Money, Money: The economy grew by 3.2% in the fourth quarter of 2013, an indication the economic recovery has legs. Stocks are up this morning. But yesterday the Federal Reserve announced another $10 billion cut in its monthly stimulus bond …

SOTU: President Obama vowed last night in his State of the Union message to pull an end-around on an obstructive Congress with executive actions. He said he will increase the minimum wage for federal contract workers from $7.25 to $10.10 …

Pete Seeger: The great folk singer Pete Seeger, leader of the folk revival and an agent for social change, has died at age 94 in New York. He sang and played guitar and banjo everywhere from labor rallies to college …

Egypt: In a tactical escalation of violence, Islamist militants in the Sinai Peninsula used a surface to air missile to shoot down an Egyptian military helicopter, killing five people on board. The militants released a video showing a man firing …

Egypt: Nearly 50 people died in political clashes in Egypt on the third anniversary of the uprising that overthrew President Hosni Mubarek. Riot police were called to break up a disturbance between anti-government Islamists and left wing activists. About a …

Ukraine: President Viktor Yanukovych is holding talks with the opposition after demonstrations and violence continued. Demonstrators briefly occupied the energy ministry in Kiev and fires burned in the streets throughout the night. In a growing crisis for the government, demonstrators …

Middle East: Syrian representatives are threatening to pull out of peace talks with the rebel opposition as both sides refuse to meet face to face. >A car bomb outside the police headquarters in central Cairo this morning killed four people …

Syria: Peace talks in Switzerland immediately stumbled over the continued tenure of President Bashar al-Assad. Secy. of State John Kerry said Assad could not be part of a negotiated interim government and that, “The right to lead a country does …

Syria: A new report says Syria has systematically tortured and executed 11,000 prisoners since the start of its civil war. The report from three former war crimes prosecutors is based upon 55,000 digital pictures of victims brought to them by …

Sochi: A local Russian website says police and security officers are searching for a known female terrorist identified as Ruzana Ibragimova, 22, who may have been seen in Sochi, site of the Winter Olympics. Russian President Vladimir Putin says he …