National

Former Rep. Chaka Fattah, D-Pa., walks from the federal courthouse on Monday after his sentencing hearing in Philadelphia.

Former Rep. Chaka Fattah Sentenced To 10 Years For 'White-Collar Crime Spree'

5:41pm December 12, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

A federal jury has sentenced the ex-lawmaker for 23 counts of conspiracy, fraud, bribery and money laundering in a series of elaborate schemes that misappropriated funds.

Trump's Potential Secretary Of State Rex Tillerson Is A Titan In The Oil Industry

5:11pm December 12, 2016

by Jeff Brady

President-elect Donald Trump may nominate ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson to be secretary of state. The oil executive is a giant in the business world, but not as well known in political circles.

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National

Activist Groups Expect More States To Take Up New Anti-Abortion Measures

5:11pm December 12, 2016

by Jennifer Ludden

New abortion regulations in Texas are part of a new wave of such measures that gained momentum after last year's undercover videos targeting Planned Parenthood.

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Seaweed farms like this one on Nusa Lembongan Island, in Indonesia, are the main sources of carrageenan.

Carrageenan Backlash: Food Firms Are Ousting A Popular Additive

5:11pm December 12, 2016

by Dan Charles

Food manufacturers are under pressure to replace carrageenan, an ingredient that's widely used in products — from protein drinks to sliced deli meat. The organic industry just moved to ban it.

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A photo provided by Zoo Atlanta, shows giant panda twins Ya Lun (left) and Xi Lun on Dec. 9.

National

Meet Lun Lun's Elegant And Happy (Panda) Daughters

5:06pm December 12, 2016

by Rebecca Hersher

Atlanta's zoo announced the names of two 100-day-old panda babies born there this fall. Their names Ya Lun and Xi Lun mean "elegant" and "happy," and honor their mother, Lun Lun.

National

Devoted Volunteers Keep History Of Pennsylvania Rail Company On Track

4:50pm December 12, 2016

by Eleanor Klibanoff

Once the largest U.S. rail company, the Pennsylvania Railroad ceased operations nearly half a century ago. But volunteers are researching and protecting that history at the station in Lewiston, Pa.

U.S. intelligence agencies charge that operatives with ties to Russia and Vladimir Putin's (above) administration hacked private Clinton and Democratic National Committee emails during the presidential election and released them via WikiLeaks.

Why FBI And CIA Could Differ About Motive For Russian Election Hacks

4:42pm December 12, 2016

by Carrie Johnson

Current and former national security officials say the apparent disagreement about the intent of Russian hacks before the U.S. presidential election is unusual in a matter of such national import.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky heads to his office from the Senate floor last month.

McConnell, Differing With Trump, Says He Has 'Highest Confidence' In Intel Agencies

4:37pm December 12, 2016

The Senate GOP leader said he agrees that Russian involvement in the U.S. election needs to be investigated, said "the Russians are not our friends" and expressed confidence in the CIA.

After President-elect Donald Trump's conversation with Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen (right), and his subsequent suggestion that the One China policy could be reconsidered, a Chinese government spokesman warned that if the policy "is interfered with or

After Four Mostly Quiet Decades, One China Policy Is Thrust Into Spotlight

4:00pm December 12, 2016

by Rob Schmitz

A single phone call has made the policy a central issue as Donald Trump prepares to assume office. The president-elect says he doesn't think the U.S. should feel bound by it.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin (right), and Rex Tillerson, the head of ExxonMobil, smile during a signing ceremony for an oil agreement in Sochi, Russia, in 2011. Tillerson is widely reported to be President-elect Donald Trump's favored choice for secretar

How Russia Went From Uniting To Dividing U.S. Politics

3:58pm December 12, 2016

by Greg Myre

When the Soviet Union collapsed on Christmas Day 1991, it appeared Moscow would no longer dominate U.S. foreign policy. A quarter-century later, Russia has emerged as a hugely divisive presence.