Bill Chappell

Many earthlings were treated to a rare sight last night, as a "supermoon" coincided with a lunar eclipse. It was a bad night to have clouds obscuring the view, as the last total eclipse that had these qualities occurred in 1982, and the next won't happen until 2033.

This lunar ...

Ousted from the London 2012 Games by the International Olympic Committee, baseball and softball might get a reprieve, thanks to a proposal from Tokyo 2020 Olympics organizers. They'd also like to see skateboarding and surfing — but not bowling.

Baseball and softball were on a list of five sports released ...

Citing a lack of enough oil to make the project worthwhile, Royal Dutch Shell Oil is halting its effort to drill for oil off Alaska's shore "for the foreseeable future." The company has spent some $7 billion on the exploration project.

Shell announced the move late Sunday, describing what ...

He praised one as a man of prayer, the other for her "passion for justice." But many Americans might need a reminder about two of the people Pope Francis discussed in Congress on Thursday: philosopher Thomas Merton and activist Dorothy Day.

The two Catholics were mentioned alongside two other, more ...

One day after Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn announced his resignation over the German automaker's use of software to dupe emissions control tests, European countries are conducting new tests — and the Auto Bild site says a BMW diesel model also failed to meet European standards.

The new report that ...

The annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, was struck by tragedy Thursday, as a stampede near the holy city killed at least 717 people and left more than 860 injured, according to Saudi officials.

The death toll and the number of injured have risen as authorities get reports from ...

One day after acknowledging that 11 million Volkswagen-made cars have software that dupes official emissions tests, Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn says he is resigning from his post.

"I am shocked by the events of the past few days," Winterkorn said in a statement released Wednesday. "Above all, I am stunned ...

In a much-anticipated visit, Pope Francis arrived at the White House Wednesday morning, where he met with President Obama. Francis addressed a crowd of more than 11,000 people.

Francis used his short speech to touch on several topics that he is likely to address during his trip to the U.S., ...

Updated at 9:22 a.m. ET

Undoing a three-year prison sentence that had drawn protests from media groups and other organizations, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has pardoned 100 people, including two journalists for Al Jazeera English.

The journalists are Canadian-Egyptian Mohamed Fahmy and Egyptian producer Baher Mohamed.

A statement from the ...

President Xi Jinping delivered several surprising remarks in a speech at a banquet in Seattle on Tuesday night, dropping pop culture references to the show House of Cards and recounting how he drank rum at a bar in Cuba out of his affection for Ernest Hemingway.

For large portions of ...

Updated at 3:45 p.m. ET

A 9-year-old police dog named Rex is ready to retire from the force. That presents a quandary for the Albuquerque, N.M., police department: what to do with a devoted and capable dog whose law enforcement training makes it a challenge to find him a new ...

The newspaper whose motto is "All the news that's fit to print" didn't meet a printer's requirements in Thailand on Tuesday. The printer opted to skip a day of The New York Times after deciding that a story about Thailand's future — and its king's health — was inappropriate.

The ...

The software that allegedly causes Volkswagen cars to cheat official emissions tests exists in only one type of diesel engine, according to the carmaker — and it has sold 11 million of them around the world. The company says it's setting aside 6.5 billion euros (around $7.25 billion) to fix ...

The couple's car died recently, so when the man saw they were low on the coffee his wife of 50 years craves, he crossed the English Channel and biked to a store, where he bought 64 pounds of beans.

Recreational marijuana use is legal in Washington state — but only for adults. And after the state's law was tweaked this summer, minors who break that rule risk felony charges. That's the case for three minors in Asotin County, who could now face up to five years in prison.

A ...

The man who made a mark in America as a cub reporter has died: Actor Jack Larson, who played a sidekick to Superman's alter-ego Clark Kent at the fictional Daily Planet newspaper, was 87.

The actor and playwright died at his home in Brentwood, Calif., according to CBS Los ...

Iran is hailing the International Atomic Energy Agency's visit to a controversial military base, saying it disproves "fictions" about the site's nuclear capabilities. But critics note that samples were taken by Iranian officials, without inspectors being present.

NPR's Peter Kenyon reports:

"The head of the IAEA and his top ...

Updated 7:30 p.m. ET

"I personally am deeply sorry that we have broken the trust of our customers and the public," says Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn, days after the EPA said the German carmaker had purposefully rigged its diesel cars to pass emissions tests.

The CEO's sentiments did not stop ...

Days after negotiators struck a new deal that paused a strike, Seattle's teachers voted Sunday night to ratify the new contract. For the Seattle school district's 53,000 students, the strike had delayed the start of the school year by six days.

As the old contract expired, Seattle's teachers hadn't received ...

By a 241-187 vote, the House of Representatives has approved a bill that would cut off federal money for Planned Parenthood. The bill isn't expected to pass in the Senate — and President Obama has said he would veto any bill that defunds the group.

Last year, Planned Parenthood received ...