New intelligence chief Clapper brings sense of humor to serious job

Let no one accuse the nation's new director of national intelligence of lacking a sense of humor.

CIA tapes of 9/11 detainee's interrogation don't show torture, official says

The interrogation of Ramzi Binalshibh, a key figure in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, was recorded several times while he was being questioned in Morocco by local intelligence officers, according to a U.S. official. The disclosure resolves a mystery over what are thought to be the only existing recordings from the CIA's secret detention program.

U.S., S. Korea launch joint military exercises amid threats from N. Korea

TOKYO -- Amid threats from North Korea, 86,000 U.S. and South Korean troops on Monday launched their latest round of joint military exercises, described by South Korean President Lee Myung-bak as a deterrent against war.

Gen. David Petraeus says Afghanistan war strategy 'fundamentally sound'

KABUL -- In his first six weeks as the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, Gen. David H. Petraeus has seen insurgent attacks on coalition forces spike to record levels, violence metastasize to previously stable areas, and the country's president undercut anti-corruption units backed by Washington.

Petraeus: 'We're doing everything we can to achieve progress'

Excerpts from Washington Post associate editor Rajiv Chandrasekaran's interview of U.S. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus in his office at the NATO International Security Assistance Force headquarters in Kabul:

How to profit by betting against the crowd

Is there wisdom in crowds? Many professional money managers think so, although usually the wisdom comes from doing exactly the opposite of what the crowd does. And as a smart investor, you may want to learn about and start following some of these "sentiment" indicators.

Army analyst linked to WikiLeaks hailed as antiwar hero

For antiwar campaigners from Seattle to Iceland, a new name has become a byword for anti-establishment heroism: Army Pfc. Bradley E. Manning.

Fearing unrest, Pakistan seeks more U.S. flood aid

Pakistan wants the United States to supply immediately dozens more helicopters and significantly more money and supplies to help deal with the widespread flooding that has affected at least 14 million people there, senior Pakistani officials said Monday.

Netanyahu: Action against Gaza aid ship was ordered as 'last resort'

JERUSALEM -- Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Monday told an Israeli commission investigating a deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May that the action was ordered as a "last resort" after diplomatic efforts failed, and that the army was told to make every effort to avoid casualties.

Karzai calls for probe of U.S.-backed anti-corruption task force

MAIMANA, AFGHANISTAN -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai has called for an investigation into a U.S.-backed anti-corruption task force, following the arrest of several senior Afghan officials on graft charges.

Civil rights groups sue Treasury over targeting of terror suspects for killing

Civil liberties groups sued the Treasury Department on Tuesday, alleging that its rules do not allow them to challenge the federal government's authority to target for killing Anwar al-Aulaqi, a U.S. citizen suspected of terrorism.