Obama says must

stop al-Shabab

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — President Barack Obama says a bombing in Somalia’s capital is a reminder that terrorist groups like al-Shabab offer nothing but destruction and must be stopped.

Obama was speaking at a joint news conference with Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He says the U.S. and other countries must keep the pressure on groups like al-Shabab.

Obama says al-Shabab is also a serious threat to Ethiopia.

The East African country has been a partner with the U.S. in the fight against terrorism, sharing intelligence with American officials and sending troops into Somalia to address instability there.

Somali police says 15 people died in the massive truck bomb attack Sunday on a hotel in Mogadishu.

Senator may support of Iran deal

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin says he’s leaning toward supporting the Iranian nuclear deal, because the alternative would be war.

The West Virginia senator is the latest Democrat to speak favorably of the agreement. Democrats have started lining up to support the pact as the Obama administration works to sell it to lawmakers.

Secretary of State John Kerry argued the case on Capitol Hill last week. Congress has 60 days to review the agreement, which lifts economic sanctions if Iran curbs its nuclear program’s capacity. Manchin tells CBS’ “Face the Nation” he’s spoken to leaders in four of the five countries that negotiated the Iran nuclear deal, and if Congress rejects it, the U.S. will be on its own and faced with going to war against Iran.

Planned Parenthood under scrutiny

WASHINGTON (AP) — The president of Planned Parenthood says her organization’s clinics never adjust the abortion procedure to better preserve fetal organs for medical research and the organization’s charges only cover the cost of transmission to researchers.

Planned Parenthood has come under congressional scrutiny after two stealthily recorded videos showed officials discussing how they provide aborted fetal organs for research.

Abortion opponents have characterized the videos as showing the illegal harvesting and selling of organs.

Planned Parenthood’s president, Cecile Richards, says the group has done nothing illegal and is the target of a political smear campaign.

Richards says organ removal takes place in a handful of states. She says it’s laudable that women choose to make fetal tissue donations to potentially save the lives of other people.

Richards appeared on ABC’s “This Week.”

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