| Nonstop pope makes big impression on NYC Posted: 25 Sep 2015 03:50 PM PDT  From the United Nations to the Sept. 11 memorial to Central Park to Madison Square Garden — and everywhere in between — there was no escaping Pope Francis this week in New York City. Catholics and non-Catholics alike strained to see the Pontiff, with mixed success. Some got close enough to receive blessings. Many had to settle for catching a glimpse of him tooling around by motorcade in his black Fiat 500. Here's a look at varied impressions made by the nonstop pope on his frantic two-day visit:
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| John Boehner to resign as speaker, leave House Posted: |
| Scandal-hit Volkswagen names Porsche boss new CEO Posted: 25 Sep 2015 01:14 PM 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 check 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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| Pope Francis mingles with high and low in New York visit Posted: 25 Sep 2015 05:05 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — Sweeping through the landmarks of America's biggest city, Pope Francis on Friday offered comfort to 9/11 victims' families at ground zero, warnings to world leaders at the United Nations and encouragement to schoolchildren in Harlem as he mixed the high and low ministry so characteristic of his papacy.
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| Under pressure from the right, House Speaker Boehner quits Posted: 25 Sep 2015 12:37 PM PDT  U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner will 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 65-year-old Ohio lawmaker stunned Republican House members at a meeting on Friday morning with the announcement that he would 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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| Exclusive: Joe Biden backers hiring staff in more states in hopes of 2016 run Posted: 25 Sep 2015 10:55 AM PDT  By Emily Flitter NEW YORK (Reuters) - A group of Joe Biden supporters trying to build momentum for a White House run by the vice president is hiring paid staff in about a dozen crucial primary states. The political action committee backing the vice president, Draft Biden, has begun building operations in 11 states holding primary elections on "Super Tuesday" in March 2016, two of the group's officials told Reuters, an important series of votes for any candidate seeking their party's nomination. Draft Biden doesn't have a firm number for how many staff in total it will hire in those states, said Josh Alcorn, a senior advisor to the group, but the recruitment process is under way.
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| Kentucky clerk in gay marriage dispute switches to Republican Party Posted: 25 Sep 2015 01:55 PM PDT  By Emily Stephenson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A county clerk in Kentucky who was briefly jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples said on Friday that she and her family have switched to the Republican Party because the Democrats no longer represented them. Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis, 50, who has said her beliefs as an Apostolic Christian prevent her from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, said they had changed parties last week.
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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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