GOP needs power player to end ‘warlord status,’ expert says

The 1994 elections were approaching, and House Republicans were on a mission to take control of their chamber for the first time in nearly 50 years. Buoyed by an electorate skeptical of then-President Clinton after his unsuccessful push for health care reform, Republicans charged forward with what experts say they are lacking now: a clear message and a leader

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Controversial former Japanese finance minister found dead

Former Japanese Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa, who resigned from his post after appearing intoxicated at a news conference earlier this year, was found dead in his home Sunday, police told CNN. Tokyo police found Nakagawa, 56, lying face down on a bed on the second-floor of his home, Kyodo reported.

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Merkel eyes new coalition after victory

Re-elected German Chancellor Angela Merkel is eyeing a new coalition to replace the “grand coalition” her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party shared with the Social Democratic Party (SPD) in the previous parliament. If, as expected, Merkel forms a new coalition with the Free Democratic Party (FPD) it will have wide-reaching implications for Germans.

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Obama as witch doctor: Racist or satirical?

Posters portraying President Obama as a witch doctor may be racist, organizers of Tea Party protests say, but they reflect anger about where he is leading the country. The posters, showing Obama wearing a feather headdress and a bone through his nose, have recently popped up in e-mails, on Web sites and at Tea Party protests.

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Police: Train carrying Rahul Gandhi stoned

A train carrying Rahul Gandhi, the heir apparent of India’s ruling Congress party, was pelted with stones Tuesday night, police said. Gandhi was traveling on one of India’s Shatabdi Express trains — fully air-conditioned, speedy trains preferred mostly by India’s wealthy and upper-class travelers

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Sean Penn steps out with new girlfriend

The ink’s barely dry on the divorce filing between Sean Penn and soon-to-be ex Robin Wright Penn, but the actor didn’t waste time getting back on his feet with new girlfriend Jessica White in New York City. On Friday night, Penn, 49, and White, 25, had dinner at Hotel Griffou (both ordered the chicken and drank vodka) before heading to the Mercer Hotel.

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Turning Point Looms for the U.S. in Afghanistan

Monday marks the end of August, a month with both good and bad news out of Afghanistan — and the approach of a key turning point. Civilian casualties caused by Western attacks have fallen dramatically under a new edict from General Stanley McChrystal barring air strikes that risk innocent deaths . That’s designed to show the Afghan people that the U.S

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