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WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is stepping down. At a White House ceremony this morning, President Barack Obama said he and Hagel had determined it was an "appropriate time" for Hagel "to complete his service." Obama called the Vietnam War veteran an "exemplary defense secretary" who forged a strong bond with troops stationed around the world. While critics said Hagel wasn't engaged in Cabinet meetings, Obama says the Republican former senator had always "given it to me straight" during their private conversations.
VIENNA (AP) — Secretary of State John Kerry says his Iranian counterpart has approached negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program "in good faith" and the talks have made "substantial progress." Negotiators today gave up on last-minute efforts to reach a final deal that would limit the program in exchange for an easing of international sanctions. But they agreed to extend the talks for another seven months. Kerry says "new ideas" have surface in the latest round of talks, and the sides are closer to a deal that would make the world safer.
QOM, Iran (AP) — Muslim clerics in Iran are vowing to counter extremists like the Islamic State group through mosques and Islamic teaching centers. Sunni and Shiite clerics made the pledge at the end of a two-day conference in Iran's holy city of Qom. It comes after the U.S. called on Middle Eastern countries to counter the slick propaganda of IS, which now holds territory across Syria and Iraq. Shiite-majority Iran has been helping battle IS in Iraq. The group views Shiites as apostates deserving of death.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — The president of the University of Virginia's Student Council is calling allegations of a gang rape at a fraternity a "wake-up call" for the university. A female student told Rolling Stone magazine she was assaulted by seven men. The school suspended activities at all campus fraternal organizations on Saturday in response to the article, which claims the school has a hidden culture of sexual violence.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland police say surveillance video is "very clear" about what happened Saturday when an officer fatally shot a 12-year-old boy who had what turned out to be a replica gun. The deputy police chief says Tamir Rice did not make any verbal threats, but the officer fired twice after the boy pulled the weapon from his waistband. Police say the officer was less than 10 feet away from Rice, but the replica gun was missing an orange safety indicator and appeared indistinguishable from a real firearm.
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