If the the far-right Marine Le Pen and the independent centrist Emmanuel Macron square off in the second round of the presidential election, it will be a first in 60 years, says Zaki Laïdi.         

In the widest sense of the word, corruption is the glue that holds the ‘system’ together. The time to fight back has arrived. Soon it will be too late, write Lili Fuhr and Simon Taylor 

Disgruntled forces in US society will coalesce around Trump, says Theda Skocpol

There is no question but that Donald Trump will return to Doonbeg many times as United States president.

With US Republicans sharply split over a front-runner they cannot unite behind, a new group is trying to push the country’s top elected Republican, Paul Ryan, into the White House race.

Hillary Clinton joked about her “long day”, the morning after her 11-hour grilling by House Republicans.

Billionaire US presidential candidate Donald Trump has refused to back down over his controversial comments about women.

Senator Rand Paul, a favourite of the conservative tea party movement and frequent antagonist of leaders of his own Republican Party, has declared his candidacy for US president.

US Democrat Hillary Clinton broke her silence over a budding controversy involving her use of personal email for work when she was secretary of state, saying she wanted the US State Department to release them swiftly.

Elected amid fervour and renewed American belief, it was inevitable that the first black president of the US wouldn’t match the hopes and dreams of a nation, writes Elizabeth Drew

One of the most potent outside liberal-oriented political groups announced it would back Hillary Clinton if she chooses to seek the White House in 2016, the latest sign that senior members of President Barack Obama’s team were looking to line up with the former first lady.

Belfast priest, Fr Alec Reid, described as one of the architects of the peace process, has died.

Republicans and Democrats have hit an impasse in the US senate over spending in their last-ditch struggle to avoid a debt default in just four days and end a partial government shutdown that enters its third week.

Republicans and Democrats are trading blame for the impasse on a temporary bill to keep agencies open as the US government teeters on the brink of a partial shutdown.

Prominent Washington journalist Bob Woodward said a senior White House official threatened him he would “regret” publishing a story challenging the White House’s account of how the idea for automatic spending cuts originated.

President Barack Obama set up high-stakes clashes with Republicans over guns, immigration, taxes, and climate change in a state of the union address that showcased his determination to mark his legacy.

The task of picking up the pieces of the fiscal cliff talks — and reassuring global financial markets — is likely to fall largely to President Barack Obama after Republicans abandoned their own proposed fix championed by House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner.

Mitt Romney says President Barack Obama won re-election last week because of the “gifts” he had provided to blacks, Hispanics and young voters and because of his effort to paint Mr Romney as anti-immigrants.

A RECENT opinion poll revealed 96% of Irish people would have voted for Barack Obama in the US election so why, if we hate Republicans so much, is the State’s attitude to abortion an identikit copy of that party’s pariah fringe?

Republicans reeling from their second presidential loss in a row engaged in some soul-searching but were at odds on how far the party must change to remake its image.

President Barack Obama’s re-election, coupled with Republicans’ continued hold on the House, gives both parties a chance to rethink, and perhaps undo, the bitter partisanship that has gripped Washington for four years and frustrated Americans who see big problems going unsolved.

The make-up of Congress is unlikely to be changed by the election which is expected to leave Republicans in control of the House of Representatives and Democrats keeping their majority in the Senate.

The US president will not succeed abroad by trying to avoid the worst rather than achieve the best, says Zaki Laidi

LOSING ground to Republican Mitt Romney on a host of issues, US President Barack Obama faces a serious challenge to put his re-election bid back on track when the two men face off tonight.

MITT Romney did what he needed to do in last week’s US presidential debate.

President Barack Obama and his Democratic allies scored a financial victory in August over Republican challenger Mitt Romney and his backers, as Romney’s team hit snags in the money race.

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney was desperately trying to steady a shaky campaign as US President Barack Obama, enjoying a burst of momentum, headed to New York for a celebrity fundraiser with Beyoncé and Jay-Z, along with a star turn on David Letterman’s couch.

Bill Clinton is there for Obama in Charlotte. But the big-tent, business-friendly wing of the party he built is long gone. Peter J Boyer looks at how the death of Clintonism could be a major hurdle for the president

As the gold-dust settles on one four-year cycle — the London Olympiad — another — the American presidential race — intensifies as its Nov 6 day-of-reckoning approaches.

Most Americans oppose Barack Obama’s healthcare reform even though they strongly support most of its provisions, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed, with the Supreme Court set to rule within days on whether the law should stand.

A Washington state victory in hand, Mitt Romney is looking ahead to tomorrow’s 10-state bonanza that features contests from Alaska to Ohio to Massachusetts, millions in campaign spending and the largest single day of voting yet in the Republicans’ topsy-turvy primary race.

Polls show Newt Gingrich will probably be hammered by Mitt Romney in the crucial Republican primary election in Florida tomorrow.

Both Barack Obama and his Republican opponents claim responsibility for creating jobs. Ezra Klein asks how much influence a US president actually has when it comes to generating employment.

He became a frontrunner too late to face much criticism before the Republicans’ Iowa caucus. But Rick Santorum is now under fire for his stance on a number of issues, writes Marcus Stern

US PRESIDENT Barack Obama faces a long re-election campaign, having all but given up on the economy rebounding in any meaningful way before November 2012.

REPUBLICAN Sarah Palin has said she is still considering a potential 2012 presidential run, though her daughter said she has already made up her mind and is keeping the decision secret for now.

OSAMA bin Laden’s death not only dominated the news but also fuelled a wealth of comic relief, punch lines and unapologetic crowing from American TV’s late-night hosts.

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney has become the second major Republican to announce a challenge to President Barack Obama in 2012, declaring he will “put America back on a course of greatness”.

US PRESIDENT Barack Obama was on a political collision course with his opponents last night after Republicans made sweeping election gains and vowed to undo some of his major policies.

ONE of the mixed blessings travelling beyond our archipelago is that it’s hard to avoid American TV news. BBC World is frequently not available. Even when it is, their ‘cycle’ – the time it takes before they start repeating stories – is getting wearyingly short. Maybe it’s cutbacks.

PRESIDENT Barack Obama mocked the Republicans’ campaign to repeal his new healthcare law, saying they should “Go for it” and see how well they fare with voters.