White House News

WASHINGTON - Celebrities, major Democratic fundraisers and prominent Indian businessmen were among those scoring coveted invitations to President Barack Obama's first state dinner.

WASHINGTON - Traditional evening gowns and vibrantly colored saris mixed with banded-collar dinner jackets and tuxedos at President Barack Obama's first state dinner.

WASHINGTON - Seeking firmer footing for U.S.-India relations, President Barack Obama tried Tuesday to calm India's fears about Asian rival China, salving bruised feelings in the world's largest democracy with an elaborate state visit and assurances of India's "rightful place as a global leader."

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama honored India's prime minister with a toast in which he called the United States' relationship with India a "great and growing partnership."

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration has decided not to sign an international convention banning land mines.

WASHINGTON - With more Americans going hungry than ever before, the Agriculture Department is concerned that dozens of states aren't adequately administering food stamp programs designed to provide food to low-income Americans.

Estimated participation rates of citizens eligible for food stamps by state.

WASHINGTON - The government is imposing fines for the first time against airlines for stranding passengers on an airport tarmac, the Transportation Department said Tuesday.

WASHINGTON - Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says the government has scheduled 38 oil and natural gas lease sales for public lands next year, including one in Alaska's National Petroleum Reserve.

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is holding out the possibility that Iraq's national election could be delayed beyond January because of a dispute over the allocation of seats in parliament.

The list of expected guests for President Barack Obama's first White House state dinner in honor of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, as provided by the White House.

WASHINGTON - Reports of hate crimes against gays and religious groups increased sharply in 2008, according to new FBI data released Monday.

WASHINGTON - On a damp, chilly Tuesday, guest chef Marcus Samuelsson was still out tromping around the White House garden picking herbs for that evening's state dinner at the White House.

WASHINGTON - The federal courts and military tribunals that will prosecute suspected terrorists vary sharply in their independence, public stature and use of evidence. But the Obama administration has so far offered no clear-cut rationale for how it chooses which system will try a detainee.

The food and wines on the menu for Tuesday night's White House state dinner in honor of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh:

WASHINGTON - Military prosecutors said Friday they plan to seek new charges against the alleged mastermind of the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole.

WASHINGTON - In the history of U.S.-India relations, there's been plenty of broken bread and even a few crumbled Triscuits.

WASHINGTON - The Federal Aviation Administration is blaming an equipment outage this week for delaying 819 flights.

WASHINGTON - Unless you're one of the favored few, here's what you won't be eating for dinner tonight: green curry prawns and caramelized salsify with smoked collard greens and coconut aged basmati. That's just part of the menu for Tuesday's state dinner at the White House in honor of the prime minister of India.

WASHINGTON - The Army says there will be an outside review of how body armor for its soldiers is tested.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama says the United States is not responsible for resolving the long-standing conflict between Pakistan and India, but that America wants to encourage security and civil progress in both nations.

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon said Thursday it will scour its procedures for identifying volatile soldiers hidden in the ranks following the Fort Hood shooting rampage and lapses that might allow others to slip through bureaucratic cracks.

WASHINGTON - Obama says it is his intention 'to finish the job' in Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - It'll be a dreamy entertainment lineup for the first state dinner of the Obama White House: singer Jennifer Hudson is set to perform Tuesday night.

WASHINGTON - The Homeland Security Department wants to expand speedy screening of preapproved, low-risk air travelers arriving in the United States to most international airports in the country.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama hosts Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (MAHN'-moh-hahn SING) at the White House on Tuesday, the first state visit of his presidency.

WASHINGTON - Congressional investigators said Thursday that tens of thousands of questionnaires aimed at measuring the mental and physical health of returning combat troops can't be found.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is getting used to leaving events before they end — even when he doesn't have to.

WASHINGTON - A government report says more than 314,000 taxpayers made inaccurate claims for a popular tax credit that helps pay college expenses, getting $532 million they weren't entitled to receive.