Eyder Peralta

Outgoing Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel landed in Iraq this morning. Hagel is scheduled to meet with Iraqi officials and U.S. commanders about the U.S.-led war against the so-called Islamic State.

This visit is of note because Hagel is the first secretary of defense to visit the country since President ...

A white police officer killed an unarmed black man in Phoenix on Tuesday, echoing similar recent incidents in New York and Missouri.

According to The Arizona Republic, Phoenix police received a tip that a man in a car was dealing drugs. They tried to apprehend Rumain Brisbon outside his Phoenix ...

The November jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that the U.S. job market continues to improve at a steady pace.

Here are the two big numbers from Friday's report:

— The economy added 321,000 jobs — much more than the 214,000 produced in October, ...

NASA's unmanned Orion spacecraft has successfully splashed down about 400 miles west of La Paz, Mexico, in the Pacific Ocean after a liftoff, two orbits and re-entry that lasted just under 4 1/2 hours.

Orion, which could one day take astronauts to Mars, made a "bull's-eye splashdown" at 11:29 a.m. ...

An investigation by the New Jersey Legislature has cleared Gov. Chris Christie in an apparently politically motivated scheme that closed some lanes of the George Washington Bridge last year, leading to major traffic jams and a political firestorm.

The investigation could find no evidence that Christie was involved in ...

The grand jury that weighed whether to charge the New York police officer involved in the death of Eric Garner heard from 50 witnesses and saw dozens of exhibits, including four videos, before declining to indict.

We know this because Stephen J. Rooney, a justice on Richmond County Supreme ...

After a long investigation, the Department of Justice has found that Cleveland's Division of Police has "engaged in a pattern and practice of using excessive force" because of inadequate training and a lack of accountability, Attorney General Eric Holder said on Thursday.

In a press conference in Cleveland, Holder added ...

And on the 18th try, the Philadelphia 76ers finally snapped their losing streak, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 85-77 on Wednesday.

Yes, they managed to right the ship to avoid tying the record for worst start to an NBA season and, yes, a win is a win.

But it wasn't pretty. ...

The Yemen branch of al-Qaida is threatening to kill a hostage who says he is a British-born American citizen.

Reuters reports the video of the man was first noticed by SITE, an organization that tracks terrorist groups. The video shows a man who says his name is Luke Somers, ...

We've written a lot about the emotions that poured out onto the streets of U.S. cities and across the Internet when a grand jury in Staten Island declined to indict the police officer involved in the death of Eric Garner.

There is one piece of tape, however, that ...

Super Typhoon Hagupit is gathering strength in the Western Pacific and threatening to deal another significant blow to the Philippines.

The Weather Channel reports that the tropical cyclone is already significant:

"At 8 p.m. EST Wednesday, the U.S. military's Joint Typhoon Warning Center estimated Hagupit's maximum sustained 1-minute wind ...

Saying President Obama does not have the authority to wage a war against the so-called Islamic State, Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky, introduced a measure declaring war against the Sunni militant group.

Obama declared a war against the group back in September. Administration officials have said that they ...

We're a little late to this news, but we're pointing it out to set the record straight: The White House says immigrants protected under President Obama's executive action will be eligible for Social Security benefits.

When Obama made a Nov. 20 announcement that he was shielding from deportation some ...

A federal appeals court has halted the execution of Scott Panetti, a Texas prisoner convicted in the 1992 murder of his in-laws.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a reprieve just hours before the 56-year-old inmate was scheduled to be killed via lethal injection. The court said it ...

Kalashnikov, the maker of the world-renowned AK-47, has unveiled a new logo and a new slogan.

In a briefing for reporters, Rostec Corp. said the new branding emphasizes that its weapons are "protecting peace."

"The rebranding is a symbol of changes in the way our business works and our ...

Meeting with representatives of nations that have joined the United States in its fight against the so-called Islamic State, Secretary of State John Kerry said the offensive was having "significant impact."

Reuters reports:

"'Our commitment will be measured most likely in years but our efforts are already having ...

Rain has been falling on Southern California.

That's news because the region is now into its fourth year of drought — the worst in centuries — so when the skies finally opened up on Tuesday, the world took notice.

The New York Times reports:

"No matter ...

President Obama is likely to nominate Ashton Carter as his next secretary of defense, CNN, The Associated Press, The Washington Post and The New York Times are reporting.

Carter served as the No. 2 defense official under Leon Panetta, and while he's relatively unknown to the public, ...

For the first time, the captain of the doomed Costa Concordia took the stand to defend himself in an Italian courtroom on Tuesday.

Francesco Schettino said he didn't change the route of the cruise liner to impress a Moldovan dancer he was having an affair with.

Instead, The Associated ...

Militants opened fire on workers at a quarry in northeast Kenya early Tuesday, leaving at least 36 of them dead.

Reuters reports the attack happened near the border with Somalia, where just a week earlier al-Shabab militants hijacked a bus and killed 28 people. The wire service reports:

...