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Saudi Arabia is mulling the sale of shares in Aramco, believed to be the world's most valuable company, as part of plans to repair its finances and open up its economy. The announcement was made by the country's deputy crown prince as Saudi's secretive, state-owned oil firm grapples with the effects of oil prices nearing 12-year lows . Mohammed bin Salman told The Economist: "That is something that is being reviewed, and we believe a decision will be made over the next few months." The Saudi economy has taken a battering from the oil price decline and the finance ministry...

A special election will be held March 15 to fill the remainder of the term of former state Rep. Tim Krieger. Krieger, a four-term Republican from Delmont resigned last month after being sworn in as a Westmoreland County judge. His terms runs to the end of the year. Krieger's 57th District seat includes Greensburg, South Greensburg, Southwest Greensburg, Youngwood, part of Hempfield and Salem townships and Delmont. Officials from Westmoreland County's Democratic and a Republican committees will nominate candidates to run in the special election. Voters will return to polls on April 26 for a primary election when candidates will...

BERN TWP., Pa. - The rush is on for gun permits in Berks County. "We actually had to turn people away a couple of times last month. We can only process so many because the Pennsylvania issue check system gets bogged down and it takes longer and longer to get a response back," Berks County Sheriff Eric Weaknecht said Tuesday. The sheriff said his office usually issues about 600 permits each month, but in December, it gave out more than 1,700, the result of President Barack Obama promising executive action in an effort to combat gun violence. "I think a...

This week on Boston's AM680 WKRO's "The Kuhner Report," Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump told host Jeff Kuhner he thought he can win the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida and Massachusetts in the general presidential election against the Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton. Trump said, "They say that if I run against Hillary it will be the single greatest turnout in our country for voting. A lot of those people are going to vote for me because they are tired of the system. That's why they never voted before. They are tired of the system. And I think that's...

After the British victory at the Battle of the Second El Alamein in November of 1942, Winston Churchill spoke to the British people. Churchill eloquently stated, “Now, this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” Perhaps, the same can be said of the opening salvos of the 2016 Presidential Election. We have watched numerous debates on both sides, filled with candidates grandiose and not very grandiose. Gradually, the field is being thinned and on February 1, 2016, the games truly begin at the Iowa Caucuses....

Every political movement has a tipping point. It goes too far, or it loses its original purpose -- or it becomes so self-enamored, under the influence of anger and mob rule, that ugliness shades all the good of its original intent. Such is true of the populism that peaked this summer in America. Years of incompetency and a tin ear at the White House, along with a Republican-controlled Congress accused of not accomplishing much, drove people to figuratively or literally shout, "Enough is enough!" Never mind that many of the loudest shouters likely did not vote in 2008 or 2012...

A small group of demonstrators protesting police brutality, poverty and inequality marched on the Mummers Parade this New Year's Day. The demonstration ended with two people being arrested. The group of about 50 marched toward the Broad Street parade route around 1 p.m. Friday and at one point tried to pushed past police to get into the street, but were held back. The demonstrators instead kept to the crowded sidewalks and walked down blocked side streets around Center City. "I think this movement here has changed the conversation a lot," said Lucy Duncan as she held a large sign carrying...

Now, with Trump training his focus on Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, the rest of the pack is fighting to rise above. The latest round involves Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. The super PAC backing Bush is out with a new ad blasting Rubio for missing a Senate meeting after the Paris terror attacks - and another contrasting Bush's gubernatorial record against those of Christie and Kasich. "Politics first, that's the Rubio way," the first ad says, slamming Rubio for fundraising while missing meetings and hearings on...

Do supporters of the Christian right candidates Ted Cruz has eclipsed hate him so much they'd sabotage their own heroes? The late stages of the invisible primary would not be complete without reports of intrigue and skullduggery in Iowa, with campaigns forming tactical alliances against common enemies. We have one today from National Review's Tim Alberta and Eliana Johnson, who report that supporters of the last two caucus winners, Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum, are so bitter at being eclipsed by Ted Cruz that they are conspiring to block the Texan and instead elevate Marco Rubio. There's only one problem...

For the first time, Bill Cosby will face criminal charges in connection with an accusation of sexual assault, the Associated Press reported on Wednesday morning, just ahead of a scheduled press conference by prosecutors in Montgomery County in Pennsylvania. The AP, citing two unnamed sources in the prosecutor’s office, did not specify the charge or charges against Cosby. People Magazine was also reporting on Wednesday that Cosby would face charges. This is the second investigation into allegations that the comedian drugged and assaulted Andrea Constand 12 years ago. Constand first accused Cosby of assaulting her in 2005. At the time,...

