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.

Sarin gas used in Syria attack, Kerry says  —  Secretary of State John F. Kerry said Sunday that fresh laboratory tests show that Sarin nerve gas was used in an Aug. 21 attack in Syria that killed more than 1,400 people, the first time that U.S. officials have pinpointed what kind of chemical weapon was used.

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.

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,” …

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.

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

Stork busted as suspected spy in Egypt  —  Egyptian authorities have detained a stork that a citizen suspected of being a spy because it carried a suspicious electronic device, which is most likely a wildlife tracker.  —  A migrating stork is held in a police station after a citizen suspected …

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.

ObamaCare marketplaces to open for business in a month (video)  —  ObamaCare's grand opening is just a month away.  —  The law's new insurance marketplaces are scheduled to open for enrollment on Oct. 1, and supporters are ramping up a major education and outreach campaign as the date draws nearer.

Hillary Clinton Stays Quiet On Syria  —  The former Secretary of State, who once pushed to aid and arm the Syrian rebels, has yet to weigh in on Obama's plan for military intervention.  A “lasting regret.”  —  Matt Rourke, File / AP  —  When the White House debated this week …