Today's Top News Story
Acting Pentagon chief not decided yet on funding border wall
ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT (Reuters) - Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said on Saturday he had not yet determined whether a border wall with Mexico was a military necessity or how much Pentagon money would be used. Read More
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Illinois factory gunman obtained firearm permit despite felony conviction
AURORA, Ill. (Reuters) - The gunman who killed five co-workers and wounded five policemen at an Illinois factory was a violent felon who nevertheless obtained a state permit to buy a firearm despite being legally barred from owning one, authorities said on Saturday. More »
Trump's choice for U.N. ambassador withdraws: State Department
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's choice for ambassador to the United Nations, Heather Nauert, has withdrawn from consideration for the job for family reasons, the State Department said on Saturday. More »
Trump declares emergency for border wall, House panel launches probe
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Friday declared a national emergency in a bid to fund his promised wall at the U.S.-Mexico border without congressional approval, an action Democrats vowed to challenge as a violation of the U.S. Constitution. More »
Exclusive: McCarrick defrocking shows 'bishops not above the law' - top Vatican investigator
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The defrocking of former U.S. cardinal Theodore McCarrick is a "very important signal" to the Catholic Church hierarchy that no one is above the law, the Vatican's top sexual crimes investigator said on Saturday. More »
U.S. President Trump receives update on China trade talks
PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) - President Donald Trump received an update on trade talks with China on Saturday at his Florida retreat after discussions in Beijing saw progress ahead of a March 1 deadline for reaching a deal. More »
More U.S. aid for Venezuela touches down amid distribution uncertainty
CUCUTA, Colombia (Reuters) - A U.S. military transport plane carrying humanitarian aid meant for Venezuelans landed on Saturday in the Colombian border city of Cucuta, where food and medicine is being stored amid uncertainty over how and where aid will be distributed. More »
IS 'caliphate' on brink of defeat in Syria as Trump urges Europe to do more
NEAR BAGHOUZ, Syria (Reuters) - U.S.-backed fighters in Syria are poised to capture Islamic State's last, tiny enclave on the Euphrates, the battle commander said on Saturday, bringing its self-declared caliphate to the brink of total defeat as U.S. President Donald Trump spoke of "100 percent victory". More »
French police fire tear gas as latest 'yellow vest' protests turn violent
PARIS (Reuters) - French police fired tear gas to disperse protesters who threw projectiles and set bins on fire in Paris, Lyon and Bordeaux on Saturday, as the 14th straight weekend of "yellow vest" protests took a violent turn in the afternoon. More »
Pence chastises EU, rejects Merkel's call to work with Russia
MUNICH (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence rebuked European powers over Iran and Venezuela on Saturday in a renewed attack on Washington's traditional allies, rejecting a call by Germany's chancellor to include Russia in global cooperation efforts. More »
