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Struggling to avert a government shutdown, Republicans and Democrats each said Wednesday the other would be to blame if compromise talks on the budget fail to produce an agreement.

Congress and the White House veered toward a fiscal collision on Tuesday as the Obama administration rejected a short-term House Republican demand to cut $12 billion now in exchange for keeping the government open for one more week. At the same time, the Republicans’ budget chairman set forth a longer-range blueprint defining a new era of profoundly smaller government and steep tax cuts for corporations and individuals.

U.S. first lady Michelle Obama will write a book about the kitchen garden she started at the White House and her efforts to promote healthy eating, the Crown publishing group said on Wednesday.

The White House is urging the Libyan government to refrain from harassing or using violence against journalists, amid reports that four New York Times journalists are missing there.

White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley said on Sunday the Obama administration is considering tapping into the U.S. strategic oil reserve as one way to help ease soaring oil prices.

A White House official says President Barack Obama will call for a five-year freeze in non-security, discretionary spending during his State of the Union address.

Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary and one of the most visible and forceful advocates for President Barack Obama, is quitting his job to become an outside political adviser.

President Obama is ending a difficult year with two significant events which the White House hopes will change perceptions of his leadership and bolster his authority.

Seeking to quell renewed speculation about any presidential aspirations, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg once again ruled out running for the White House.

Obama's compromise with GOP on extending Bush-era tax rates has potential to worsen divide between White House and the "professional left."