EXCLUSIVE: A look inside America's bomb library
In an undisclosed location outside Washington is a fingerprinting lab - thought to be the largest in the world - where the remnants of improvised explosive devices, better known as IEDs, are analyzed under sophisticated microscopes, in hopes of recovering latent prints from the insurgent bomb makers who crafted them.
The collection of bomb parts makes up the "nation's bomb library." Greg Carl, the director of the Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center (TEDAC), runs the operation from Quantico, Virginia. He says it is the only interagency government organization to analyze and fully exploit bomb-related materials, creating a comprehensive database of known terrorists for all law enforcement, the U.S. intelligence community and the military to share.
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Obama: Russia proposal for Syria 'positive development' - if it's real
By Catherine E. Shoichet and Jamie Crawford
A new possibility for a diplomatic solution in the standoff between Syria and the United States surfaced unexpectedly Monday as the war-torn country said it supported a proposal to hand over control of its chemical weapons.
But a key question loomed: Is that a viable option or simply a stall tactic as President Bashar al-Assad's government tries to stave off U.S. military action?
"It's certainly a positive development when the Russians and Syrians both make gestures towards dealing with these chemical weapons," President Barack Obama told CNN's Wolf Blitzer Monday.
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U.S. Marines moved closer to Libya as 9/11 anniversaries approach
Scores of U.S. Marines have been moved closer to Libya this week as part of an overall effort to beef up any potential security response, CNN has learned, as the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack approaches along with the first anniversary of the attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya.
Two U.S. officials told CNN that in the past few days, 250 combat-ready Marines have moved from their base in Moron, Spain, to the U.S. naval installation at Sigonella, Italy. That would enable them to reach Tripoli, the capital of Libya, in three to four hours in the event of a crisis.
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Russia to Syria: Put chemical weapons under international control
By Jamie Crawford
Russia urged Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday to put his nation's chemical weapons stockpile under international control as part of an effort to head off a possible military strike from the United States.
Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, said his country would urge Syria to take the action if it would avert a military response from the United States. There was no immediate reaction from the Syrian government.
Lavrov's comments came the same day Secretary of State John Kerry seemed to endorse a similar course of action.
Assad "could turn over every single bit of his chemical weapons to the international community in the next week," Kerry said during a news conference with British Foreign Secretary William Hague. "But he isn't about to do it and it can't be done obviously."
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Trying to Tweet your way into Moscow's City Hall
(Moscow, Russia) CNN – There wasn't a shadow of a doubt that former presidential aide and interim mayor of Moscow Sergey Sobyanin would win the mayoral race against blogger and anti-corruption activist Alexey Navalny.
The only question was by how much. Anything less than 50% would have meant a run-off election.
There will not be a run-off. Sobyanin squeaked by with 51.37% of the vote. Navalny won 27.24%.
Calling the preliminary results "sheer falsifications" Navalny demanded the annulment of "offsite" elections, in which voters are allowed to vote at home, without having to come to polling stations. "We also demand a second round of voting for the election," he said.
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