The Minerals Management Service has been ridiculed as a pawn of the oil industry it was meant to oversee, and the Gulf Coast office has drawn particular scorn.
In their bid to recapture the House, Republicans hope to mine Democratic seats from districts that picked John McCain over Barack Obama in the last presidential race.
AP - The rich fishing grounds of the Gulf of Mexico are beginning to reopen more than three months after crude began gushing from the sea floor. But those who harvest, process and sell the catch face a new crisis — convincing wary consumers it's not only delicious, but also safe.
Former Cuban President Fidel Castro warned today of imminent nuclear war and said the world's fate was in President Barack Obama's hands, as he addressed the Cuban National Assembly for the first time since falling ill four years ago.
Bibi, the young Afghan woman whose nose and ears were cut off by her husband, is traveling to the United States in an attempt to have her face reconstructed.
Heavy downpours worsened massive flooding in Pakistan on Sunday as aid agencies increased relief efforts to help the about 12 million people affected in much of the country.
At a time of increased violence and political intransigence in Iraq, the U.S. military on Saturday formally handed over control of combat operations to Iraqi security forces.