Experts say the city of Houston has sunk by two centimetres due to the amount of rain that fell during Hurricane Harvey.

US President Donald Trump has insisted there is no chaos at the White House, even as his new chief of staff enters a West Wing battered by crisis.

Senators in the US have rejected a measure to repeal parts of former president Barack Obama's healthcare law after a night of suspense, dealing a serious blow to President Donald Trump's agenda.

The Republican-led House is to vote on a sweeping Russia sanctions package that defies the White House by demanding Donald Trump gets Congress's permission before lifting or easing penalties against Moscow.

Senate Republicans have released their long-awaited bill to dismantle much of Barack Obama's healthcare law but ran into trouble as four GOP senators said they opposed it.

Senate Republicans have released their long-awaited bill to dismantle much of Barack Obama's healthcare law.

US President Donald Trump has praised new Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch during a White House swearing-in ceremony as a jurist who will rule "not on his personal preferences but based on a fair and objective reading of the law".

A divided Senate has confirmed Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court in a win for President Donald Trump and the Republicans.

Donald Trump is proposing immediate budget cuts of $18bn (€16.5bn) from programmes like medical research, infrastructure and community grants so US taxpayers, not Mexico, can cover the down-payment on the border wall.

President Donald Trump has nominated Neil Gorsuch, a fast-rising conservative judge, to the Supreme Court, setting up a clash with Democrats.

US president Donald Trump has made unsubstantiated claims about election fraud - even as he reached out to Democratic rivals, business leaders and union chiefs in a bid to sell his policies.

The US Senate has approved the appointment of Donald Trump's nominee Mike Pompeo to run the CIA, despite claims that he has been less than transparent about his positions on torture, surveillance and Russia's election meddling.

The top Senate Republican says that Congress will investigate a CIA assessment that Russia interfered in the November election on behalf of Donald Trump, an intelligence conclusion that the incoming commander in chief has called "ridiculous".

Here’s a briefing on some of the stories and issues highlighted on irishexaminer.com today

The US Senate has delivered a damning indictment of CIA practices, accusing the spy agency of inflicting pain and suffering on prisoners beyond legal limits and deceiving the nation that its interrogation techniques saved lives.

US politicians in both houses of Congress have been trying to agree separate plans to reopen the government and avoid a federal financial default that could tip the global economy back into recession.

Republicans in the US House of Representatives unveiled a plan yesterday that would avert a looming default, in a sign that lawmakers may end a standoff that has rattled markets and thrown the country’s future creditworthiness into question.

The White House is making a big push to rally members of Congress and the US public behind President Barack Obama’s plan for a military strike against Syria.

Senate Republicans have told President Barack Obama to tone down his political attacks and prod Democratic allies to back controversial changes to a popular healthcare programme if he wants a compromise on reducing the gaping US deficit.

The White House and Republican congressional leaders offered no meaningful proposals for rolling back automatic spending cuts that will slash €64bn from the national budget.

Barack Obama and House of Representatives speaker John Boehner met at the White House amid talks to avert America’s impending “fiscal cliff” as a growing number of Republicans in Congress appeared to be veering towards accepting the president’s demand that the wealthy must pay more tax.

Presidential candidates have different ideas about the economy but Obama’s make more sense, writes Laura Tyson

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

Congress and the White House are facing the choice of continued fighting or a shift toward bi-partisan bargaining in the wake of a Senate vote that killed President Barack Obama’s $447bn (€324bn) jobs plan.

US PRESIDENT Barack Obama has capped a crisis-strewn first two White House years by flexing restored power at home and abroad as he secured big wins in Congress on nuclear arms and gay rights.

US president Barack Obama brushed aside opposition in his own party today and announced an agreement with Republicans on a plan to extend expiring income tax cuts for all Americans, renew jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed and grant a one-year reduction in payroll taxes.

Senate Republicans today blocked legislation that would have repealed the law banning gays from serving openly in the US military.

Defiant Democrats insisted today that they would be able to push through the most sweeping new controls on financial institutions since the Great Depression, following a Senate setback.

BARACK OBAMA defended his criticism of police officers in the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr as law enforcement groups and Republicans called the president’s remarks out of place.

US president Barack Obama chose federal appeals judge Sonia Sotomayor to become America’s first Hispanic Supreme Court justice yesterday, praising her as “an inspiring woman” with both the intellect and compassion to interpret the constitution wisely.

The Bush administration declared it would step in and prevent the “precipitous collapse” of the US car industry and the hundreds of thousands of job losses sure to follow.

A $14bn (€10.6bn) rescue package for the US car industry was in danger today from Republicans who threaten a Senate revolt.

US President George Bush today accused Democrats of conducting a political debate on the war in Iraq while delaying action on money to upgrade equipment and give US troops a pay raise.

Senate Republicans today scuttled a Democratic proposal ordering US troop withdrawals from Iraq in a showdown that capped an all-night debate on the war.

Al Gore today announced a surprise Live Earth concert in Washington, foiling Senate Republicans who blocked Gore’s attempt to bring the global warming extravaganza to the grounds of the US Capitol.

US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice urged the Democratic-controlled US Congress not to interfere in the conduct of the Iraq war and suggested President George Bush would defy troop withdrawal legislation.

Critics of President George Bush were foiled tonight as they tried to push through an anti-war motion in the US Senate.

Dubai Ports World today finalised its £4bn purchase of P&O while bowing to US political pressure by agreeing to end its quest to take over operations at US ports.

US President George Bush is seizing on Iraq’s elections to claim significant progress as he faces an uproar in Congress over whether he exceeded his powers in conducting the war on terror.

US VICE President Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff yesterday pleaded not guilty in the CIA leak scandal, marking the start of what could be a long road to a trial in which top Bush officials could be summoned to testify.

US Vice President Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff today pleaded not guilty in the CIA leak scandal, marking the start of what could be a long road to a trial in which Cheney and other top Bush administration officials could be summoned to testify.

US PRESIDENT George W Bush nominated White House counsel Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court yesterday, turning to a lawyer who has never been a judge to replace Sandra Day O’Connor and help reshape the nation’s judiciary.

NEW ORLEANS Mayor Ray Nagin announced yesterday that large parts of the city will reopen early next week, and the French Quarter the week after that. “The city of New Orleans will start to breathe again,” he said.

A highly classified National Intelligence Estimate assembled by some of the US government’s most senior analysts this summer provided a pessimistic assessment about the future security and stability of Iraq.