| Paul Ryan weighs pros, cons of becoming next House speaker Posted: 13 Oct 2015 12:19 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Maybe Rep. Paul Ryan doesn't feel like a character in the classic film "The Godfather," weighing an offer he can't refuse. But with Republican Party elders practically begging him to become the next House speaker, the pressure on him to seek the post is immense.
|
| A viewers' guide to the first Democratic debate of 2016 race Posted: 13 Oct 2015 08:36 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Five Democrats vying to be President Barack Obama's successor meet Tuesday night for their first televised debate of the 2016 election, a confrontation between one of the best-known women on the planet and four men seeking to unseat her as the party's front-runner.
|
| The invisible candidacies of Jim Webb and Lincoln Chafee Posted:  It can be hard to find evidence that the two ex-senators are seriously running for president.
|
| Five officers' statements admissible in Baltimore death case Posted: 13 Oct 2015 02:50 PM PDT  Statements by five Baltimore officers charged in the high-profile death of a black man injured in police custody were made admissible in their criminal trials on Tuesday. Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Barry Williams found that Officer William Porter and Sergeant Alicia White, two of the six officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray, had made their statements without compulsion to internal investigators.
|
| Washington Post reporter held in Iran angry, depressed, brother says Posted: 13 Oct 2015 02:48 PM PDT  Jason Rezaian, the Washington Post reporter jailed in an espionage case in Tehran, heard of his conviction on Iranian state TV and is depressed and angry about being deprived of information about his case, his brother said on Tuesday. Ali Rezaian said their mother, Mary Breme Rezaian, spoke with the reporter in a room at Tehran's Evin prison on Tuesday and described him as "terribly depressed" at the way the case had been handled. Jason Rezaian, who was arrested in July 2014 and holds U.S. and Iranian citizenship, was given 20 days to appeal, the Iranian news service ISNA said on Sunday, when the verdict was announced.
|
| Planned Parenthood revises reimbursement policy after video uproar Posted: 13 Oct 2015 11:28 AM PDT  Planned Parenthood would no longer accept reimbursement for fetal tissue donated for medical research after abortions, the women's healthcare provider said on Tuesday, a response to allegations by anti-abortion campaigners that it profited from abortions. The policy change was announced amid a months-long controversy after the release of videos secretly recorded by anti-abortion activists that grew into demands by some Republicans in Congress to cut off funding to the group, even threatening a government shutdown last month. Planned Parenthood said the videos inflamed anti-abortion sentiment in the United States and in Congress by falsely portraying its participation in tissue donation programs for medical research.
|
| Hillary Clinton slams Trump in front of his casino Posted: 12 Oct 2015 10:32 PM PDT  LAS VEGAS (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton went to Donald Trump's doorstep Monday to mock the Republican presidential front-runner on the eve of the first Democratic presidential debate.
|
| No more nudes in Playboy magazine, centerfold's future at risk: report Posted: 12 Oct 2015 07:57 PM PDT  (Reuters) - Now readers of Playboy, the glossy men's magazine known for its nude fold-outs, can honestly say they are buying the magazine for its articles. Playboy will no longer publish nude photographs of women, the New York Times reported on Monday in an article quoting Scott Flanders, the company's chief executive. Founder and editor-in-chief Hugh Hefner, 89, who in his trademark silk pajamas has embodied the Playboy lifestyle, agreed last month with a suggestion by top editor Cory Jones to stop publishing images of naked women, the Times said.
|
| Russian Embassy shelled in Syria as insurgents hit back Posted: 13 Oct 2015 11:40 AM PDT  DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The Russian Embassy in Damascus was shelled Tuesday as pro-government demonstrators gathered outside, and Syria's largest insurgent coalition announced an offensive to counter Moscow's airstrikes that have injected new fury in the conflict.
|
