Politics & Government

Nguyen Phu Trong, the head of Vietnam's Communist Party, and the most powerful man in the Asian nation, met with President Obama on Tuesday. It is the first time a general secretary of the country's Communist Party has visited the U.S., and a good opportunity for the Obama administration to nurture an ally as it makes its' so-called pivot to Asia.

California's assisted suicide legislation failed to move forward on Tuesday. The bill was pulled before the Assembly's Health Committee could vote on it.

14 magistrates across North Carolina have opted out of performing marriages over religious objections.

Candidates keep getting in trouble for picking theme songs without getting approval from the artist. You can trace this back to changes in both campaigning and the way companies sell products.

Carnival has received U.S. permission to begin operating cruises to Cuba. The cruises will be offered through the company's new fathom brand, a cruise line that specializes in what the company calls "social impact travel." Passengers will travel under the categories approved by the Treasury Department, allowing people to visit only if they engage in activities that support the Cuban people.

Lawmakers in South Carolina began debating Monday whether to remove the Confederate flag that flies in front of the State House in Columbia, S.C.

Uniformed volunteers are working visitors centers and monitoring trails in the busiest national forest in the country. The White River National Forest in Colorado is increasingly relying on free labor as federal budget cuts continue. The volunteers are doing what forest service staff used to do, including maintaining trails and educating visitors about bear safety.