ALBANY, N.Y. – The Erie Canal was an engineering marvel when it opened in 1825, linking the Hudson River to the Great Lakes and humming with commerce that opened up the West. Long ago eclipsed by railroads and interstates, the waterway has for many years been a historical curiosity that’s …

BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo – The president of the Republic of Congo has reshuffled his government and replaced two ministers who opposed a constitutional reform that would allow him to run for another term in office. The government announced the reshuffle late Monday, including the replacement of Trade Minister Claudine …

Let’s be honest: The Supreme Court makes political decisions. To many, this statement is heresy. But that doesn’t make it any less true, as Professor Barry Freidman explains in his book “The Will of the People: How Public Opinion Has Influenced the Supreme Court and Shaped the Meaning of the …

If elected president, Hillary Clinton has promised to spend $350 billion to make college “more affordable.” The U.S. already has an $18 trillion debt (and growing by the day), but Clinton wants to add to it. That’s not affordable. Too many young people are graduating from universities unable to find …

TOKYO – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Friday that Japan’s past “heartfelt apologies” for World War II will remain unshakeable in the future, but stopped short of apologizing again in a statement marking the 70th anniversary of the country’s surrender. Abe expressed “profound grief” for all who perished in the …

UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. children’s agency says a 12-year-old girl who says she was raped by a U.N. peacekeeper in Central African Republic went through “a most brutal ordeal,” and the United Nations is pledging to fully investigate all allegations of sexual misconduct and hold perpetrators accountable. Amnesty International …

LISBON, Portugal – Portuguese researchers suspect that a dozen skeletons found in an ancient garbage dump were Jewish victims of the Inquisition more than 400 years ago. The excavation team found the remains at what was called the Jail Cleaning Yard of the Inquisition Court in Evora, 135 kilometers (84 …

WASHINGTON – The National Air and Space Museum has completed its crowdfunding campaign to conserve the spacesuit Neil Armstrong wore on the moon and surpassed its goal by nearly $220,000. The campaign on Kickstarter raised nearly $720,000 over the past 30 days. Nearly 9,500 people donated funds. The museum set …

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – The Saudi military says a soldier has been killed along the border in an exchange of fire with Yemen’s Shiite rebels. A statement released late Saturday says the soldier was killed in the Saudi border region of Jizan by rebel fire from inside Yemen. The statement …

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – Cambodian police have confiscated nearly 1.5 tons of marijuana in what they say is their biggest seizure of the drug since they started cracking down on it 15 years ago. The head of the Interior Ministry’s anti-drug unit, Gen. Khieu Samon, told reporters Tuesday that the …