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(CNN) -- A bipartisan group of lawmakers in Washington State voted Wednesday in favor of a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage, putting Washington on the path toward becoming the seventh state in the nation to legalize marriage for gay and lesbian couples.

A missile fired from an American drone aircraft in Yemen on Friday killed Anwar al-Awlaki, the radical American-born cleric who was a leading figure in Al Qaeda's affiliate there, according to an official in Washington.

SANA, Yemen - A missile fired from an American drone aircraft in Yemen on Friday killed Anwar al-Awlaki, the radical American-born cleric who was a leading figure in Al Qaeda's affiliate in this country, according to an official in Washington. Many details of the strike were unclear, but the official said that the drone fired a Hellfire missile and killed Mr. Awlaki, whom the United States had been hunting in Yemen for more than two years. Yemen's Defense Ministry confirmed Mr. Awlaki's death.

A missile fired from an American drone aircraft in Yemen on Friday killed Anwar al-Awlaki, the radical American-born cleric who was a leading figure in Al Qaeda's affiliate in this country, according to an official in Washington.

There was a plane ticket from Perugia, Italy, to Seattle, Washington, with Amanda Knox's name on it. Her parents bought it in the hope that Knox would be home for Christmas.

There was a plane ticket from Perugia, Italy, to Seattle, Washington, with Amanda Knox's name on it.

There was a plane ticket from Perugia, Italy, to Seattle, Washington, with Amanda Knox's name on it.

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama will veto a comprehensive deficit reduction package if it includes cuts to entitlement program benefits but no tax hikes on the wealthy or well-to-do corporations, senior advisers said on Sunday. The veto threat is an addendum of sorts to a $3 trillion-plus set of deficit reduction proposals that the White House will make to the congressional super committee tasked with comprehensive deficit reduction. But if administration officials are to be believed, it is now a principle by which the committee must act and it raises the specter of gridlock.

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama will veto a comprehensive deficit reduction package if it includes cuts to entitlement program benefits but no tax hikes on the wealthy or well-to-do corporations, senior advisers said on Sunday.

"Issa proud of being a 'pain' to Democrats Washington (CNN) -- Since becoming chairman of the powerful House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Rep. Darrell Issa has made waves throughout Washington, at one point calling President Barack Obama's administration "one of most corrupt." Issa has made it clear since taking over the helm on the committee that he wants explanations from the Obama administration -- from the BP oil spill to issues regarding the Labor Relations Board to the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). The California Republican makes no qualms about his role in getting to the bottom of things, including his latest mission: the much-criticized "Fast and Furious" federal gun-running investigation."

As Washington looks to squeeze savings from once-sacrosanct entitlements like Social Security and Medicare, another big social welfare system is growing as rapidly, but with far less scrutiny: the health and pension benefits of military retirees.

As Washington looks to squeeze savings from once-sacrosanct entitlements like Social Security and Medicare, another big social welfare system is growing as rapidly, but with far less scrutiny: the health and pension benefits of military retirees.

Washington (CNN) -- With many sanctions already in place, the U.S. government is poised to take an even stronger stance Wednesday against Iran amid allegations that Tehran was behind a plot to assassinate a Saudi envoy on U.S. soil.

Washington (CNN) -- With many sanctions already in place, the U.S. government is poised to take an even stronger stance Wednesday against Iran amid allegations that Tehran was behind a plot to assassinate a Saudi envoy on U.S. soil.

"Unlike many stories about powerful Washington figures having secret affairs, the downfall of spy chief David Petraeus goes deeper than sex. The scandal surrounding the decorated four-star Army general who once ran the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan involves questions of national security, politics and even the September 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that left four Americans dead. Petraeus resigned Friday after acknowledging he had an affair with a woman later identified as his biographer, Paula Broadwell, a fellow West Point graduate who spent months studying the general's leadership of U.S. forces in Afghanistan."

"Washington (CNN) -- An expanded Violence Against Women Act won bipartisan approval on Thursday from the U.S. House after Republicans failed to pass their own proposal due to a party split on an issue important to women and minority groups."

"ublic support for gay marriage has hit a new high as Americans increasingly see homosexuality not as a choice but as a way some people are, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll."

"WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Senate passed a bill Wednesday to keep the federal government running after March 27, approving a six-month spending measure that adds to the unpopular cuts of sequestration. The $984 billion "continuing resolution" passed by a vote of 73 to 26. It makes additional across-the-board cuts of 1.9 percent to 2.5 percent in various categories of spending on top of the $85 billion in annual cuts mandated by the Budget Control Act of 2011 -- the infamous deal that created the failed super committee and the resulting budget sequestration that slices $1.2 trillion over a decade."

"WASHINGTON - The Pentagon will spend $1 billion to deploy additional ballistic missile interceptors along the Pacific Coast to counter the growing reach of North Korea's weapons, a decision accelerated by Pyongyang's recent belligerence and indications that Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, is resisting China's efforts to restrain him."

"WASHINGTON - Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of President John F. Kennedy, is likely to be the next United States ambassador to Japan, according to people familiar with the appointment process."

After months of painstaking talks, government authorities and five of the nation's biggest banks have agreed to a $26 billion settlement that could provide relief to nearly two million current and former American homeowners harmed by the bursting of the housing bubble, state and federal officials said in Washington on Thursday.

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court has upheld a U.S. law that bars "material support" to foreign terrorist organizations, rejecting a free speech challenge from humanitarian aid groups. The court ruled 6-3 Monday that the government may prohibit all forms of aid to designated terrorist groups, even if the support consists of training and advice about entirely peaceful and legal activities.

WASHINGTON - White House Budget Director Peter Orszag's expected resignation would make him the first high-profile member of President Barack Obama's team to depart the administration.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, accuses district officials of using a webcam on the school-issued laptop of a Harriton High School sophomore to spy on the boy in his home, and to snoop on other students at home." The case has riveted not only students and parents, but also privacy experts who called it unprecedented - and perhaps a harbinger of the future as the reach of technology expands beyond school walls. "This is the first one where we've seen this scenario," said Lillie Coney, associate director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington. "This is definitely a new one."

A high school in Washington, D.C., on Friday named a former women's professional football player as its head varsity football coach, a move that a national women's sports advocacy group calls historic.

Washington (CNN) -- President Obama took a key step in cementing his judicial legacy Monday, nominating Solicitor General Elena Kagan to replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens on the Supreme Court.

Washington (CNN) -- The president's top intelligence adviser, National Intelligence Director Dennis C. Blair, announced his resignation Thursday in a move sources said came amid increasing tensions with the White House.