U.S. President Barack Obama will give the keynote address at Wednesday's observance of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, the historic 1963 demonstration for equal rights that drew more than 250,000 people to the Lincoln Memorial.
The U.S. for the first time is acknowledging the location of a secretive aerial surveillance test site that conspiracy theorists have long claimed might be the home for extraterrestrials who have invaded the country.
Hopes of an International Peace Conference to end the conflict in Syria anytime soon is dimming after Syria's President Bashar al-Assad announced in Damascus that no political solution will be sought until after the "terrorists" are crushed.
The United States reopened some of its diplomatic missions in the Middle East and Africa on Monday, while 19 embassies and consulates in the region remain closed due to security concerns.