OBAMA-TERRORISM

WASHINGTON — In a rare Oval Office address, President Barack Obama vows the United States will overcome a new phase of the terror threat that seeks to "poison the minds" of people here and around the world, as he seeks to reassure Americans shaken by recent attacks in Paris and California. 

VENEZUELA-ELECTIONS

CARACAS, Venezuela — The socialist system built by Hugo Chavez faced its gravest electoral test as Venezuelans cast ballots in what seems to have become a tightening race for control of the national legislature. 

CALIFORNIA SHOOTING-PHONE RECORDS

WASHINGTON — The U.S. government's ability to review and analyze five years' worth of telephone records for the married couple blamed in the deadly shootings in California lapsed just four days earlier when the National Security Agency's controversial mass surveillance program was formally shut down.

SYRIAN REFUGEES-TEXAS

UNDATED — Two Syrian families are expected to arrive in Texas on Monday, days after the state backed down from efforts to block refugees from resettling in the state following the Paris attacks.

KILLINGS BY POLICE-CHICAGO

CHICAGO — The U.S. Justice Department is expected to launch a wide-ranging investigation this week into the patterns and practices of the Chicago Police Department after recent protests over a video showing a white Chicago police officer shooting a black teenager 16 times, according to a person familiar with the matter.