National

The women who trained on tanks and armored vehicles say they proved they belong. Such ground combat jobs will open to women in January unless the Marine Corps makes the case they should be closed.

Ester and Walt Weaver are among the 177 people jailed after a fight between rival motorcycle clubs in May. They say the guns they carried are legal and they weren't part of the clubs or the violence.

Carnival has received U.S. permission to begin operating cruises to Cuba. The cruises will be offered through the company's new fathom brand, a cruise line that specializes in what the company calls "social impact travel." Passengers will travel under the categories approved by the Treasury Department, allowing people to visit only if they engage in activities that support the Cuban people.

Lawmakers in South Carolina began debating Monday whether to remove the Confederate flag that flies in front of the State House in Columbia, S.C.

Near Las Vegas, levels in the nation's largest reservoir have dropped 140 feet since 2000. Water deliveries to Nevada, Arizona and California may soon be rationed — and farmers would feel it first.

At this high school perched on a mountain in Israel, every single senior passed the exams that the principal calls "a ticket ... to better places." Fifteen years ago, only 12 percent passed.

Uniformed volunteers are working visitors centers and monitoring trails in the busiest national forest in the country. The White River National Forest in Colorado is increasingly relying on free labor as federal budget cuts continue. The volunteers are doing what forest service staff used to do, including maintaining trails and educating visitors about bear safety.

Fans gathered in downtown Los Angeles Tuesday to cheer the U.S. women's national soccer team. They've returned home after defeating Japan on Sunday to win the World Cup.