Obama's history-defying decision to seek Congressional approval on Syria  —  President Barack Obama, according to background briefings by his aides, reached a fateful decision late Friday afternoon as he strolled along the White House lawn with his chief of staff Denis McDonough.

Sir David Frost, broadcaster and writer, dies at 74  —  Veteran broadcaster Sir David Frost has died at the age of 74 after a suspected heart attack while on board a cruise ship.  —  A family statement said he had been giving a speech aboard the Queen Elizabeth on Saturday night.

Fukushima radiation levels ‘18 times higher’ than thought  —  Radiation levels around Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant are 18 times higher than previously thought, Japanese authorities have warned.  —  Last week the plant's operator reported radioactive water had leaked from a storage tank into the ground.

Senior Syrian military chiefs tell captain: fire chemicals or be shot  —  BRITISH intelligence chiefs have intercepted radio messages in which senior Syrian military chiefs are heard ordering the use of chemical weapons.  —  Prepared: UN inspectors in gas masks at work in eastern Damascus

Anthony Weiner stages a ‘meat’ and greet in Bronx deli  —  The Democratic mayoral hopeful holds a big Italian sausage and poses with the owner of the Arthur Ave. business  —  Anthony Weiner is all smiles after getting “The Big Salami” from David Greco (r.), owner of Mike's Deli and Arthur Avenue Trattoria.

Bush aide makes Mandela mistake  —  Former President George H.W. Bush's office mistakenly announced the death of Nelson Mandela on Sunday morning, with a condolences statement about the South African leader.  —  “STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT GEORGE H. W. BUSH 41 ON THE DEATH OF NELSON MANDELA,” …

Vodafone's Board Expected to Vote on Verizon Deal  —  LONDON—Vodafone PLC's board of directors was expected to vote on a proposed sale of its 45% stake in Verizon Wireless by Sunday, according to a person familiar with the situation.  —  Last week, Vodafone confirmed it was in talks …

First Person: Jake Tapper, anchor of CNN's ‘The Lead With Jake Tapper’  —  Most interviews that I do are not super aggressive.  They can't be, and they shouldn't be; that would get pretty tiresome.  So when there's an interview that's tough or a question that's tough, it's something that raises eyebrows.