Ken Stanford

White House officials have been holding private meetings this week aimed at soothing lawmakers' concerns over the U.S. posture in Syria, the future of the American military presence in Afghanistan and defense spending.

A United Nations committee concluded Friday that the Vatican has effective worldwide control over bishops and priests who must comply with a U.N. anti-torture treaty, a finding that could expose the Catholic Church to new lawsuits by victims of clerical sex abuse.

U.S. safety regulators are investigating older-model Ram pickup trucks with manual transmissions because the engines can be started without the clutch being depressed.

Sales of existing U.S. homes rebounded slightly in April, but the pace of buying remained below last year's level. New home sales were also up.