Poll: Clinton aces debate, but no big boost in overall support

Hillary Clinton did the best job during the first Democratic presidential debate last week, according to a CNN/ORC poll of voters who watched.
Sixty-two percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters polled Oct. 14-17 gave Clinton’s performance the highest marks, while 35% said Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., did the best.

Obama: Clean energy is good for business, not just 'tree-huggers'

WASHINGTON — The White House is enlisting Fortune 500 CEOs in its attempts to reach a breakthrough agreement on climate change, announcing agreements with 68 more companies committed to reducing their greenhouse gasses ahead of international talks in Paris.
The CEOs are among the 81 major companies that have now made specific commitments on climate. But just as important for President Obama, they're also putting a business-friendly face on his clean energy initiatives.

Oprah just bought into Weight Watchers. But does it work?

Oprah Winfrey – who has always been open about her struggles with weight – clearly believes in Weight Watchers. She just bought 10% of the company's stock, sending share prices soaring.
But does the 52-year-old Weight Watchers – the granddaddy of all commercial weight-loss plans – actually work?

White House seeks millions for civil rights sites

Communities and historically black colleges that played a key role in the civil rights movement would get millions of dollars under an administration plan to upgrade and preserve the movement's most important sites.
Administration officials want to spend $50 million on the initiative as the nation marks the 50th anniversary of key milestones in the civil rights movement.
Sites in the South, the heart of the civil rights movement, are the most likely candidates.
"We need to be reminded of the struggles that have happened in this country so that nobody forgets,'' said civil rights veteran Charles Hicks, 70, a native of Bogalusa, La.

Explainer: A closer look at Joni Ernst's military credentials

U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst's Iraq War experience and ongoing service in the Iowa National Guard have been central to her political rise over the past year, but have also drawn pointed questions and criticisms.
Is Ernst, who has more than 20 years of military experience, really a "combat veteran?" As a service member, can she make political comments? Is it a conflict to continue her military commitments while serving in the Senate?
Research by The Des Moines Register shows she meets the military's definition of a combat veteran and that her service in the Guard does not limit her political speech, but the constitutionality of her concurrent service in Congress and the National Guard is less clear-cut.
The Republican's military experience defined her candidacy in 2014, helping set her apart in a crowded primary and then secure a general-election victory to become Iowa's first female member of Congress.
She's also made military affairs a top priority since taking office, serving on the Armed Forces Committee and using her maiden speech on the Senate floor to introduce a bill on mental health services for veterans.
Let's walk through the facts, military regulations and law that lead to these conclusions.

Obama, Netanyahu (again) dispute Iran deal

It doesn't sound like President Obama and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a very pleasant conversation about the proposed Iran deal.

In its readout of Thursday's call, the White House said Obama emphasized that "the framework represents significant progress towards a lasting, comprehensive solution that cuts off all of Iran's pathways to a bomb and verifiably ensures the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program going forward."

Iran nuclear deal will dominate Sunday talk shows

The nuclear deal reached Thursday by Iran, the U.S., and five other world powers will dominate the Sunday talk shows.Negotiators reached a historic agreement on a broad framework for resolving the long-standing conflict over Iran's nuclear program. The deal says that Iran will not produce weapons-grade fuel and that United Nations' inspectors will have better access to Iran's nuclear facilities to check on compliance.
In return, economic sanctions imposed against Iran by the USA and the European Union would be lifted, although the timetable for doing that remains unclear.
President Obama is expected to have a tough time selling the deal to a skeptical Congress. Key lawmakers are calling on the president to bring the agreement to Congress for approval rather than taking it straight to the United Nations.