MASHABLE: A massive storm in the Bering Sea, off the western Alaska coast and to the east of Russia, strengthened enough to be considered the strongest storm that the turbulent region has ever seen. It may not be an official record, however, as the minimum central pressure of 924 millibars (mb) was estimated by meteorologists, […]

USA TODAY: In a move that reflects the loosening posture of the Vatican on major social issues, conservative U.S. cardinal Raymond Burke was removed by Pope Francis from yet another top post. Burke, who has long been vocal about denying communion to Catholic politicians who support abortion, was dismissed as head of the Holy See’s […]

ALJAZEERA: …On election day, they showed their concern about growing economic inequity by voting for ballot measures that increased the minimum wage. They proved their progressive values by supporting marijuana legalization, gun control and reproductive rights. In the same go, they elected Republicans in Senate and House of Representatives races, guaranteeing a GOP majority in […]

POLITICO: Coal-heavy districts in West Virginia, Kentucky and Illinois that had been steadily moving away from Democrats in recent elections appear to have completed that shift Tuesday, when they overwhelmingly backed Republicans who vowed to oppose what they call President Barack Obama’s “war on coal.” Coal was only one issue for voters, who also cited […]

NEW YORK TIMES EDITORIAL: ..The economy added 214,000 jobs last month, in line with its performance over the past year. Consistent growth is certainly better than backsliding, but growth is still too slow: At the current pace, it will take until March 2018 for employment to return to its pre-recession level of health. Even then, […]

NEW YORK TIMES: … A quarter-century ago, as Hungary helped ignite the events that would lead to the collapse of communism, the ferment produced a new political star. troops go home… Now, as the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall is commemorated Sunday, Hungary is a member of NATO and the European […]

NEW YORK TIMES: Late one afternoon last November, leaders of some of the nation’s top foundations were invited into a private meeting in a courthouse conference room here as Judge Gerald E. Rosen, the appointed mediator in this city’s federal bankruptcy case, made an unheard-of request. He wanted the philanthropic groups, some with ties to […]

USA TODAY: The 43 students missing for more than six weeks are believed dead after charred human remains were fished from a river and its banks, Mexico’s attorney general said Friday. Extracting DNA will be incredibly difficult after the bodies and other evidence was burned for the better part of a day prior to being […]

BLOOMBERG: The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to consider a challenge to the subsidies that are a linchpin of President Barack Obama’s health-care plan, accepting a case that suddenly puts the landmark law under a new legal cloud. The decision to hear the case helps transform what had been a low-profile Supreme Court term into a […]

FINANCIAL TIMES: …Robust jobs growth confirms the US is shaking off weakness elsewhere in the world economy and expanding at a pace that may yet force the Fed to raise interest rates as early as next spring. The continued decline in the unemployment rate – despite more people coming into the labour force – suggests […]

PENN LIVE OP-ED: Commentators in recent years have been telling us that Americans are turning inward, showing little interest in affairs overseas. They cite polls indicating that, after over ten years of wars, most people would rather focus on nation-building here at home. And so, as the logic goes, American policymakers – and candidates – […]