Texas stands to gain four new seats in the U.S. House of Representatives if its legislative maps are approved by a federal court. The Justice Department has reservations about the redistricting plan, however, in part because it doesn't create a single new district that's majority Latino.

A law that limits some collective-bargaining rights shows no signs of disappearing. Critics are now focused on recalling Gov. Scott Walker, but the governor and his allies say the law is working.

Obama's latest cholesterol numbers would be the envy of most 50-year-old American men. His doctors calls them "ideal," and they're down from his last physical in early 2010.

On Nov. 8, they'll go to the ballot box to vote on whether to block a law slashing the power of public employee unions. The law's backers argue it will help cities and schools hold down labor costs and lift the state's economy. But union workers say they've already done enough, citing a billion dollars in pay freezes and concessions.

Senators grill a high-level Justice Department official about why he didn't do or say more about two Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive gun trafficking operations that resulted in hundreds of guns going missing in Mexico.

This week's allegations that Herman Cain harassed two women during his tenure at the National Restaurant Association are far from the only obstacle he faces in his quest for the Republican nomination. In presidential elections, Americans rarely elect someone who has never held public office.

In a recent piece in The New York Times, Jordan Tama argues in defense of a back-room deal for the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction. He points to many examples throughout history when secrecy lead to success, and public forums resulted in more partisanship.