Florida Anti-Gay Amendment Heads To Ballot
(Tallahassee, Florida) Florida LGBT civil rights groups said Saturday they will mount an aggressive campaign to defeat a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would ban same-sex marriage.

Federal Court OKs Oregon Partner Law
(Portland, Oregon) A state law allowing gay couples to register as domestic partners belatedly took effect late Friday after a federal judge ruled the state's process of disqualifying petition signatures was consistent enough to be valid.

Rio Carnival In Full Swing
(Rio De Janeiro, Brazil) To the sound of blasting samba, men dressed as nuns swilled beer and danced down the cobblestoned streets of a Rio hillside Friday night to kick off five days of uninhibited carnival madness.

World Captivated By US Election
(New York City) America's extraordinary presidential campaign has captivated politicians and ordinary people around the globe. With so much at stake in the race for the White House, the world is watching with an intensity that hasn't been seen since the Clinton era began in 1992.

Few Sparks As Clinton, Obama Debate
(Los Angeles, California) Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton sparred, for the most part cordially, over immigration, health care and the war in Iraq in their first one-on-one debate on Thursday as they faced high-stakes Super Tuesday contests that could go a long way toward determining the party's presidential nominee.

Kentucky Bill Would Ban Domestic Partner Benefits
(Frankfort, Kentucky) Kentucky Gov. Gov. Steve Beshear (D) says he will veto a bill that would bar state funded agencies or colleges from offering domestic partner benefits if the measure arrives on his desk.

Judge: Gay Union Assets Must Be Equitably Divided
(Woodbury, New Jersey) In what is believed to be the first case involving the division of assets when a domestic partnership ends in New Jersey a judge has ruled that property must be divided between each partner.

Politician In Scandal After Discovery He Had One Son, Boyfriend Of Other On Government Payroll
(London) A Conservative Party member of Britain's House of Commons has been censured, banned from the House for ten days and ordered to repay taxpayer money he used for salaries for one of his sons and the boyfriend of another.

Lawsuit Claim: Anything Gay Illegal In School
(Ponce De Leon, Florida) A Florida high school is "trampling the First Amendment rights of students who support equal rights for gay people", according to a federal lawsuit filed Thursday by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Questions Raised About Safety Of Unprotected Sex
(Geneva) Swiss AIDS experts said Thursday that some people with HIV who meet strict conditions and are under treatment can safely have unprotected sex with non-infected partners.

Scientists Test Drug On HIV Fortresses
(Washington) The AIDS virus has hideouts deep in the immune system that today's drugs can't reach. Now scientists finally have discovered how HIV builds one of those fortresses.

Oregon Gay Couples Protest Delay In Partner Law
(Portland, Oregon) Hundreds of same-sex couples from throughout Oregon braved snowy mountain passes and rainy Portland streets to protest a court ordered delay in implementing the state's domestic partnership law.

Carter Brings Together Moderate Baptists
(Atlanta, Georgia) Former President Carter called divisions among Christians a "cancer" in the church, as he opened a meeting meant to unite moderate Baptists across racial and theological lines and show their tradition goes beyond conservative Southern Baptist beliefs.

Schwarzenegger Endorses McCain
(Los Angeles, California) Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger endorsed John McCain Thursday, giving a certain boost to the Republican presidential front-runner five days before California's high-prize primary.

Obama: Clinton Divisive
(Denver, Colorado) Democratic Sen. Barack Obama said Wednesday a Hillary Rodham Clinton presidency would be a step back to the past, turning her husband's image of a bridge to the future against her.

Super Tuesday Likely To Resolve Nothing
(Washington) Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama are locked in a drawn-out war of attrition for the Democratic presidential nomination, sure to be fighting for delegates beyond next Tuesday no matter who comes out ahead on the primary season's biggest day.

Poll: Big Expectations For New President
(Washington) Americans have a decidedly dour view of how things are going in the country and an outsized view of what one person - the president - can do about it.

Indiana Senate Passes Anti-Gay Amendment
(Indianapolis, Indiana) Indiana's Senate has approved a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would limit marriage to opposite-sex couples. 

Spaniards Overwhelmingly Approve Of Gay Marriages
(Madrid) With just over a month before Spain goes to the polls the Socialist government's same-sex marriage law is causing barely a ripple in the campaign. 

Civil Unions Slow To Catch On In Czech Republic
(Prague) In the year-and-a-half since civil unions became legal in the Czech Republic fewer than 500 gay and lesbian couples have registered.

Gay Monument Moves Forward As Germany Marks Hitler Rise To Power
(Berlin) The 75th anniversary today of Adolf Hitler's elevation to German chancellor is one the country would prefer to forget, but the ignominious event remains part of the weighted history that drives past and future generations to remember the victims of the Nazi regime and ensure their crimes cannot happen again.

White House Race Down To Twin, Two-Way Races
(Washington) The race for the White House narrowed abruptly Wednesday to twin two-way battles, party maverick John McCain the man to beat for the Republican nomination while the Democrats faced a historic choice between a woman and a black man.

Giuliani Gives Nod To McCain
(Simi Valley, California)  Rudy Giuliani, who sought to make the leap from New York mayor to the White House, bowed out of the Republican presidential contest Wednesday and endorsed front-runner and longtime friend John McCain.

Edwards Withholds Endorsement As Campaign Ends
(New Orleans, Louisiana) Democrat John Edwards bowed out of the race for the White House on Wednesday, saying it was time to step aside "so that history can blaze its path" in a campaign now left to Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.

Will Young Voters Count In 2008?
(Chicago, Illinois) Tammy Hsu is one of those 20-something voters who can drive a presidential candidate crazy.

Vermont Town To Vote On Arresting Bush, Cheney
(Brattleboro, Vermont) A town petition making President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney subject to arrest for crimes against the Constitution has triggered a barrage of criticism from people who say residents are "wackjobs" and "nuts."

Obama Gives Away Money Tied To Donor
(Washington) Barack Obama is giving to charity more than $70,000 in contributions linked to an indicted Chicago businessman whose past connections to the Democratic presidential candidate have created a distraction and raised questions about his judgment.

Az Gov: Abstinence-Only Ed A Failure
(Phoenix, Arizona) Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano (D) is telling the Bush administration that the state does not want $1 million in federal funding for abstinence-only education because the programs don't work.

Brazil Distributes Millions Of Condoms During Carnival
(Rio De Janeiro, Brazil) Health officials have begun distributing millions of condoms to fight AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases during Brazil's five-day Carnival.

Police Won't Question Olsen About Ledger Death
(New York City) Police Commissioner Ray Kelly says Mary-Kate Olsen will not be questioned by detectives about Heath Ledger's death.

Kennedy Endorses Obama
(Macon, Georgia) Democratic Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts is endorsing Senate colleague Barack Obama for president.
Also: Indicted Obama Fundraiser Rezko Arrested

Clinton Campaigns In Florida
(Sarasota, Florida) Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton says she is going to Florida to assure Democrats that "their voices are heard" and to underscore her commitment to seeing the state's delegation seated at the national convention.

Cheney Daughter Working For Romney
(Miami, Florida) Liz Cheney, one of Vice President Dick Cheney's daughters, has signed onto Mitt Romney's presidential campaign as a senior foreign policy adviser.

Gay Vermont Politician Masters Standup Comedy
(Montpelier, Vermont) How many politicians does it take to get a laugh?