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The secretary of homeland security says immigrants detained by the federal government for breaking civil immigration laws will now be treated more humanely. Janet Napolitano said Tuesday that fewer illegal immigrants will be locked up in jails and prisons, and more will be detained in places like former hotels and nursing homes.

An aggressive President Barack Obama ripped into Mitt Romney's economic blueprint in a town hall style debate Tuesday night, accusing his rival of favoring only a "one-point plan" to help the rich at the expense of the middle class. The Republican protested the charge was way off the mark.

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has thrust the Coast Guard, normally a bit player in the federal government, into a lead role. And some experts say it's strained the agency's resources just a few months after the Obama administration proposed to cut its budget.

Abortion opponents in several states are making an aggressive new thrust at the procedure by focusing on the "supply-side" of abortions: the doctors, hospitals and clinics that provide the services. And the strategy may prove effective.

Almost 40,000 people have died in apparent drug-related violence since December 2006, when President Felipe Calderon launched an offensive against drug cartels. Thousands of protesters rallied Sunday to condemn the government's strategy and to demand the resignation of the country's public safety secretary.

The budget bill passed by the Republican-controlled House would slash EPA funding by nearly a third — more than any other agency. It would stop the agency from regulating greenhouse gas emissions and gut many other programs that prevent air and water pollution and enforce environmental laws.

House Republicans passed a largely symbolic stopgap spending bill on Thursday, as congressional leaders met again with President Obama to try to hammer out a compromise that could keep the government from a partial shutdown.

A new federal commission will consider raising Americans' retirement age and increasing taxes to attack a record U.S. budget deficit, the co-chairmen of the panel told NPR. Erskine Bowles, former chief of staff to President Clinton, said President Obama made it clear "everything's on the table." Former Sen. Alan Simpson said the panel's work is about the nation's "grandchildren."

San Diego Unified has made strides in reducing the number of students who drop out. Officials believe mentoring for students most in danger of leaving school without a diploma is making a difference.

In the nationwide battle over labor rights, Republicans are proposing changes that would disrupt the ability of unions to build their political funds. That could deal a huge blow to the Democratic Party, which receives millions of dollars from their union allies. But money is just one part of what unions do for the party.