Anthony Foxx avoided the controversy of other Capitol Hill hearings Wednesday, receiving a mostly warm reception from senators who considered his nomination to become transportation secretary.

At the center of a political storm, an Internal Revenue Service supervisor whose agents targeted conservative groups swore Wednesday she did nothing wrong, broke no laws and never lied to Congress. Then she refused to answer lawmakers' further questions, citing her Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate herself.

The president and chief executive officer of a medical equipment company invoked the Fifth Amendment at Senate hearing Wednesday, declining to answer questions about aggressive marketing tactics used to sell scooters, sleep apnea machines and other home medical supplies to Medicare recipients who may not need or want them.

President Barack Obama's spokesman says the White House is facing "legitimate criticisms" for its shifting accounts about who knew what about the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative political groups, and when they knew it.

House Republicans pushed a proposal Wednesday to bypass the president to speed approval of the 1,700-mile Keystone XL pipeline, which would transport oil from Canada to Texas. Democrats criticized the plan as a blatant attempt to allow a foreign company to avoid environmental review.

The Senate on Wednesday rejected a Republican bid to turn the federal food stamp program over to the states.

Attorney General Eric Holder says four American citizens have been killed in drone strikes since 2009.

President Barack Obama's nominee for transportation secretary is getting a friendly reception from senators of both parties laced with warnings that the nation needs to make a host of transportation improvements with no clear way to pay for them.

A funny thing happened on the way to a predicted disaster: The Pentagon is learning to live with the automatic budget cuts its leaders had warned would threaten national security if they took effect.

President Barack Obama is threatening to veto House Republicans' student loan bill.

A federal judge is apologizing for an 18-month delay in unsealing documents in a case involving an alleged leak of classified information to a reporter.

A key House committee chairman says a wide-ranging immigration bill just passed by a Senate committee falls far short of what is needed to end the problem of illegal immigration.

Another year, another campaign.