Some who mistrust the Texas senator may tactically support Rubio over their first-choice candidates. To a concerned and angry bunch of Iowa Republicans, their mission heading into next month’s caucuses is as simple as ABC: Anybody But Cruz. As the Texas senator solidifies his front-runner status with just over a month to go before the February 1 caucuses, a loose network of social-conservative activists has undertaken a quiet effort to defeat him by any means necessary — even if that means rallying together behind a more electable rival to their own preferred candidates. Many supporters of Mike Huckabee and Rick...

In the wake of the surprise firing of Chip Kelly in Philadelphia, we asked our NFL Nation reporters to analyze the job security of the 31 other NFL head coaches, with each getting a rating of 1 to 10 (1 means the coach's seat is ice cold; 10 means it's scorching hot). Here are the coaches, starting with the ones in the most trouble.

Shocked onlookers watched Monday night as a man took a sledgehammer to a Center City crosswalk celebrating Philadelphia's LGBT community -- but it turns out the entire incident was a simple misunderstanding. Officials said two men first believed to be vandals actually worked for the Philadelphia Water Department and were looking for a possible problem. The water department said it was investigating a leak nearby at Broad and Locust streets when it fanned out crews to find a possible root of the leak. That led workers to a rainbow-colored crosswalk at 13th and Locust streets, in what's commonly called the...

Just like it's past time for Jeb Bush and Rand Paul to get out, and it's past time for Rick Santorum and George Pataki to get out. That's obvious, but it's made more obvious now that Huckabee is resorting to off-base and stupidly dishonest ads attempting to trash candidates who have taken his votes away. Here's a PAC ad Huckabee's camp is running in Iowa... (VIDEO-AT-LINK) The same consulting firm also put out similar attacks on Cruz in Iowa on his opposition to ethanol subsidies and accusing Cruz of being bankrolled by the oil industry....

Rick Santorum on Monday accused his opponent Ted Cruz of not being a social conservative. The former senator from Pennsylvania told NewsmaxTV's Steve Malzberg Show that social conservative votes are going to Cruz and Republican front-runner Donald Trump, neither of which, he said, "are particularly strong social conservatives." "Donald Trump has never been a social conservative up until the last few months, and Ted Cruz takes the position, very much a 10th Amendment, states rights, which is, you know, very much Rand Paul, Ron Paul position," Santorum said. "They're being sold, Ted Cruz says, 'Oh, I'm this social conservative,'" Santorum...

BREAKING: Eagles fire head coach Chip Kelly. Kelly led Philadelphia to 26-21 record, 6-9 this year.

The Iowa Republican Party will announce the official winner of its Jan. 3 caucuses on Thursday morning, and Rick Santorum is holding out hope that he’s eight-vote loss will suddenly become a win. But does it even matter? In a word, yes. But there’s also little reason to believe it would recast the Republican presidential race in any major way. With the official announcement set for 9:15 p.m. Eastern time Thursday, news that Santorum actually won the first-in-the-nation contest would surely be seized upon by the former Pennsylvania senator’s campaign as proof of its momentum and to call into question...

Winterset, Iowa - Beyond the silos, down the street from the Rexall Drug, a few steps from the movie theater and the bakery, and hard by the Ben Franklin five-and-dime sits the Northside Cafe, with its nine wooden booths and its 15 shiny circular stools along the counter. This noontime, the hand-scrawled sign outside speaks of chicken-fried steak, butternut-squash soup, bread pudding, homemade desserts, hot drinks - and Rick Santorum. The former senator from Pennsylvania won the 2012 Iowa caucuses. Here, a classic Iowa small town, is just the sort of staging ground Mr. Santorum put to good use four...

Republicans in Iowa are working overtime to prevent a repeat of the botched 2012 caucuses when scores of unaccounted ballots caused Mitt Romney to be wrongly declared the winner over Rick Santorum. State party officials say they've moved aggressively to address the problems that plagued the ballot count in January 2012, and believe the new technologies they've adopted, as well as having more workers on staff and enhanced training programs, will pave the way for a smooth and accurate reckoning at the Feb. 1. caucuses. "We're extremely confident that we've addressed all of the issues," said Iowa Republican Party spokesman...

Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol appears on Thursday's Morning Joe to talk about the Republican presidential primary race and candidate Donald Trump. Kristol said Trump supporters don't "think about the implications" of what the candidate is saying. "People I respect think Trump has peaked, that a lot of people are intrigued by Trump," Kristol said causing host Joe Scarborough to break out in laughter. "You can laugh," Kristol told Scarborough. "He's not going to win Iowa. He'll run third."