrators, doctors and patient advocates. BIS

Senator Kent Conrad says health care reform is not an option. Conrad has been holding public meetings around the state to get comments from health care providers, business leaders and patient advocates, and to push his plan for private cooperati

Some states are facing their worst fiscal crisis in decades as a prolonged recession collides with historic drops in tax revenue. Several states are entering the first weekend of the fiscal year and July Fourth holiday without a budget in place.

A spokeswoman for Rep. Earl Pomeroy says he has married Grand Forks teacher Mary Berglund at a private ceremony in Valley City Pomeroy spokeswoman Sandra Salstrom says the couple married on Thursday at the site of his family's homestead in Valley

Sen. Kent Conrad says health care reform is proving to be an enormous political battle but the issue cannot be ignored. Conrad, who chairs the Senate Budget Committee, is holding public meetings around North Dakota to get comments from health c

Federal Energy Secretary Steven Chu (CHOO) says a $100 (M) million dollar grant to Basin Electric Power Cooperative is one of several agency initiatives to reduce carbon dioxide pollution from coal. Basin will use the money to test ways to cut d

The chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe says the reservation needs more police officers. Ron His Horse is Thunder was among those speaking Wednesday at a hearing chaired by Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., on the need for law enforcement. The St

The chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe says the reservation needs more police officers. Ron His Horse is Thunder was among those speaking Wednesday at a hearing chaired by Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., on the need for law enforcement. The St

Calling the status quo "completely unsustainable," North Dakota Senator Kent Conrad today held a forum on proposed changes to the nation's healthcare system. Conrad brought a new Obama Administration appointee - Dr. Mary Wakefield, an administrator in t

President Barack Obama will head to Russia soon and is reminding its top leaders that the Cold War is over. In an interview with The Associated Press, Obama says it's important that Russian President Vladimir Putin (POO'-tihn) and his hand-picke

Guantanamo documents released under a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit show how chaotic and disorganized the jail was in the early years. One document from the first commander of Guantanamo says when he arrived, there was a lack of security an

President Barack Obama is helping the nation celebrate its birthday and his daughter Malia celebrate hers. The president is to fly Friday morning to Camp David, Md., for the first part of the first family's Fourth of July celebration, including

A press conference is planned today to flesh out details of the memorial service for Michael Jackson. It's set for Tuesday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Tickets will be free, and at least one city councilman is worried how they'll be distribu

The National Society of Newspaper Columnists chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as the winner of its annual Sitting Duck Award, a tongue-in-cheek honor that pokes fun at the most ridiculed newsmakers in the United States. Palin beat out Democrat Rod

A search is under way in eastern Afghanistan for a soldier apparently being held by Taliban insurgents after he walked off his base without his body armor or weapon. Officials say the military has intercepted communications in which insurgents s

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South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint is defending the ouster of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya and says the rule of law is working in Honduras. Zelaya was ousted in a military coup after he ignored a Supreme Court order to halt a constitutional reva

President Barack Obama says he gets a prayer every morning on his BlackBerry. Obama told reporters from religious news organizations on Thursday that White House faith director Joshua DuBois sends him a morning devotional every day to his e-mail

President Barack Obama says he is taking his time picking a church because his choice will undergo political scrutiny. Obama told reporters from religious news outlets on Thursday that he hasn't yet selected a place to worship in Washington but

A top Republican senator says a Puerto Rican legal advocacy group advised by Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor took extreme positions on capital punishment, abortion and racial quotas. Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions says it's absurd for the Whit

Banks cut borrowing to $35.9 billion from Fed's emergency program, sign credit stress easing. (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 07-02-09 1531CDT