Obamas celebrated at their last Kennedy Center Honors

The longest, loudest standing ovation of the Kennedy Center Honors gala wasn't reserved for Al Pacino, Mavis Staples or the Eagles. Instead, it went to the man sitting to their left, attending his eighth and most likely his last honors presentation: President Barack Obama.

Petraeus: ‘Five years ago, I made a serious mistake’

David Petraeus made a last-ditch effort Sunday to show President-elect Donald Trump that his guilty plea for revealing classified information to his mistress and biographer shouldn't disqualify him from serving as America's top diplomat. Petraeus, the former general and CIA director, was asked on ABC's "This Week" what he would say to Republican senators who are hesitant to vote to confirm a man who pled guilty to exactly what they spent months accusing Hillary Clinton of doing via her private email server.

Right from Wrong: Note to Israelis: The US is not racist

Since Donald Trump won the US presidential election last month, Israelis have been engaged in a heated debate about how the victory of the billionaire businessman who gets into fights on Twitter will affect the Jewish state. The Left, which has been fawning over Barack Obama for eight years, has been attributing all the ills of his country and the world during this period to a combination of piggish capitalism and racism ostensibly so indigenous to America that even the Great Black Hope was unable to stomp them out.

Obama to join Kennedy Center Honors gala for last time

This year's Kennedy Center Honors gala will be bittersweet for some because it's the last one under President Barack Obama, but the festivities aren't likely to be much different next year under President-elect Donald Trump, the Kennedy Center president said. Actor Al Pacino, rock band the Eagles, pianist Martha Argerich, gospel singer Mavis Staples and singer-songwriter James Taylor will receive the honors on Sunday.

Rouhani urges Obama to block Iran sanctions law extension

Iran is urging Barack Obama to block a law that would extend the U.S. president's authority to impose sanctions on the Islamic Republic, calling it a violation of the Iranian nuclear deal. On Thursday, the Senate voted 99-0 to extend the Iran Sanctions Act, which authorizes a president to prevent investment in Iran's energy sector and other sensitive industries.

Democratsa task: Rebuild the blue political wall in Midwest

Democrats need to rebuild the political "blue wall" of traditionally Democratic upper Midwest and Great Lakes states that Republican Donald Trump captured with an appeal to white, working-class voters. Hillary Clinton's failure to hold key blocs of these voters helped seal Trump's stunning electoral victory and leaves Democrats with a gaping, perhaps long-term, hole in the party's national battle front.

Inauguration to draw those ready to celebrate, commiserate

One thing you can count on during inauguration season in Washington: People of all stripes will find a reason to show up - whether it's to celebrate or commiserate. There are parties and protests to attend, stars to gawk at, receptions to be worked, deals to be done, drinks to be consumed.

Uzbekistan votes in first election since Karimov’s death

The converted warehouse known as the "Ghost Ship" where a deadly fire ripped through a late-night dance party was an artist workspace and illegal home for a rotating cast of a dozen or more residents, those who... The converted warehouse known as the "Ghost Ship" where a deadly fire ripped through a late-night dance party was an artist workspace and illegal home for a rotating cast of a dozen or more residents, those who lived there... A graduate student arrested on suspicion of killing the professor who oversaw his work at the University of California was described by some of his fellow classmates as a quiet but seemingly normal young man while others... The Green Party is dropping its court case seeking a statewide recount of Pennsylvania's Nov. 8 presidential election.

Gore says U.S. climate curbs on track, hopes Trump will surprise

U.S. greenhouse gas emissions are likely to fall irrespective of the pro-coal policies of President-elect Donald Trump, who may still surprise the world by embracing global action to limit climate change, former vice president Al Gore said. Gore, a climate activist who will lead a 24-hour televised marathon on Dec. 5-6 about global efforts to limit rising temperatures, told Reuters that companies and U.S. states would cut emissions despite Trump's doubts that warming is man-made.

U.S. Soldier Who Left Post In Afghanistan Asks Obama For Pardon

U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl leaves a courthouse after an arraignment hearing for his court-martial in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in December 2015. A U.S. Army sergeant charged with desertion for leaving his combat post in Afghanistan in 2009 has asked President Barack Obama for a pardon.

Australian PM says he’s confident Trump won’t pull out of U.S. refugee deal

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on Sunday he was confident a refugee resettlement deal with the United States would go ahead, despite White House comments which seemed to cast doubt about its future under a Trump Administration. White House deputy spokesman Eric Schultz told reporters the deal to resettle in the U.S refugees currently held at Australian-funded offshore processing centres was reached with President Barack Obama, and it was the prerogative of each president to set policies.

How worried should immigrants be?

The day after the presidential election, I stood in front of a class of foreign graduate students who had come to the United States to study U.S. and international law, trying to reassure them that they were not in danger of being deported. "You are all here legally on student visas," I reminded them.

News exclusive: 2 in 3 Canadians back Trump on Keystone, NATO

A new poll conducted for CTV News suggests about two in three Canadians are on board with Donald Trump's proposal to approve the Keystone XL pipeline and the same proportion agree with the president-elect that Canada should contribute its "fair share" to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization . At the same time, the Nanos Research poll found strong support for the North America Free Trade Agreement that Trump has vowed to scrap or re-negotiate, and little appetite for the idea of Canada making special provisions for illegal immigrants he deports.

No. 8 Penn St. rallies to beat No. 6 Wisconsin 38-31

California authorities say a fire has broken out at an Oakland warehouse where people were having a party and police say there are "casualties." Firefighters struggled to get to bodies in the rubble Saturday after a fire tore through a converted Oakland warehouse during a late-night electronic music party, killing at least 9 people and making the charred structure... The warehouse gutted by a blaze that killed at least nine people was home to musicians, painters, woodworkers, dancers and other artists who came together to make art and hold dance performances and parties.