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"President Assad is out of time and must be out of power," the new secretary of state says. The assistance is for basic goods and services in areas under rebel control.

On his first foreign trip as Secretary of State, Kerry defended America's tradition of civil liberties. He said our tolerance for the airing of controversial opinions is a virtue.

As John Kerry undertakes his first foreign trip as Secretary of State, the challenges before him are great — especially the war in Syria. He holds a town hall meeting Tuesday in Berlin, which will give us a look at his style and public-diplomacy skills — areas where his predecessor Hillary Clinton excelled.

One dominant theme of the trip will be how to resolve the crisis in Syria, where an estimated 70,000 people have been killed over the past two years. Kerry is portraying his first trip as secretary of state as a listening tour, and he certainly expects to hear a lot about Syria.

When U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice's name was floated as a potential Secretary of State, there was quite a bit of hand wringing in Washington. It appears, now, at least some of it was probably for naught.

Gov. Deval Patrick selects former chief of staff William 'Mo' Cowan to become interim Mass. senator until a special June election is held to fill the seat.

The Massachusetts Democrat will succeed Hillary Clinton. His departure from the Senate is likely to spark a fierce battle for his vacant seat.

As expected, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee supports the nomination of Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., to succeed Secretary Hillary Clinton. Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood is the latest member of the administration to announce a departure.

VIDEO: See the secretary of state's sharp words for Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., after he accuses the Obama administration of misleading the nation about who was behind last September's attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya.

A hard reality any re-elected president must face is that there are only so many people who have the president's confidence, experience to run a Cabinet department, personal backgrounds that can withstand vetting, and are politically acceptable to the opposition party.