Trumpa s running mate once had a very different view of Putin

As a candidate for vice president, Mike Pence is siding with his running mate and casting Russian President Vladimir Putin in favorable terms, saying this week that it's "inarguable" that Putin is a stronger leader than U.S. President Barack Obama. But as an Indiana congressman, Pence took a much more critical view of Russia under Putin's leadership, signing a letter to then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in 2006 expressing alarm about "mafia-style assassinations" being conducted against journalists in Putin's Russia.

British-Iranian woman sentenced to 5 years in Iran prison

A British-Iranian woman detained for months in Iran on suspicion of planning the "soft toppling" of the country's government while travelling with her young daughter has been sentenced to five years in prison, her husband said Friday. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was convicted on "secret charges" in a Revolutionary Court, Richard Ratcliffe said, making her the first dual national known to be convicted as part of a string of detentions following Iran's nuclear deal with world powers.

Foreign fishermen confined to boats catch Hawaiian seafood

Hawaii's high-quality seafood is sold with the promise that it's caught by local, hard-working fishermen. But the people who haul in the prized catch are almost all undocumented foreign workers, confined to American boats for years at a time without basic rights or protections.

The Latest: Libertarian VP candidate defends Johnson

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks with 'Today' show co-anchor Matt Lauer at the NBC Commander-In-Chief Forum held at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space museum aboard the decommissioned aircraft carrier Intrepid, ... Authorities say "items of interest" have been found by authorities digging for the remains of a California college student who vanished in 1996. Authorities say "items of interest" have been found by authorities digging for the remains of a California college student who vanished in 1996.

Beating the odds: Manufacturing training opens doors for those with criminal records

Chicago's West Side neighborhoods are not only devastated with crime, the aftermath of illegal activity has taken a severe toll on the community's productivity. In Chicago Urban League research director Paul Street's white paper on "Race, Prison and Poverty," Congressman Danny Davis claims 70 percent of men between the ages of 18 and 45 living in impoverished North Lawndale are ex-offenders.

The Latest: Lavrov, Kerry to meet again on Syria

Starbucks is venturing into the world of "content creation" with stories it says will help balance the "cynicism" fueling media coverage of the presidential election. Starbucks wants to tell stories about inspiring Americans, marking the coffee chain's latest push to deepen its relationship with customers and cast itself as a positive force on social issues.

Hunger-striking ex-Gitmo detainee hospitalized, released

A former Guantanamo detainee who resettled in Uruguay was briefly hospitalized after becoming weak from a hunger strike and then released Tuesday. Syrian native Abu Wa'el Dhiab has repeatedly said he is unhappy in Uruguay and is demanding he be allowed to leave the country, which took him in with five other former Guantanamo prisoners in 2014.

Trump camp optimistic minority outreach efforts will be effective

With his “what the hell do you have to lose?” line, his talk of softening his stance on immigrants residing in the country illegally, his trip to Mexico City to express respect for the Mexican people, and his ventures into African-American communities in two U.S. cities, he and his campaign strategists have been working to target minority voters. “In a word, no,” said Hughey Newsome, a black conservative leader and Washington-based business consultant.

Obama cancels meeting with Philippines’ Duterte

US President Barack Obama is greeted with an honor guard and red carpet as he arrives aboard Air Force One, ahead of the ASEAN Summit, at Wattay International Airport in Vientiane, Laos September 5, 2016. Photo: Reuters Duterte, a plain-spoken populist known for his colourful remarks and his campaign against illegal drugs in which thousands of people have died, used the term in front of reporters on Monday, a day ahead of the planned meeting in Laos, where Southeast Asian leaders are meeting for annual summits.

After cursing Obama, Duterte expresses regret

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte is expressing regret after his obscenity-laden rant against President Barack Obama prompted the White House to cancel planned bilateral talks between the two leaders. Duterte, who cursed Obama as a "son of a bitch" Monday, said in a statement through his spokesman that he regretted "it came across as a personal attack on the US President."

Friend says ex-Guantanamo detainee weak from hunger strike

Former Guantanamo detainee Abu Wa'el Dhiab is weak from a hunger strike and could need to be hospitalized, a friend said Monday. Dhiab, who suffers health problems related to his hunger strikes and forced feedings while in U.S. custody, has repeatedly said he is unhappy in Uruguay, which took him and five other former Guantanamo prisoners in for resettlement in 2014.

Trump raises possibility of eventual legal status for illegal immigrants

In a new twist to his immigration proposals, U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump held out the possibility of legal status for millions of illegal immigrants, but only after many other border enforcement steps are taken. Trump, in remarks to a small group of reporters whom he invited on his plane for the first time since accepting his party's nomination, said parts of his hardline immigration speech last week in Phoenix had been misinterpreted and that he had in fact softened his position to some extent.