A Kentucky mother stepped outside of her home just for a few minutes, but it was long enough for her 5-year-old son to accidentally shoot his 2-year-old sister with the .22-caliber rifle he got for his birthday, state officials said.

(CNN) -- If President Barack Obama still needed a reminder that diversity within his second term Cabinet was a contentious issue, he got one Saturday night.

(CNN) -- Applications for health insurance coverage under President Barack Obama's sweeping healthcare law will go from 21 pages to three, according to a White House official, who said the change was part of an effort to simplify the implementation of Obamacare.

(CNN) -- Virginia's Gov. Bob McDonnell said Tuesday his personal relationship with a top donor had not affected any government decisions, and that a federal investigation into the relationship would not affect his ability to govern the commonwealth.

(CNN) -- In one of those "what could have been" moments, former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is expressing some misgivings about the controversial 2000 election decision that allowed George W. Bush to assume the presidency.

(CNN) -- The FBI has interviewed "Misha," an elusive figure whose name has surfaced in the Boston bombing probe, a U.S. government official told CNN Monday.

A report from the Constitution Project unveils the ugly truth about Guantanamo, torture and continuing ethics violations 

President Barack Obama on Friday chided recent state efforts to enact tougher abortion laws and became the first sitting president to address Planned Parenthood when he spoke at a gala for the group.

The fight against gun-related crime has taken a hit from budget cuts, as a federal agency has laid off nearly a hundred contract workers at its facility dedicated to tracing firearms used by criminals.

In cannibal cop case spinoff prosecution, Michael Vanhise, Richard Meltz and Robert Christopher Asch entered not-guilty pleas to conspiracy to kidnap charges and remain in custody,