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VIDEO: Today's Headline News from Associated Press

IRAN PRESIDENT READY FOR NUCLEAR NEGOTIATIONS

 

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says his nation is prepared to immediately engage in stalled negotiations over its disputed nuclear program - but only under certain conditions.

 

Rouhani told the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday that he is also open to talks with the United States "to manage differences." It was his first appearance on the world stage since he was elected in the summer.

 

Nuclear negotiations between Iran and six world powers have been stalled for months but Iran agreed to a new meeting this Thursday on the sidelines of the General Assembly.

 

Rouhani said every issue can be resolved through moderation and rejection of violence.

 

CRUZ VOWS TO SPEAK TILL HE CAN'T AGAINST OBAMACARE

 

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Tea party conservative Sen. Ted Cruz on Tuesday vowed to speak in opposition to President Barack Obama's health care law until he's "no longer able to stand," even though fellow Republicans urged him to back down from his filibuster for fear of a possible government shutdown in a week.

 

"This grand experiment is simply not working," the Texas freshman told a largely empty chamber of the president's signature domestic issue. "It is time to make D.C. listen."

 

Egged on by conservative groups, the potential 2016 presidential candidate excoriated Republicans and Democrats in his criticism of the 3-year-old health care law and Congress' unwillingness to gut the law. Cruz supports the House-passed bill that would avert a government shutdown and defund Obamacare, as do many Republicans.

 

However, they lack the votes to stop Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., from moving ahead on the measure, stripping the health care provision and sending the spending bill back to the House.

 

That didn't stop Cruz' quixotic filibuster. Standing on the Senate floor, with conservative Sen. Mike Lee of Utah nearby, Cruz talked about the American revolution, Washington critics, his Cuban-born father and the impact of the health care law.

 

As his talkathon entered its fourth hour, other senators joined Cruz on the Senate floor, including Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.

 

BURGER KING LAUNCHING LOWER-CALORIE FRENCH FRY

 

NEW YORK (AP) -- Burger King wants people to feel less guilty about gobbling up its french fries.

 

The world's No. 2 hamburger chain is launching a new crinkle-cut french fry on Tuesday that it says has about 20 percent fewer calories than its regular fries.

 

The chain says a small order of the new "Satisfries" clocks in at 270 calories because of a new batter that doesn't absorb as much oil. By comparison, a small order of its regular fries, sans crinkles, has 340 calories.

 

The concept of taking an indulgent food and removing some of the guilt isn't new, of course. Supermarkets are filled with baked potato chips, 100-calorie packs of popular treats. Such creations play on people's inability to give up their food vices, even as they struggle to eat better. The idea is to create something that skimps on calories, but not on taste.

 

Burger King executives say people won't be able to tell that Satisfries are lower in calories. It says they use the same ingredients as its regular fries - potatoes, oil and batter. To keep kitchen operations simple, they're even made in the same fryers and cooked for the same amount of time as regular fries.