| Did NASA time Mars announcement to 'The Martian'? Posted: 28 Sep 2015 03:01 PM PDT  The announcement confirming that water is flowing on the surface of Mars was celebrated by scientists searching for life in the universe — and by the publicists at Twentieth Century Fox looking to promote "The Martian," the upcoming Ridley Scott film starring Matt Damon.
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| Bill to avert government shutdown clears main Senate hurdle Posted: 28 Sep 2015 03:03 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Legislation to avoid a U.S. government shutdown and provide temporary funds for federal agencies in the fiscal year beginning on Thursday cleared an important procedural hurdle in the Senate on Monday. With the 60 votes needed, the Senate limited debate on the stopgap funding bill that would extend current agency spending until Dec. 11. The Senate is expected to pass the bill on Tuesday or Wednesday, sending it to the House for passage before a midnight Wednesday deadline. (Reporting By Richard Cowan; Editing by Sandra Maler)
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| 'Cheers' but no cheer: Obama and Putin's grim toast Posted: 28 Sep 2015 02:38 PM PDT  Rarely can a toast at a UN luncheon have been so chilly. Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin went through the motions on Monday, clinking glasses and making eye contact, but no more. Obama saluted the world leaders seated at his table, but when he came to Putin, his look hardened and his smile faded.
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| Scramble to fill top jobs in House after Boehner exit Posted: 28 Sep 2015 03:33 PM PDT  The House Majority Leader officially declares his candidacy for House speaker to replace John Boehner.
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| Obama, Putin clash over differences on Syria's future Posted: 28 Sep 2015 04:03 PM PDT  UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin sharply disagreed Monday over the chaos in Syria, with Obama urging a political transition to replace the Syrian president but Putin warning it would be a mistake to abandon the current government.
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| Republican front-runner Trump proposes tax cuts for all Posted: 28 Sep 2015 02:29 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — After weeks of vowing to raise taxes on "hedge fund guys" and high-income earners, Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump unveiled a tax plan Monday that would cut rates across the board and reduce the amount paid by wealthiest Americans and corporations into the U.S. Treasury.
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| Evidence of brine 'flows' on Mars: water study Posted: 28 Sep 2015 08:20 AM PDT  Curious lines running down slopes on the Martian surface may be streaks of super-salty brine, said the latest findings Monday in the scientific quest for extra-terrestrial liquid water, a prerequisite for life. A team from the United States and France said it found evidence in the lines of "hydrated" salt minerals, which require water for their creation. Astrophysicists have long hypothesised that the seasonal streaks, dubbed "recurring slope lineae" (RSL), may be formed by brine flows on the Red Planet.
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| Oklahoma court denies motion to halt execution of Glossip Posted: 28 Sep 2015 01:43 PM PDT  The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals on Monday denied a request to halt the execution planned for later this week of Richard Glossip, whose lawyers said they had uncovered new evidence that points to his innocence. On Sept. 16, it issued a two-week stay hours before his scheduled execution and set the new date of Sept. 30 for the lethal injection. Glossip, 52, was found guilty of arranging the 1997 murder of Barry Van Treese, the owner of an Oklahoma City motel that Glossip was managing.
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| State suspends amphibious truck tour service after Seattle crash Posted: 28 Sep 2015 04:01 PM PDT  A Washington state commission suspended an amphibious tour service operator in Seattle on Monday while it investigates last week's crash with a charter bus carrying international students in which five people died, an official said. Thursday's crash between the Ride the Ducks truck and the bus on Seattle's Aurora Bridge also sent about 50 people to hospitals. Washington state's Utilities and Transportation Commission suspended all Ride the Ducks operations in the state, said spokeswoman Amanda Maxwell.
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| Georgia woman set for execution gets last-minute clemency hearing Posted: 28 Sep 2015 02:37 PM PDT  Georgia's only female death row inmate won a last-minute clemency hearing on Monday, a day before she is due to be executed by lethal injection, the state parole board said. The Board of Pardons and Paroles will meet behind closed doors on Tuesday morning to consider "supplemental information" in the case of Kelly Gissendaner, 47, opening the possibility for her sentence being commuted to life, with or without parole, it said. Supporters urged government and court officials on Monday to spare Gissendaner's life, arguing she has been a model prisoner and questioning the lethal injection method that will be used to execute her.
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