Dishing out Oscars, dancing with the stars and hamming it up with Big Bird -- Michelle Obama is having all the fun.

US lawmakers debated plans on Tuesday to build a pathway to citizenship for millions of immigrants who remade their lives in America but found themselves at the heart of a fierce debate.

A rising Hispanic-American political star joined experts Tuesday in urging US lawmakers to implement immigration reform, but a top Republican warned against rushing legislation through Congress.

With the end of official events, AFP is closing its live report on the second Inauguration of Barack Obama as president of the United States. The parade is expected to last a few hours, even as the sun sets in Washington. Today's events will be capped off with dozens of unofficial parties but only two official Inaugural Balls, one for members of the military and another for supporters.

The Obama girls have quietly made a mark of their own: shielded from public over-exposure, they are growing up with rules and responsibilities and making it look easy, even though they live in the White House.

Decades before US President Barack Obama tapped him for secretary of state, John Kerry gained his first experience with global conflicts while riding his bike as a boy in post-World War II Berlin.

US President Barack Obama Friday nominated Senator John Kerry as his new secretary of state, as he began to reshape his national security team for a second term clouded by overseas crises.

US President Barack Obama will nominate Senator John Kerry as secretary of state on Friday, as he begins to remake his national security team ahead of his second term, a US official told AFP.

Charlie Crist on Wednesday told reporters that he regrets signing an anti-gay marriage petition in 2006. ?Charlie Crist on Wednesday told reporters that he regrets signing an anti-gay marriage petition in 2006. Crist was running for governor of Florida as a Republican in 2006 when he signed a petition by the group Florida4Marriage.org proposing a ballot measure to amend the state's constitution to define marriage as a heterosexual union. The effort failed to gain sufficient support. However, voters approved a similar amendment in 2008. ?Would I do it today? No,? Crist is quoted as saying by the Tampa Bay Times. ?I think the best way to judge where my heart is is to look at the deeds that I have done, whether as attorney general, governor ? restoration of rights, civil rights cases, things of that nature that I think show a compassionate heart and hopefully someone who cares and knows who the boss is. And the boss is the people of Florida.? Crist, who last week officially joined the Dem

Three months after speaking at the DNC, Charlie Crist has officially become a Democrat. Three months after speaking at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Charlotte, South Carolina, Charlie Crist has officially become a Democrat. Late on Friday, the former Republican governor of Florida who made an unsuccessful 2010 bid for the Senate as an independent tweeted a photo of himself with his wife, Carole, holding a voter registration form. ?@charliecristfl: Proud and honored to join the Democratic Party in the home of President @BarackObama!? he messaged to his more than 11,000 followers. According to the Tampa Bay Times, Crist signed the form while attending a White House holiday party. ?I've had friends for years tell me, 'You know Charlie, you're a Democrat and you don't know it,? he told the paper. Crist, who has long denied rumors that he's gay, said his decision was based on the GOP's shift to the right. ?What changed is the leadership of the Republican Party. As I said at th

James Taylor took his modest one-man campaign for electoral reform to Washington's press corps Friday, but the veteran singer-songwriter said he has no plans to run for office himself.

Italian centre-left Democratic Party chief Pier Luigi Bersani is set for a run-off vote next week against young pretender Matteo Renzi, after millions of supporters chose their nominee for next year's general election.

Gay rights groups have pledged to back Cory Booker should he decide to challenge New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Gay rights groups have pledged to back Cory Booker should he decide to challenge New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. While Booker, Newark's Democratic mayor and an outspoken gay rights ally, has yet to say whether he'll throw his hat in the ring, gay rights groups are attempting to lure him into a campaign with promises of support. Steven Goldstein, the head of Garden State Equality, the state's largest gay rights advocate, said he's prepared to go ?door to door from New Jersey to West Hollywood to raise millions of dollars? for a Booker campaign. ?Like few others, Cory Booker manages to capture the imagination of the LGBT community from all over the country, and from all walks of life,? Human Rights Campaign (HRC) spokesman Fred Sainz told the Star-Ledger. ?I would suspect a wide diversity of Americans would support his campaign and help get him the resources he needs t

Once bitter foes, then wary allies, and now firm friends, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are waxing nostalgic about six turbulent years, as she gets ready to swap globe trotting for retirement.

Barack Obama's re-election for another term in the White House opens a new chapter in the already historic tale of the first black president of a nation scarred at birth by a deep racial fault line.

Whenever his presidency ends, Barack Obama's legacy will be historic: posterity will know him as the first black president of a nation scarred at birth by a deep racial fault line.

In a raspy whisper, Bill Clinton said words many Democrats never thought they would hear, telling a huge Barack Obama crowd: "I have given my voice in the service of my president."

In a raspy whisper, Bill Clinton said words many Democrats never thought they would hear, telling a huge Barack Obama crowd Saturday: "I have given my voice in the service of my president."

Wisconsin Rep. Tammy Baldwin goes into next week's election with a 4 point lead over her Republican rival Tommy Thompson. Wisconsin Rep. Tammy Baldwin goes into next week's election with a 4 point lead over her Republican rival Tommy Thompson. Thompson and Baldwin are competing to replace retiring Wisconsin Senator Herb Kohl. According to the final poll before voters decide on November 6 by the Marquette University Law School, Baldwin has a 4 point lead, 47 to 43 percent. Two weeks ago, Thompson held a slim 1 point lead. If elected, Baldwin would become the nation's first openly lesbian senator. The subject of Baldwin's sexuality became an issue early in the fall when a Thompson staffer criticized Baldwin's orientation just hours before she was to give her prime time speech at the Democratic National Convention. Brian Nemoir, political director for the Thompson campaign, sent an e-mail and tweeted messages highlighting her appearance at a 2010 Gay Pride event. Referring to Baldwin's as

Michelle Obama would rather see herself as a "mom-in-chief," not a first lady, but she's a critical part of her husband's presidency and his close-fought bid for a second term in the White House.