The agency put politicians on Capitol Hill on notice yesterday by cutting the outlook on US government debt to negative and saying that the government could lose its prized AAA rating in the next three months. S&P's warning echoes one from its rival Moody's earlier this week but the agency went a step further by arguing that the intense political wrangling now accompanying efforts to lift the $14.3 trillion debt (£8.6 trillion) ceiling gives it little confidence that politicians can provide a long-term answer to the country's mounting debt. In a statement, S&P said the US could be downgraded if "we conclude that ... (full story)