Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, speaks to the media after attending a meeting regarding National Security Agency programs, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, June 13, 2013.

Feinstein: Stop Guantánamo forced-feeding

The head of the Senate Intelligence Committee says she opposes the force-feeding of terror suspects at the U.S. detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and is pressing the Pentagon to establish a more humane treatment.

Educators, artists, lawmakers urge more emphasis on the arts

America needs to invest more in the humanities and social sciences in order to preserve its cultural identity and economic competitiveness, according to a new report on the role those subjects play in shaping the national character 1371725027

President Barack Obama speaks in front of the iconic Brandenburg Gate in Berlin Germany, Wednesday, June 19, 2013. Obama is planning a major push using executive powers to tackle the pollution blamed for global warming in an effort to make good on promises he made at the start of his second term. "We know we have to do more — and we will do more," Obama said in Berlin.

Obama making plans to tackle global warming

President Barack Obama is planning a major push using executive powers to tackle the pollution blamed for global warming in an effort to make good on promises he made at the start of his second term. "We know we have to do more - and we will do more," Obama said Wednesday in Berlin.

Abolitionist Frederick Douglass celebrated with Capitol statue

Frederick Douglass, prominent abolitionist, writer and orator, now towers over a podium in the U.S. Capitol, a speech curled passionately in his hand. 1371724738

Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski backs same-sex marriage

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said Wednesday she’s changed her views and now supports gay marriage, becoming the third Senate Republican to do so. 1371724440

US President Barack Obama, left, waves to invited guests next to German Chancellor Angela Merkel . right, in front of Brandenburg Gate at Pariser Platz in Berlin, Germany Wednesday June 19, 2013. , On the second day of his visit to Germany, Obama met with German President Joachim Gauck and Chancellor Angela Merkel and delivered a speech at Brandenburg Gate.

Russia could stand in way of Obama's nuke cuts

By saying he intends to bargain with Russia over new reductions in nuclear weapons, rather than make cuts on his own, President Barack Obama is asking for cooperation from a former Cold War foe in no mood to agree. Photo Gallery Available

US calls out China, Russia over human trafficking

The U.S. accused China and Russia of failing to meet minimum standards in fighting human trafficking, ranking them on a par with North Korea and Syria.

Spy data disclosures show anew that executive branch holds all the cards

Disclosures about National Security Agency cyber-spying on millions of Americans vividly illustrates how the federal government’s check-and-balance system is out of balance.

Shafiullah Nooristani, a member of the Afghan High Peace Council, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, June 19, 2013. Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai's said Wednesday he will not pursue peace talks with the Taliban unless the United States steps out of the negotiations, while also insisting the militant group stop its violent attacks on the ground after it claimed responsibility for a rocket attack that killed four Americans. Karzai had said Tuesday that he would send representatives from his High Peace Council to Qatar for talks but aides said he changed his mind after objecting to the Taliban's use of its formal name "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" in opening an office in Doha.

Kerry calls Karzai to ease anger on Taliban office

Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday made his second call to the Afghan president in 24 hours to ease Hamid Karzai's anger over the rollout of the Taliban's new political office in Qatar - a rift that temporarily delayed U.S. talks with the militant group set to begin later this week.

This Tuesday, June 18, 2013 citizen journalism image provided by Aleppo Media Center AMC, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows homes destroyed by Syrian government airstrikes and shelling, in the neighborhood of Sheik Saad, Aleppo, Syria. A group of U.S. Senators want to see the U.S. do more than provide arms to some of the outgunned rebels in the bloody civil war in Syria. Democratic Sens. Robert Menendez and Carl Levin and Republican John McCain say in a joint letter to Obama that the U.S. should consider targeting regime airfields, runways and aircraft, and help rebels establish safe zones in Syria.

World powers to meet on Syrian rebel demands

World powers will meet this weekend in Qatar to decide on how to answer a list of requests for help from Syrian rebels, a French diplomat said Wednesday.

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