As GOP presidential contenders dogfight, how's Obama doing?

In Syria, heavy fighting reaches outskirts of capital

8:50 am ET - The fighting outside Damascus comes a day after the Arab League announced it was suspending its observer mission to Syria.

Occupy Oakland protests bring 300 arrests

8:48 am ET - Occupy Oakland protests turned violent Saturday as demonstrators broke into a historic building and burned an American flag, and officers fired tear gas to disperse people throwing rocks and tearing down fencing at a convention center.

The working class rises up across Latin America

11:54 am ET - Maids, parking valets, and other domestic workers push back against ill treatment in 'the world's most unequal region.'

Pardoned by Haley Barbour, a 'free man' is on the run

12:34 pm ET - Convicted for killing a convenience store clerk in 1994, Joseph Ozment walked out of the Governor's Mansion after being pardoned by Gov. Haley Barbour on Jan. 8 and hasn't been seen since.

Why Florida's Latino Republicans tilt toward Mitt Romney

8:17 am ET - The question of who wins Florida's Republican Latino vote could determine who wins the Florida primary Tuesday. Polls show Mitt Romney in front, but Newt Gingrich is not out of it. 

White House proposes new help for troubled mortgages. Too little, too late?

10:01 am ET - President Obama's mortgage modification program has helped only a fraction of Americans under water. New measures have been proposed, but they could be costly to taxpayers.

GDP grew 2.8 percent last quarter, but momentum still weak

12:24 pm ET - The fourth quarter 2.8 percent GDP increase represents a pickup from the 1.8 percent pace seen in the prior quarter, but it was lower than economists expected. And unemployment remains high.

Can California change US cars forever? New zero-emissions rules take aim.

7:23 pm ET - California has adopted new rules that require 15 percent of all cars sold in the state to be electric, plug-in hybrid, or hydrogen-powered by 2025. Perhaps surprisingly, automakers are onboard.

Utah school bomb plot: from inspiration to prevention, Columbine had a part

5:15 pm ET - One suspect in the Utah high school bomb plot interviewed the Columbine principal in December. Police were tipped off by a friend of the suspect who received a suspicious message. 

Utah school bomb plot: from inspiration to prevention, Columbine had a part

5:15 pm ET - One suspect in the Utah high school bomb plot interviewed the Columbine principal in December. Police were tipped off by a friend of the suspect who received a suspicious message. 

Syria's opposition concerned about independent armed rebel groups

2:55 pm ET - A member of the opposition's Syrian National Council told reporters in Paris that the council is concerned about the increasingly militarized rebel groups taking matters into their own hands. 

Anti-nuclear movement growing in Asia

1:33 pm ET - Though nuclear power still has a strong foothold in Asia, anti-nuclear sentiment and protest are growing from Mongolia to South Korea to Taiwan and even - in modest ways - in China.

Can economy help Obama reelection? One statistic gives him hope.

6:01 pm ET - Since 1948 only one incumbent president has won reelection with joblessness over 7 percent. There is another unemployment statistic, however, that could play in President Obama's favor.

How Pentagon budget cuts will reshape the Army

4:48 pm ET - The Army has been seen as one of the big losers in the Pentagon budget cuts released Thursday. But Army officials say now is the perfect time for the force to recast itself. 

• Pentagon budget: top 3 winners and losers

Obama outlines plan to cut college costs. Could it backfire on students? (+video)

12:48 pm ET - President Obama Friday made a set of bold proposals tying federal aid to colleges tuition costs. Most of Obama’s ideas would require approval from Congress – difficult to do in a polarized Washington.

Experts cast doubt on Japan nuclear power plant stress tests

10:36 am ET - The Japanese government ordered tests on all nuclear reactors after Fukushima meltdown, and are set to reopen at least one shortly, but advisers say the tests do not prove the plants are safe.