Eyder Peralta

Pope Francis traveled to the heart of a mafia stronghold in Italy on Saturday and told mobsters that they are not part of the church.

"Those who go down the evil path, as the Mafiosi do, are not in communion with God," he warned them during an open-air mass. "They ...

Just how complicated a place is Iraq for the United States? Take a look at these two developments from today:

-- Fighters with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a militant Sunni group, continued its march, seizing two cities.

-- Meanwhile, a Shiite cleric in Baghdad issued a ...

An Egyptian judge has confirmed the death penalty for more than 180 people, including the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood's spiritual leader.

The same judge had originally sentenced 683 people to the death penalty back in April over the attack of a police station that left one officer dead.

The Guardian ...

For now, drones are no longer allowed to fly on National Park lands.

That news comes from the National Park Service, which said the unmanned aerial vehicles had disturbed the peace on several occasions at different national parks.

"We embrace many activities in national parks because they enhance visitor experiences ...

There were fireworks on Capitol Hill on Friday in the form of testy exchanges and charges that claims by the IRS were "unbelievable," which, if you've watched Washington for any period of time, is the closest politicians get to saying someone lied.

That was the case when Republican Rep. Paul ...

Russian President Vladimir Putin has placed his armed forces on "full combat alert," the state-run news agency ITAR-Tass reports.

According to the news agency, that means the country will assess the "... troops' time standards and ability to fulfill combat readiness posture tasks. Later on, the troops will be ...

This post was updated at 1:30 a.m. ET Wednesday:

A Missouri inmate has been put to death for killing two St. Louis County women in 1996, marking the state's fifth execution this year, according to The Associated Press.

A corrections spokesman told the AP that John Winfield died early Wednesday ...

A new poll released on Tuesday shows a big shift in opinion by the Cuban-American community in South Florida: A majority (52 percent) of Cuban-Americans said the U.S. should end its embargo of Cuba.

"We are witnessing a clear demographic shift with younger and more recently arrived Cubans favoring ...

The United States has captured a militant suspected of leading the terrorist attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, said Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby.

Ahmed Abu Khattala was captured by American troops in coordination with law enforcement. Kirby said Khattala was captured Sunday and that ...

President Obama unveiled a proposal on Tuesday that would create the world's largest ocean sanctuary south and west of Hawaii, The Washington Post and The Associated Press are reporting.

According to the outlets, Obama intends to expand a sanctuary created by George W. Bush. Under the proposal, the ...

The name John Anthony Brooks likely didn't ring a bell for many Americans before Monday.

But by minute 87 of the U.S. vs. Ghana game, John Brooks had become America's newest national hero.

The 21-year-old rookie defender pounded a header into the ground and past Ghana's Adam Kwarasey. It's hard ...

Sometimes, not much needs to be said. That's the case with a series of photos released today that show an early June meeting between the father of the Santa Barbara killer and the dad of one of his 20-year-old victims.

If you remember, Richard Martinez made national news when ...

The U.S. Army has launched an investigation into the "facts and circumstances" surrounding both how Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl disappeared in Afghanistan and his capture by the Taliban.

In a statement, the Army said it had appointed Maj. Gen. Kenneth R. Dahl as its investigating officer. The statement continues:

"The ...

Hall of famer Tony Gwynn, who spent 20 years playing for the San Diego Padres, has died.

The team announced his death on Twitter, saying it was "terribly sad to say goodbye to our teammate, our friend and a legend."

Gwynn, known as "Mr. Padre," flirted with a .400 ...

Despite its name, "Madman" has more bounce to it than much of Rowe's earlier work. But it implies you'd have to be nuts to choose a life on the road.

"It's like I'm some kind of a bearded salesman," Rowe says. "But instead of vacuum cleaners I'm selling all these ...

Kenya saw another deadly attack when armed militants stormed a small coastal town Sunday night, leaving at least 48 people dead.

Kenya's Standard Digital reports that police warned the death toll could climb higher. The Standard adds:

"Mpeketoni is now like a ghost town as many residents are ...

We've been talking a lot lately about how who fills out the Census in what way. It's an ongoing preoccupation of Code Switch, and one shared by Julie Dowling. Dowling, a University of Illinois sociologist, whose book, Mexican Americans and the Question of Race, came out earlier this ...

Formula One legend Michael Schumacher is out of a coma and has been moved from a French hospital to one in Switzerland where he will continue his rehabilitation.

That news comes from his manager, Sabine Kehm, who talked to The Associated Press.

Schumacher, if you remember, had been in ...

Escalating a long-running conflict, Russia said it has decided to cut off gas supplies to Ukraine on Monday.

The move comes after the two sides failed to find common ground on the price of natural gas in light of Ukraine's outstanding gas bill. Perhaps more importantly, it marks another chapter ...

President Obama has informed Congress that 275 U.S. Armed Forces personnel will go to Iraq to provide security for the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, as a militant Sunni group continues its offensive in the country, seizing control of the northern town of Tal Afar.

The Associated Press reports Tal ...