or the first time since Ronald Reagan’s second term, a president has taken the oath of office for a term first in a private ceremony at the White House.

Joe Biden was sworn in to a second term as the Vice President of the United States on Sunday morning, taking his oath from Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor — the first Hispanic in American history to administer an oath of office.

Now 58, Hugo Chavez has seldom been out of the public eye since he assumed power in early 1999.

The hostage situation at a natural gas plant deep in the Sahara has “been brought to an end,” British Defense Secretary Philip Hammond said Saturday speaking on information received by the British government.

Through the course of the nation’s history, presidents have used their inaugural addresses to sketch their visions on topics as old as the republic itself – unity, sacrifice and the proper role of government.

Republicans and Democrats can agree on one thing: Mentally ill people should not have access to firearms. But mental health experts warn of unintended consequences.

The second inauguration for President Obama may not attract the record crowds of his first, but the amount of behind-the-scenes planning going into the ceremony and related social events is equally as colossal.

The early flu season continues to worsen across the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. Flu has killed 29 children this year so far.

In the eyes of some of the people he hurt over the years, Lance Armstrong will never have a clean slate.

One American was killed and two escaped unharmed from a natural gas complex in Algeria that was stormed by armed militants, U.S. officials said. The fate of two others was unclear.