Former New Hampshire Sen. Warren Rudman has died. His name will always be linked to a 1980s-era effort to tame the federal budget deficit and to a pre-Sept. 11 warning about the nation’s security. And he will be remembered as a “moderate” Republican who could work across party lines. According to the New Hampshire Union

Enlarge image Puppeteer Kevin Clash and Elmo. Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images Puppeteer Kevin Clash and Elmo. Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images Kevin Clash, the voice and puppeteer who for 28 years has made Sesame Street’s Elmo come alive for kids, has resigned because “the controversy surrounding [his] personal life has become a distraction,” Sesame Workshop said

Enlarge Thorsten Wiehle/Berlin Forestry Commission Some 3,000 wild boars are estimated to roam Germany’s capital. This 2008 picture provided by the Berlin Forestry Commission shows a sow and her offspring that decided to make their home outside an apartment building. Recently, a wild boar attacked and injured four people in a Berlin neighborhood. Thorsten Wiehle/Berlin

The Palestinian civilian death toll mounted Monday as Israeli aircraft struck densely populated areas in the Gaza Strip in a campaign to quell militant rocket fire menacing nearly half of Israel’s population. An overnight airstrike on two houses belonging to an extended clan in Gaza City killed two children and two adults, and injured 42

Enlarge image A man covers his face as he passes smoke and fire after Israeli air strikes in Gaza City earlier today. Mohammed Abed /AFP/Getty Images A man covers his face as he passes smoke and fire after Israeli air strikes in Gaza City earlier today. Mohammed Abed /AFP/Getty Images The deadly back-and-forth between Israel

Enlarge image Some Republicans are betting that President Obama won’t push for a Susan Rice nomination if it could jeopardize negotiations with the GOP on things like the budget, or immigration. Andrew Burton/Getty Images Some Republicans are betting that President Obama won’t push for a Susan Rice nomination if it could jeopardize negotiations with the

Enlarge image Rockets lunched by Palestinian militants toward Israel make their way from the northern Gaza Strip on Saturday. Hatem Moussa/AP Rockets lunched by Palestinian militants toward Israel make their way from the northern Gaza Strip on Saturday. Hatem Moussa/AP The conflict between Israel and the Gaza Strip continues to escalate after Israeli airstrikes flattened

Enlarge Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Should David Petraeus’ extramarital affair be considered a disqualifying factor for his public position? Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Should David Petraeus’ extramarital affair be considered a disqualifying factor for his public position? The resignation of CIA Director David Petraeus — and the extramarital affair and FBI investigation that led up to it

Federal investigators say the warning signals at a railroad crossing in West Texas were activated before a parade float crossed the tracks in an accident that killed military veterans. At a news conference Saturday, National Transportation Safety Board member Mark Rosekind said the signals had been activated seven seconds before the float crossed the tracks.

Rep. Peter King caused a row coming out of the closed-door hearings on the attack of the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya. In an interview with Fox News, King, a Republican from New York, said that when former CIA Director David Petraeus said he believed from the start that this was a terrorist attack, he

Enlarge Alex Wong/Getty Images The week after Election Day is full of surprises, with news of scandal enveloping top Gens. David Petraeus and John Allen. Meanwhile, Mitt Romney reflects on his loss and what he calls Obama’s “gifts” to the electorate, while the president pledges not to overreach in his second term. Join NPR’s Ron

Enlarge Uriel Sinai/Getty Images Israeli reserve soldiers ride a bus heading to the south of the country after being called up for duty Friday in Tel Aviv, Israel. Uriel Sinai/Getty Images Israeli reserve soldiers ride a bus heading to the south of the country after being called up for duty Friday in Tel Aviv, Israel.