Steve Inskeep

The fledgling U.N. monitoring mission in Syria is under sharp criticism from activists who say the team is failing to enforce the terms of the agreement drafted by special envoy Kofi Annan. Violence is down in some areas but flaring up in others.

The Republicans could use the vice presidential slot to appeal to Hispanics. Meanwhile, President Obama used his weekly address to focus on the high cost of student loans.

The Secret Service announced Wednesday night that three people involved in misconduct in Colombia would be leaving the agency. Agents, as well as military personnel, are alleged to have hired prostitutes in advance of President Obama's recent trip to there.

In the French city of Toulouse, police have a suspect in Monday's killing of three Jewish schoolchildren and a rabbi.

The NFL has revealed that the New Orleans Saints maintained a bounty pool to award players for delivering game-ending injuries to the opposition. Franchises and fans are waiting to see what the penalty will be, and what kind of message it sends the league.

As the Republican presidential candidates concentrate their efforts on Super Tuesday, both parties are gearing up for what could be a down-to-the-wire race for control of Congress. National opinion polls show Democrats and Republicans are tied after voters were asked which party they want to see in control.

Severe storms have left at least a dozen people dead across the Midwest. The hardest hit area is Harrisburg, Illinois, where entire neighborhoods were destroyed.

In Yemen Tuesday, voters are casting ballots in a one-candidate presidential election. They hope it may bring an end to a nearly year-long political crisis that's sparked much violence among various heavily-armed factions as well as pro-democracy protesters.

Twitter is supposed to have turned the world into a global village. But new research shows that our Twitter ties are considerably more parochial than most of us imagine. People no longer define their communities by where they live but by common interests.

The Obama administration officially lays out its economic blueprint for the next fiscal year on Monday. He'll announce the 2013 budget at Northern Virginia Community College, where he'll push for more investment in community colleges and job training.