Texas couples go to court to overturn same-sex marriage ban
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Reuters) – Two gay couples in Texas will ask a federal court this week to overturn an amendment to the state’s constitution barring same-sex marriage that has been staunchly supported by prominent Republican party leaders.
Massachusetts college lifts lockdown after ‘erroneous’ report
BOSTON (Reuters) – Bristol Community College in Fall River, Massachusetts, on Tuesday lifted a lockdown order it had issued for its campus, saying earlier reports of an armed intruder were “erroneous.”
States should lift life bans on voting for ex-felons: Attorney General
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. states should repeal laws that restrict for life the voting rights of ex-felons because the laws prevent former prison inmates from successfully reentering society, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said on Tuesday in the la…
Trawl the Net, says Congress report on U.S. security clearances
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. security clearance process that failed to flag former spy agency contractor Edward Snowden and the Washington Navy Yard shooter needs reforms as simple as letting investigators use the Internet and forcing local law enfo…
Majority of Americans support normalizing relations with Cuba: poll
MIAMI (Reuters) – A strong majority of Americans – and an even greater percentage of Floridians – support normalizing relations with Cuba, according to a poll released on Tuesday by the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank.
18 North Carolina patients may have been exposed to rare brain disease
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C./NEW YORK (Reuters) – Eighteen neurological patients in North Carolina may have been exposed to an incurable and fatal degenerative brain disease while undergoing surgery at the Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center because surgical i…
Idaho’s top court grants adoptive rights to spouse in gay marriage
SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) – Idaho’s top court on Monday ruled that state law allows a woman to adopt the children of her same-sex spouse, in a precedent-setting victory for gay couples in a socially conservative U.S. state that has banned the unions.
Pentagon weapons buyer sees tough choices from tight budgets
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Tighter budgets risk hurting the combat readiness of some U.S. military units and will force tough decisions about research and procurement, but key weapons such as the F-35 fighter jet remain a priority, a senior Pentagon officia…
Toss-up seen in race to succeed San Diego’s disgraced ex-mayor
SAN DIEGO (Reuters) – San Diego voters head to the polls on Tuesday to choose between two city councilmen vying in a race seen as too close to call to succeed disgraced former Mayor Bob Filner, who resigned amid a hail of sexual harassment allegations …
Gay rights activists arrested in Utah after statehouse sit-in
SALT LAKE CITY (Reuters) – Thirteen Utah gay rights activists were arrested on Monday at the state Capitol after a sit-in to demand lawmakers hear a bill barring housing and job discrimination based on sexual orientation, authorities said.
