Oil spill

WASHINGTON - Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan pledged Monday to be properly deferential to Congress if confirmed as a justice and strive to "consider every case impartially, modestly, with commitment to principle and in accordance with law." In excerpts of her opening statement released in advance, Kagan said the court is responsible for making sure the government does not violate the rights of individuals.

WASHINGTON - The White House is quietly choreographing every aspect of Elena Kagan's march toward a lifetime term on the Supreme Court.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama's plea for more stimulus spending as insurance against a double-dip recession hit a roadblock in the Senate on Wednesday, the victim of election-year anxiety over huge federal deficits.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama starts the week with a briefing on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and a trip to Michigan to address a high school graduating class.