President Obama unveiled a multi-trillion-dollar spending plan that would boost taxes on the wealthy, curtail Medicare, lay groundwork for universal health care and leave a string of huge deficits.

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• Are president's scenarios too optimistic?
• Analysis: Plan brings cries of class warfare
• 2010 budget highlights by agency | Spending breakdown

President assures members of the Congressional Black Caucus that he's on their side and will do what he can to support the group's left-leaning agenda, lawmakers said after their meeting Thursday.

Last year Leon Panetta was advising Barack Obama while insisting he had no desire to leave the Carmel Valley. Now he's knee-deep in some of Washington's thorniest debates. Zachary Coile

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• Argentina summons U.S. envoy to talk about CIA

The Obama administration is reversing an 18-year ban on news coverage of the return of war dead, allowing photographs of flag-covered caskets when families of the fallen troops agree.

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• Obama seeks $130 billion for wars next year
• Budget to scrutinize weapons programs

If you live in Los Angeles and want to gripe about the government, there's a mayor who wants to hear from you: Gavin Newsom of San Francisco.

A Republican family feud in Kentucky is creating headaches for GOP leaders struggling to position themselves for a congressional comeback in 2010, a year that already seems aligned with the Democrats.

• Furor shouldn't keep Burris from doing his job
• Illinois guv looks into state's hiring of Burris' son