June 19, 20134:25 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AP) — Chairman Ben Bernanke ended weeks of speculation Wednesday by saying the Federal Reserve will likely slow its bond-buying program later this year and end it next year if the economy continues to improve.

June 19, 20134:15 PM ET

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Hopes dimmed for talks aimed at ending the Afghan war when an angry President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday suspended security negotiations with the U.S. and scuttled a peace delegation to the Taliban, sending American officials scrambling to preserve the possibility of dialogue with the militants.

June 19, 20134:11 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bipartisan compromise on student loans started to take shape in the Senate on Wednesday linking interest rates to the financial markets. If approved, it would prevent rates for new borrowing from doubling in coming days.

June 19, 20133:12 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AP) — Illegal immigration into the United States would decrease by only 25 percent under a far-reaching Senate immigration bill, according to an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office that also finds the measure reduces federal deficits by billions.