POPE

WASHINGTON — The pope of the poor arrives for his first-ever visit to the world's wealthiest superpower denying he is a leftist and riding in a frugal little family car, windows rolled down. Pope Francis' chartered plane from Cuba touched down at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, where President Barack Obama and his wife and daughters paid him the rare honor of meeting him at the bottom of the stairs on the red-carpeted tarmac. Presidents usually make important visitors come to them at the White House. 

POPE-CUBA

SANTIAGO, Cuba — Pope Francis ends his Cuba trip by urging Cubans to rediscover their Catholic heritage and live a "revolution of tenderness," powerful words in a country whose communist government sought to replace the church as the guiding force. 

POPE-CUBA-PHOTO GALLERY

SANTIAGO, Cuba — From one end of Cuba to the other, Pope Francis urged islanders to serve each other not an ideology, rediscover their Catholic faith and work to advance the historic detente with the United States, which he called a model of reconciliation for the world. 

CHINESE PRESIDENT-US VISIT

SEATTLE — Chinese President Xi Jinping says that China and the United States could work together to address cyber crimes, a problem that has sparked mutual tension. Xi's statement came shortly after leaders from both countries signed an agreement to advance renewable energy and clean technologies to combat climate change. Xi, in a speech in Seattle at the end of the first day of his official visit to this country, also said China would continue its policy of aggressive development to help more Chinese people "live a better life." 

UNITED STATES-CHINA-HUMAN RIGHTS

WASHINGTON — The United States has warned that the toughest crackdown in years on Chinese activists threatens to cloud the high-profile state visit by President Xi Jinping. Yet human rights is unlikely to dominate the agenda when Xi is welcomed at the White House on Friday. By Matthew Pennington. AP Photos.

UNITED STATES-SYRIA-RUSSIA

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Ash Carter is still unsure of Russia's military intentions in Syria but intends no further conversations unless Moscow agrees to participate in talks aimed at a political solution to the civil war, Carter's spokesman says. By Robert Burns and Matthew Lee.

PRESIDENTIAL RACE-REPUBLICANS

WASHINGTON — Scott Walker and Rick Perry entered the 2016 presidential race with a combined 18 years of experience as governors of Wisconsin and Texas. They exited the Republican primary— the first candidates to do so — with negligible support and dwindling bank accounts. While Walker and Perry were both flawed candidates, their swift demise is a warning to others who hope to win the White House on the strength of their political resumes. And it leaves the governors and senators still in the turbulent Republican race scrambling to adapt to a political environment that is rewarding those with the least governing experience. By Steve Peoples and Julie Pace. AP Photos. 

PRESIDENTIAL RACE-CLINTON-KEYSTONE

DES MOINES, Iowa — Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton says she opposes construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, breaking her longstanding silence over the construction of a project assailed by environmentalists as a threat to the planet's climate. By Ken Thomas and Catherine Lucey. AP Photos. AP Video.