Election Day:After the most expensive midterm election campaign in history, American voters go to the polls with little love for either the Republicans or the Democrats, but it looks like Republicans will benefit from the unpopularity of President Obama. Republicans …

Easing Off: The Federal Reserve today is expected to announce the end of “quantitative easing,” the purchasing of bonds that stimulated the economy all through the Great Recession. The Fed has bought $3.5 trillion worth of securities in the last …

Iraq: The country’s biggest oil refinery appears to have fallen into the hands of Sunni Islamic militants after the army and helicopter gunships failed to hold them back. Black militant banners are reported to be hanging high within the refinery. …

Nation: Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki is under the gun with the Veterans Administration accused of letting veterans die while they wait months for medical appointments and treatment. Shinseki has been subpoenaed to testify before the House Veterans Committee and …

Hurricane Season: Hurricane Ingrid is gathering strength and is on course to hit the Gulf Coast of Mexico sometime Monday. At the same time tropical storm Manuel is churning toward Mexico’s southwest Pacific shoreline. Both storms are expected to bring …

Syria: Secretary of State John Kerry said yesterday in a prepared statement that Syria’s use of chemical weapons against its own citizens last week was “undeniable.” Kerry said, “What we saw in Syria last week should shock the conscience of …

National: Two high-school football stars in Steubenville, Ohio were convicted of rape this morning in a case that brought national attention last August. The victim was a 16-year-old girl who was so drunk she woke up naked in a basement, …