| Top US politicians warn of democratic values at risk Posted: 20 Oct 2017 02:30 PM PDT ![Top US politicians warn of democratic values at risk]( "Top US politicians warn of democratic values at risk") Former President George W. Bush talked about a rise in bigotry and casual cruelty. Former President Barack Obama observed that public life seems to be regressing from the 21st to the 19th century. Recommended: What do you know about Donald Trump?
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| Trump's Afghan policy causing a rethink on both sides in conflict Posted: 20 Oct 2017 12:34 PM PDT ![Trump's Afghan policy causing a rethink on both sides in conflict]( "Trump's Afghan policy causing a rethink on both sides in conflict") In the Afghanistan war's 2015 and 2016 fighting seasons, Taliban insurgents made significant gains, capturing the provincial capital Kunduz each year before losing it again, and seizing an increasing number of district centers. The systematic Taliban advances also threatened a number of other provincial capitals, as their reach extended across one-third of Afghanistan, a setback for American aims in the longest war in United States history. Recommended: How well do you know Afghanistan?
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| Why a former minister is challenging churches' tax privileges in US Posted: 20 Oct 2017 11:42 AM PDT ![Why a former minister is challenging churches' tax privileges in US]( "Why a former minister is challenging churches' tax privileges in US") When Dan Barker was a Pentecostal minister in California, he knew he could exclude his clergy housing allowance from his income tax returns, taking advantage of an IRS benefit that the federal government grants to "ministers of the Gospel" – though not to anyone else. Back then, he didn't give much thought to this special social benefit, which today gives American ministers a tax break worth some $800 million a year. In the 1970s, Mr. Barker was never that concerned about the nitty gritty of social policy.
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| Puerto Rican puppies find forever homes in New England Posted: 20 Oct 2017 07:11 AM PDT ![Puerto Rican puppies find forever homes in New England]( "Puerto Rican puppies find forever homes in New England") On a sunny Saturday at the Nevins Farm MSPCA animal shelter in Methuen, Mass., dozens of hopeful adopters turn out to meet a new batch of puppies. Eight dogs rescued from hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico arrived at the shelter last week looking for their forever homes. When natural disasters strike, animal shelters in the affected areas quickly become overwhelmed as facilities already full of adoptable dogs attempt to handle incoming loads of displaced pets.
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