Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the first White House chief of staff in the Obama administration, says he expects the presidential race to be a "close election" in November.

POL-Axelrod-Obama-Economy

While President Barack Obama walked back his remarks last week and said it was "absolutely clear" that the economy, in fact, was "not doing fine," his campaign's senior adviser on Sunday had a hard time making the same concession.

POL-McCain-Security-Leaks

Sen. John McCain continued his blitz against the Obama administration Sunday, saying the president was responsible for the recent national security leaks--whether he knew about them or not.

POL-Obama-Progressive-Conference

President Barack Obama had a message to a major progressive conference Saturday: mission partially accomplished. "We've got a lot more work to do, especially when it comes to getting our fellow Americans back to work," he said in a recorded video message to the annual Netroots Nation convention.

MONEY

MONEY-Stocks-Lookahead

Is there any way to top the best week for U.S. stocks this year? Maybe, if investors like the weekend news out of Spain and China.

MONEY-China-Consumer-Prices

Chinese inflation continued to ease last month, another sign that more stimulus could be in the pipeline. Consumer prices in China increased at an annual rate of 3% in May, the National Bureau of Statistics reported Saturday. That's down from a 3.4% rate of increase in April.

FEATURES

Honduras-US

Nearly a month has passed since a joint Honduran-U.S. drug raid fired upon a riverboat that survivors say was carrying civilians, not traffickers. Four were killed, including two pregnant women. The mission -- carried out aboard helicopters owned by the U.S. State Department and with support of Drug Enforcement Administration agents -- laid bare the reach of U.S. involvement in Honduran security missions, as well as its associated risks. The apparent error stirred some local outrage, but the sentiment did not spread to the capital. The Honduran government, publicly at least, has not reprimanded the United States for any role it may have had, or said anything about reconsidering its cooperation arrangement.

US-Cartels-Columbus-New-Mexico

Mayor Nicole Lawson is only 37, but her hair is already turning white as she tries to keep this border town corrupted more than a year ago by Mexican cartels from falling deeper into financial ruin. Lawson runs the village by day and works as a town emergency medical technician by night. She says she often sleeps just two hours, averaging $1.47 an hour as the new mayor.

Sharif-saudi-women-drive

Growing up in Saudi Arabia, Manal al-Sharif was taught in school that listening to music -- just like driving, showing her face in public or making a decision without consulting her male guardian -- was forbidden and sinful. She believed so strongly in music's satanic powers that she burned many of her father's and brother's cassette tapes so they couldn't play them anymore. Then one day in 2001, al-Sharif was about to dub over one of her brother's American tapes with a lecture on Islam when curiosity got the best of her. She let herself listen to a few bars. And the first song to touch her ears helped reroute the course of her life.

COMMENTARY-McCray-Elon-Musk

Recently, technology enthusiasts around the planet had the opportunity to get better acquainted with Elon Musk, the creator of SpaceX, the first privately owned company to send a spacecraft to the space station. Launched in the same manner as a Silicon Valley startup, SpaceX designed and manufactured the Dragon capsule, which successfully completed a mission with the International Space Station before splashing down into the Pacific Ocean. I see Musk, a 40-year-old entrepreneur who made his fortune by co-founding PayPal, as a "visioneer." That is to say, he is someone who combines scientific and engineering prowess -- in his case, a degree in physics -- with an expansive view of how technology will upend traditional economic models, and has the ability to inspire others to support his work.

COMMENTARY-foer-ted-memory

Author Joshua foer explains how to train your mind to remember anything.

COMMENTARY-Greene-Bobby-Vee

CNN Contributor Bob Greene on Bobby Vee's bravest song.