Clinton says trial shows Iran ‘is afraid of its own people’

Iran’s trial of more than 100 people who it has linked to post-election unrest is a "sign of weakness" and shows that the Islamic republic "is afraid of its own people," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told CNN Thursday.

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Senate confirms Sotomayor for Supreme Court

Judge Sonia Sotomayor, who rose from the housing projects of the Bronx to the top of the legal profession, made history Thursday when the Senate confirmed her to become the nation’s first Hispanic Supreme Court justice. Sotomayor was easily confirmed in a 68-31 vote.

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Chavez criticizes Colombia over weapons claims

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Wednesday blasted accusations that his government supplied Colombian guerrillas with shoulder-fired anti-tank weapons and accused the neighboring country of blackmail. The remarks follow a freezing of diplomatic relations between the countries over the weapons issue and over negotiations that could lead to American military bases in Colombia.

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Analysis: Empty seats, silence speaks for protesters

In his inauguration speech at the Iranian parliament, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had something to say for almost everyone — his supporters, his opponents and those he called "enemies" without naming names. He hailed what he called an “epic election” but didn’t go into the turmoil of the past two months that ensued.

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Boston cop who sent ‘jungle monkey’ e-mail sues

A Boston police officer is suing the city after he was suspended for referring to a black Harvard professor as a "banana-eating jungle monkey" in an e-mail. “If I’m charged with a crime I want a chance to answer. I want the chance for a fair hearing,” Officer Justin Barrett told CNN on Tuesday.

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Democrats say Republicans staging town hall protests

Democrats are accusing Republicans of organizing "angry mobs" to disrupt town hall meetings across the country, but conservatives say the protests are a sign of the opposition to President Obama’s health care plans. The Democratic National Committee released a Web video Wednesday charging that Republican operatives “have no plan for moving our country forward, so they’ve called out the mob.” The video shows footage of angry constituents and protesters at recent events and then flashes pictures of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Minority Leader John Boehner, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, and even conservative talk radio icon Rush Limbaugh on the screen

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The story behind Clinton’s trip to North Korea

Two senior Obama administration officials described on background how former President Bill Clinton’s mission to Pyongyang to secure the release of two U.S. journalists imprisoned by North Korea evolved: President Obama never spoke directly with former President Clinton about this issue, the officials said. During a phone call with their families in mid-July, the journalists told their relatives that they had been informed by the North Koreans that they would be willing to grant them amnesty if an envoy like former President Clinton would come to Pyongyang to secure their release

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Can Clinton Reverse the U.S-North Korea Downward Spiral of Diplomacy?

Shortly after former President Bill Clinton finished having dinner with Kim Jong Il on August 4 in Pyongyang, the North Korean state run news agency issued a release saying that the two men had met, and that Clinton had brought a message to the North Korean leader from President Barack Obama. In a flash, the White House issued its own statement: No, he hadn’t. And with that, the questions about the former President’s visit to Pyongyang — and about where relations with Kim Jong Il’s North Korea go from here — begin.

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In China, DNA tests on kids ID genetic gifts, careers

At the Chongqing Children’s Palace, experts are hoping to revolutionize child-rearing with the help of science. About 30 children aged 3 to 12 years old and their parents are participating in a new program that uses DNA testing to identify genetic gifts and predict the future. When Director Zhao Mingyou first heard about the technology earlier this year, he instantly knew it could be a success in China

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