House of Representatives Republican leaders have offered President Barack Obama a three-month reprieve to a looming, market-rattling debt crisis.

The 11th-hour US compromise deal satisfied few people fully and saw a vital vote on a $60bn aid package for Sandy victims delayed, giving an outraged Governor Chris Christie a chance to take centre stage, writes Kyran Fitzgerald

A weary Congress sent President Barack Obama legislation to avert the economy-threatening “fiscal cliff” of middle-class tax increases and across-the-board spending cuts today, hours before financial markets reopened after the new year holiday.

Washington’s last-minute scramble to step back from a “fiscal cliff” ran into trouble last night as Republicans in the House of Representatives balked at a deal to avert a budget crisis.

US politicians who hoped to resolve any uncertainty over the so-called “fiscal cliff” before financial markets reopen tomorrow ran into trouble today as the Republican-controlled House of Representatives objected to urgent legislation approved by the Senate in a New Year drama unlike any other in the history of Congress.

President Barack Obama has asked congressional leaders to convene today at the White House for last-minute talks on a “fiscal cliff” deal that avoids automatic tax increases and broad spending cuts that threaten the economy’s nascent recovery.

US President Barack Obama and the top Republican in Congress appear no closer to giving ground in negotiations aimed at avoiding the December 31 austerity measures of big tax increases and deep spending cuts that threaten to push the nation into a new recession.

Mitt Romney isn’t backing down from comments castigating nearly 50% of US voters, but to win, he has to get them on side, writes Andy Sullivan

The US Treasury Department said that the national debt has topped US$16 trillion (€12.7 trillion), the result of chronic government deficits that have poured more than US$50,000 (€39,746) worth of red ink onto federal ledgers for every man, woman and child in the United States.

Today is the single biggest day of the Republican presidential campaign — or, as Newt Gingrich’s political action committee put it last night, the event that could represent “life or death to America as we know and love it”.

Mitt Romney hopes to use Super Tuesday’s massive batch of primary contests in 10 states to reassert himself as the unchallenged front-runner in the race to challenge resident Barack Obama.

Top Republican Eric Cantor has endorsed Mitt Romney for president of the US, giving the frontrunner a boost as the primary nomination contest reaches a critical stage.

US President Barack Obama took the sales pitch for his newly unveiled jobs plan on the road today, venturing out of Washington and into the home turf of one of his top Republican antagonists.

Republicans in the House of Representatives will hold a largely symbolic vote today, demanding a balanced budget constitutional amendment as their price for raising the US debt ceiling and avoiding a catastrophic US default.

The US House of Representatives overwhelmingly rejected the Palestinian pursuit of statehood through the United Nations and backed a negotiated settlement as the way to peace with Israel.

CHINESE President Hu Jintao heard concerns about China’s human rights and economic policies as he wrapped up his visit to Washington with meetings on Capitol Hill.

The Republican party is poised for head-to-head clashes with President Barack Obama as it takes charge of the US House of Representatives today, promising an era of smaller government and less spending.

A FEDERAL judge has declared the foundation of President Barack Obama’s healthcare law unconstitutional, ruling that the government cannot require Americans to purchase insurance.

EMBOLDENED by a commanding House majority and Senate gains, Republican leaders vowed yesterday to deliver on their “golden opportunity” to roll back the size of government and President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law.

House Democratic leaders are predicting victory for President Barack Obama’s bill to overhaul the US health care system.

WITH tempers flaring, President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans clashed in an extraordinary live-on-TV summit yesterday over the right prescription for the nation’s broken healthcare system, talking of agreement but holding to long-entrenched positions that leave them far apart.

US PRESIDENT Barack Obama yesterday shelved a Bush-era plan for an Eastern European missile defence system that has been a major irritant in relations with Russia. He said a redesigned defensive system would be cheaper and more effective against the threat from Iranian missiles.

DEMOCRATS and Republicans alike are denouncing Republican Joe Wilson for shouting “You lie” at President Barack Obama during his speech to Congress, an extraordinary breach of decorum for which the South Carolina Republican swiftly apologised.

Key lawmakers who struck a post-midnight deal on a 700bn (€479bn) for the financial industry tonight predicted it would pass Congress, putting in place the largest US government intervention in markets since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s campaign has asked for the personal documents of a potential running mate, it was reported today.

AS Barack Obama began his trip to the Middle East and Europe, the media was already speculating about the possibility of a gaffe. Obama’s travel “carries political risk”, the New York Times reported, “particularly if Mr Obama makes a mistake.”

The decision by American networks to send senior journalists to cover US presidential candidate Barack Obama's overseas tour has fuelled accusations of media bias in favour of the Democratic nominee-in-waiting.

The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives failed to override President George Bush’s veto of an Iraqi war spending Bill with timetables for US troop withdrawals.