WASHINGTON The Army chief of staff says it's important for the country not to get caught up in speculation about the Muslim faith of the alleged Fort Hood gunman.

WASHINGTON President Barack Obama will leave the country for a four-nation tour of Asia starting Wednesday despite a host of domestic concerns, including the massacre at Fort Hood, a sharply rising jobless rate, his health care legislation stalled in the Senate and his Afghanistan troop decision still pending.

WASHINGTON Off the coast of Washington state, mysterious algae mixed with sea foam have killed more than 8,000 seabirds, puzzling scientists. A thousand miles off California, researchers have discovered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a swirling vortex roughly twice the size of Texas filled with tiny bits of plastic and other debris.

WASHINGTON As an evangelical Christian living in Texas, climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe found that many conservatives had questions about climate change based on things they'd heard on talk radio.

The 240-194 roll call Saturday by which the House voted to prohibit federal funding of abortions in a Democratic-written health care bill.

The 220-215 roll call Saturday by which the House passed a Democratic-written health care bill.

The House health care bill passed Saturday would:

WASHINGTON The House of Representatives Saturday passed, by a 220-215 vote, historic health-care overhaul legislation that would require virtually all Americans to obtain health insurance and create a government-run health insurance plan to help them do so.

WASHINGTON The House has passed a resolution honoring the victims of the attack at Fort Hood, Texas.

WASHINGTON With a personal push from President Barack Obama, the House of Representatives Saturday inched closer to passing historic health care legislation that would guarantee virtually all Americans access to care.

WASHINGTON The House has used a near party line vote to reject a Republican health overhaul bill.

WASHINGTON With a personal push from President Barack Obama, the House of Representatives Saturday inched closer to passing historic health care legislation that would guarantee virtually all Americans access to care.

WASHINGTON President Barack Obama will attend a memorial service Tuesday honoring victims of the Ford Hood shootings, an attack he described as "all the more heartbreaking and all the more despicable" because it occurred on the nation's largest Army post.

WASHINGTON When it comes to combating global warming, Sen. Lindsey Graham is right where he loves to be - ahead of the curve, in the mix on a major issue, at the table for high-level, bipartisan talks behind closed doors.

WASHINGTON If the House bill were to become law, some changes in the way health insurance would work in the United States would result. Here's a look at what the bill does: