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Parliamentary elections Sunday in Iraq will not only decide who will run the country and test its nascent democracy.

The outcome could affect the U.S. role as it begins its phased exit of 100,000 American troops. The Obama administration has pledged to withdraw most U.S. combat troops by the end of August and have the rest of them out by the end of next year.

The birthplace of basketball has proposed a political rematch. The mayor of Springfield, Mass., says he wants to set up a basketball game: On one side would be President Obama and the other side would be Sen.

Scott Brown. His recent election cost the Democrats a key vote in Congress. The president's office says it's studying the invitation.

Brown contends he's ready to play.

As President Obama sits down with Congressional leaders to talk about health care, one big dividing line between Democrats and Republicans is how ambitious they are about changing the existing system.

The GOP mantra has been that the U.S. should proceed "step by step." The Obama administration argues that the most important steps only work in combination.

The White House unveiled a new health care overhaul plan Monday. It includes a proposal to give federal authorities the power to limit rate hikes by health insurance companies.

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One solution for the unemployment problem in the United States might be found overseas. President Obama says doubling exports in the next five years could add 2 million jobs.

But less than 1 in 100 U.S. firms do any business overseas. And achieving the administration's goals could require crossing some Democrats.

Remarks were not as much a call for new initiatives as a summary of what his administration has already announced, including writing checks to solar and battery manufacturers.

Also: Congress should "publish all earmark requests on a single Web site."

One year after President Obama pledged to close the Guantanamo Bay prison, 200 detainees remain there. A new study finds judges using wildly different criteria to review the cases — the result of a lack of clear guidelines on issues such as the use of coercion — and how to define an enemy combatant.

A parade of Obama administration national security officials appeared before several Senate panels Wednesday.

They were explaining how a 23-year-old Nigerian man with explosives sewn into his underwear boarded a flight to Detroit on Christmas Day.

And while the White House was dealing with questions from Senators, they were confronted with a new issue.

They now have to find another nominee to head the Transportation Security Administration.

President Obama's nominee to lead the Transportation Security Administration has withdrawn from consideration. In a statement, Erroll Southers said he was pulling out because his nomination had become "a lightning rod" for those with a political agenda.

The White House says Obama accepts Southers' decision with great sadness.