| John Boehner to resign as speaker, leave House Posted: |
| Pope beseeches world leaders to protect the environment Posted: 25 Sep 2015 07:46 AM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — Pope Francis declared Friday that there is a "right of the environment" and that mankind has no authority to abuse it, telling more than 100 world leaders and diplomats at the United Nations that urgent action is needed to halt the destruction of God's creation.
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| Scandal-hit Volkswagen names Porsche boss new CEO Posted: 25 Sep 2015 10:52 AM PDT  Embattled carmaker Volkswagen tapped Porsche chief Matthias Mueller Friday to steer it out of the wreckage of a widening scandal over pollution test rigging, as Washington said it would test all diesel cars for devices that fool emissions tests. The 62-year-old Mueller replaces Martin Winterkorn, who was forced to resign Wednesday over the stunning revelations by US environmental authorities that the German carmaker had fitted some of its diesel cars with software capable of tricking environmental tests -- a scam that could lead to fines worth more than $18 billion. The scale of VW's deception became clear when the company admitted that 11 million of its diesel cars are equipped with so-called defeat devices that covertly turn off pollution controls when the car is being driven and back on when tests are being conducted.
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| Under pressure from the right, House Speaker Boehner quits Posted: 25 Sep 2015 10:59 AM PDT  By Susan Cornwell and Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner will step down and leave Congress at the end of October after struggling with repeated rebellions by conservatives during a tumultuous five-year reign as the chamber's top Republican. The Ohio lawmaker, 65, stunned Republican House members at a meeting on Friday with the announcement he will leave the top job in the 435-seat chamber and resign his seat effective on Oct. 30. U.S. Representative Kevin McCarthy, 50, of California, the No. 2 House Republican, quickly became the leading contender to replace Boehner as speaker.
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| At U.N., Pope attacks 'boundless thirst' for wealth and power Posted: 25 Sep 2015 08:57 AM PDT  By Philip Pullella and Scott Malone UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Friday condemned the craving for material gains and power, telling an annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations that greed is destroying the Earth's resources and aggravating poverty. The spiritual leader of 1.2 billion Roman Catholics condemned the "grave offense" of economic and social exclusion, in his first speech to the U.N. General Assembly in New York. The first pope from Latin America, Francis has often criticized unbridled capitalism in the two years of his papacy.
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| EPA says to take tougher stance on auto emissions tests Posted: 25 Sep 2015 07:41 AM PDT  U.S. environmental regulators said on Friday they are sending a letter to all automobile manufacturers saying they are stepping up emissions-testing activities in response to Volkswagen's alleged violations of pollution laws. "We are upping our game," Chris Grundler, head of transportation and air quality at the Environmental Protection Agency, told reporters in a teleconference. Volkswagen could face $18 billion in fines from the EPA after it admitted using software in diesel cars that evades emissions tests.
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| Critics say duck boats are too dangerous for city streets Posted: 25 Sep 2015 11:36 AM PDT  SEATTLE (AP) — Even before a duck boat crashed into a charter bus in Seattle, killing four international students, calls had emerged for greater oversight and even an outright ban on the military-style vehicles that allow tourists to see cities by road and water.
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| Pope challenges Congress to be better; Congress continues as usual Posted:  His hopeful message stood in stark contrast to the rest of the congressional day.
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| Catholic Justices Scalia, Alito, Thomas are no-shows for the pope Posted:  Conservatives Antonin Scalia, Samuel Alito, and Clarence Thomas skip the House chamber speech.
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| 6 killed in Texas while being transported by smuggling ring Posted: 24 Sep 2015 04:54 PM PDT  EDNA, Texas (AP) — Six people who were killed when the SUV they were in crashed following a police chase were being transported by a smuggling organization, federal officials said Thursday.
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