Your stories from the Washington Examiner

Earlier this week at the U.N., Obama appeared to have learned the hard way that his previous words and hopes for the region had little impact on shaping it.

» Senate rule change eases path for new AG

Democratic changes to the filibuster last year should give President Obama’s attorney general pick a gliding path through the Senate in the lame-duck session.

» Byron York: Would a midterm loss crack the Dems’ stonewall on the Keystone pipeline?

The federal government recently began its seventh year of considering whether to approve construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. Nearly all that time has passed under the administration of President Obama, who seems content never to decide the pipeline’s fate.

» Postal Service ordered to hire 9,000 more people

The U.S. Postal Service must hire 9,000 employees over the next three months to staff regional part-time post offices as part of a settlement it negotiated with the American Postal Workers Union.

» U.S. Pacific chief: Discussions with China keeping friction down after near-collision

Discussions between U.S. and Chinese military officials have helped avoid further incidents like last month’s near-collision between a Chinese fighter jet and a U.S. Navy spy plane, but the dialogue needs to continue to build trust between the two sides, Adm. Samuel Locklear said.

» Editorial: Dems whine ‘poor little me,’ but they’re outspending GOP on negative ads

You might think Democrats like Bruce Braley and Kay Hagan are being overwhelmed by outside spending, given their complaints. You’d be wrong — they’re doing just fine.

» Watchdog: Earmarks never went away — they changed addresses

Lawmakers now haggle with executive branch officials for funds rather than each other through a process known as “letter-marking” or “phone-marking.”

» Timothy P. Carney: ‘Flood Wall Street’ climate protestors take aim at their corporate allies

Environmentalist protestors swarmed New York’s financial district this week in the name of the environment. Unfortunately, the “Flood Wall Street” crew displayed some very cloudy judgement.

» Grimes’ ‘Proud Man’ ad raises eyebrows

The ad highlights the Kentucky Democrat’s grandparents’ struggles to pay medical bills after her grandfather’s stroke. One hiccup: During that time period, her politically connected father made some hefty campaign donations and oversaw multimillion-dollar business deals.

» Not testing new combat ships cost Navy an extra $200 million: GAO

It’s GAO’s latest criticism of the troubled program, which has been plagued by performance problems since it began 10 years ago.