| John Kerry: Putin’s Syria involvement could be opportunity for U.S. Posted:  The U.S. secretary of state doesn't think Russia's presence in Syria will box the Washington into a corner.
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| Bill Clinton on Donald Trump: 'The thing about branding is ... you can be fact-free' Posted: |
| VW revs up recall plan, hunts for culprits in pollution scam Posted: 30 Sep 2015 11:01 AM PDT  German auto giant Volkswagen shifted up a gear Wednesday in its plans to recall millions of cars fitted with pollution-cheating software as it boosted efforts to find the masterminds behind the scam. Following the departures of chief executive Martin Winterkorn and sales chief Christian Klingler in VW's deepest-ever crisis that broke 12 days ago, more heads looked set to roll after the new CEO Matthias Mueller vowed to be "ruthless" in getting to the bottom of the affair. The steering committee of the carmaker's supervisory board met on Wednesday to discuss the preliminary findings of the internal investigation into a scam that has rocked the automobile sector and wiped 29 billion euros ($32.5 billion) off VW's market capitalisation.
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| Pope secretly met Kentucky clerk in gay marriage row Posted: 30 Sep 2015 09:50 AM PDT  A Kentucky county clerk who had been jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples secretly met Pope Francis during his visit to the United States last week, a meeting she called greatly encouraging. The Vatican confirmed the pope's meeting in a brief statement on Wednesday. Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis and her husband met the pope during the Washington leg of his U.S. visit, she and her lawyer told American media.
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| Senate passes bill to avert government shutdown, sends to House Posted: 30 Sep 2015 08:45 AM PDT The U.S. Senate on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed legislation to avert a government shutdown, sending the measure to the House of Representatives just hours before funding for federal agencies runs out at midnight. Passed by a 78-20 vote, the bill would keep federal agencies funded at current levels through Dec. 11. It does not include a controversial provision to cut off money to Planned Parenthood that many conservative Republicans had demanded. |
| House Republicans to vote Oct. 8 for new leaders Posted: 30 Sep 2015 09:27 AM PDT  By Susan Cornwell WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives will hold leadership elections on Oct. 8, House Speaker John Boehner said on Wednesday, moving speedily to get a new team in place to deal with a series of fiscal challenges ahead. "After consulting with our conference, a large majority of our members have made clear they want these elections held next week. With their considerations in mind, the House leadership elections will take place on Thursday, Oct. 8," Boehner said in an emailed statement. Boehner announced last Friday that he will step down as Speaker and leave Congress effective Oct. 30, after struggling with repeated rebellions by conservatives during a tumultuous five-year reign as the chamber's top Republican.
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| Russia launches airstrikes in Syria, says targeting IS Posted: 30 Sep 2015 09:02 AM PDT  MOSCOW (AP) — Russian military jets carried out airstrikes in Syria for the first time on Wednesday, targeting what Moscow said were Islamic State positions. U.S. officials and others cast doubt on that claim, saying the Russians appeared to be attacking opposition groups fighting Syrian government forces.
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| Fact-checking Planned Parenthood chief’s heated House hearing Posted: |
| Jeb Bush’s 2016 run wavers amid breakout stars Posted:  Top donors have reportedly told Bush that he will start hemorrhaging fundraisers if he does not rev up momentum.
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| Trump gives Putin an 'A' on leadership Posted: 29 Sep 2015 06:25 PM PDT  NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — One day after President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin made little headway in their standoff over Syria at their first formal meeting in more than two years, Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump is agreeing with Putin on his backing of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
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| Republicans, Planned Parenthood square off in Congress Posted: 29 Sep 2015 02:33 PM PDT  By Megan Cassella WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. congressional Republicans on Tuesday challenged Planned Parenthood's eligibility for federal funds, while the health organization's president said defunding it would restrict women's access to care and disproportionately hurt low-income patients. A series of videos that purport to show that Planned Parenthood improperly sells fetal tissue to researchers for profit has reignited anti-abortion voters' fervor during a turbulent Republican presidential primary campaign. At a five-hour House committee hearing, Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards appeared alone to respond to hostile questioning from Republicans, some of whom have vowed to shut down the U.S. government if federal support for the organization is not cut off.
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| Ann Romney opens up about MS struggle Posted:  In her new memoir, "In This Together," Romney details her struggles with multiple sclerosis, which she was diagnosed with in 1998.
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