ALBANY (Reuters) - New York Governor David Paterson on Tuesday said the multi-year deficit-closing plan his lieutenant governor is devising might seek to give governors "extra authority" to cut over-spending.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama, weighing in on the Senate's efforts to pass a climate change bill, gathered Republican and Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday to try to jumpstart an overhaul of U.S. energy policy.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vice President Joe Biden said on Tuesday the United States is concerned that Iran is becoming more of a military dictatorship and insisted that Tehran will not be permitted to acquire a nuclear weapon.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama inserted himself into Senate efforts to pass a climate change bill on Tuesday, gathering Republican and Democratic lawmakers at the White House to jumpstart efforts to overhaul U.S. energy policy.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York voters think scandal-tarred Governor David Paterson should remain in office but cannot do a good job, and that he acted unethically but will not get a fair hearing, a poll said on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans and business groups on Tuesday criticized President Barack Obama's administration for failing to resolve a cross-border trucking dispute nearly one year after Mexico slapped retaliatory duties on about $2.4 billion worth of U.S. exports.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. trade official expressed doubt on Tuesday that negotiators could reach a deal this year in long-running world trade talks despite a goal set by President Barack Obama and other leaders.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic efforts to spur job creation advanced in Congress on Tuesday as a $149 billion package of tax breaks and unemployment aid cleared a procedural hurdle in the Senate.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus threw his weight on Tuesday behind calls for an expansion of U.S. trade benefits to help Haiti rebuild its clothing sector after its devastating earthquake.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Freshman Democratic Representative Eric Massa announced his resignation on Friday, saying an ethics investigation into alleged misconduct toward a male staff member would tear his family and staff apart.