Court: CA gay marriage ban is unconstitutional (AP)
Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:54:28 GMT
AP - A federal appeals court on Tuesday declared California's same-sex marriage ban to be unconstitutional, putting the bitterly contested, voter-approved law on track for a likely appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

APNewsBreak: Komen exec quits after funding flap (AP)
Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:24:54 GMT
AP - A high-ranking official resigned Tuesday from the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast-cancer charity after a dispute over whether the group should give funding to Planned Parenthood, according to a letter obtained by The Associated Press.

Gingrich hits Romney, Obama, on Catholic rights (AP)
Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:17:09 GMT
AP - Newt Gingrich thrust the reproductive rights issue into the GOP campaign spotlight on Tuesday, criticizing both Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama's records on requiring Catholic organizations to provide contraceptive aids in some circumstances. Rick Santorum vowed to make the issue a central part of his struggling campaign.

Russian FM in Syria amid escalating violence (AP)
Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:16:23 GMT
AP - Russia's foreign minister urged Syrian President Bashar Assad to move ahead with reforms Tuesday as a way to resolve Syria's crisis, as a cheering crowd of thousands waving Russian flags welcomed the diplomat, praising his country for blocking U.N. pressure on Damascus.

Mayor calls NYC 'Big Blue Apple' for Giants' win (AP)
Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:40:30 GMT
AP - Thousands of fans roared as New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning hoisted the team's Super Bowl trophy from a glittering blue-and-white float Tuesday during a victory parade through New York City, which Mayor Michael Bloomberg quipped should now be nicknamed the "Big Blue Apple."

APNewsBreak: SC AG sues over rejected voter ID law (AP)
Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:30:36 GMT
AP - South Carolina says in a lawsuit that the U.S. Justice Department was wrong to block the state from requiring voters to show government-issued photo identification to vote.

Job openings jump to near a 3-year high (AP)
Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:02:43 GMT
AP - The number of available jobs in the United States jumped in December to near a three-year high, supporting other data that show a brighter outlook for hiring.

Dad who killed self, sons in blaze left voicemail (AP)
Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:22:53 GMT
AP - Before setting his house ablaze and killing himself and his two young sons, Josh Powell left a voicemail for family members saying he couldn't live without the boys and didn't want to go on anymore.

Pa. vending machine dispenses 'morning-after' pill (AP)
Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:28:07 GMT
AP - Students at Shippensburg University in central Pennsylvania can get the "morning-after" pill by sliding $25 into a vending machine installed at the request of the student government.

Britain marks Charles Dickens' 200th birthday (AP)
Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:29:19 GMT
AP - He wrote about life in the modern city, with its lawyers and criminals, bankers and urchins, dreamers and clerks. He created characters still known to millions — Ebeneezer Scrooge and Tiny Tim, Pip and Miss Havisham, Fagin and Oliver Twist. And it made him a star, mobbed by fans on both sides of the Atlantic.