Topic: U.S. Congress

Obama says gay marriage 'right thing to do' (+video)

He appeared in front of a gay and lesbian leadership group at a fundraiser, in addition to appearances on "The View" and at Barnard College.

In Election 2012, how much is the House in play? Three sides to the story.

Steve Israel outlines his scenario for the Democrats winning back the House. Pete Sessions says the GOP could actually increase its hold. Analysts say the reality is somewhere in between.

What Rick Santorum's lukewarm endorsement of Mitt Romney means (+video)

Nearly a month after exiting the presidential race, Rick Santorum endorsed Mitt Romney in the 13th paragraph of an e-mail sent to supporters late Monday. That's not exactly a show of enthusiasm for the Republican standard-bearer.

Opinion: François Hollande – no more 'Mr. Pudding'?

Style – more than policy differences on austerity – separated Socialist winner François Hollande from Nicolas Sarkozy in the French presidential elections. France may have simply preferred Hollande, dubbed 'Mr. Pudding,' over bombastic Sarkozy. But Hollande may not be so soft.

National Honesty Day: This story is an attempt to get Web traffic

National Honesty Day: April 30 marks National Honesty Day. We hope that you'll visit this page so that we can get a tiny bit of advertising money.

Drug policy and Cuba headline Summit of the Americas (+video)

The Sixth Summit of the Americas saw what Mexico's Calderón called a 'radical' change: candid conversation about differences over drug policy and Cuba.

Enemies: A History of the FBI

Pulitzer Prize-winner Tim Weiner explores the fascinating but disquieting history of the FBI.

Decoder Wire
'Morning Joe' host: GOP establishment thinks Mitt Romney will lose to Obama

Mitt Romney's path to the nomination seems secure – but as conservative Joe Scarborough bluntly put it Wednesday, Republicans aren't confident about his chances in the fall.

Africa Monitor
How Kony 2012 campaign went viral and focused rare attention on Africa

Invisible Children, through its Kony 2012 campaign against the Lord's Resistance Army, had a strong message, social media, and a strategy for how to channel a youthful desire to be involved.

International Women's Day: How it's celebrated around the globe

International Women's Day has served for more than a century as a day to honor the achievements of women globally. Here are some ways people are celebrating:

Military strike on Iran: Are Obama and Netanyahu now on the same page?

President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have found new 'convergence' on stopping Iran from building a nuclear bomb. But important differences of opinion remain. 

The PR challenge in Afghanistan: suicide bombing, Quran burning, and murky data

The US and NATO continue to offer relentlessly optimistic reports. But they aren’t reversing the erosion of public confidence, and attacks like today's suicide bombing don't help.

Opinion: Russian elections: Putin 4.0 at a crossroads

After Russian elections on Sunday, expect what amounts to a fourth term for Putin. But Putin 4.0 faces a tough choice. His KGB officer instincts call for tightening the grip. But Russia's future – and thousands of protesters – demand greater freedom and reforms.

Terrorism & Security
Reports: Netanyahu will push Obama hard on Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will reportedly ratchet up the pressure when he meets with President Obama in Washington next week.

Opinion: Obama must support India-Pakistan rapprochement

Amid all the bad news, there is a bit of hope in South Asia: India and Pakistan have restarted their peace dialogue, with greater economic engagement. The Obama administration should reinforce this effort, which would help US security interests in the region, especially in Afghanistan.

No Child Left Behind loses bite as Obama issues waivers

Many educators applaud the waivers from some parts of No Child Left Behind, saying the education-reform law has a one-size-fits-all approach. Others worry that minorities could suffer. 

Kim Dotcom: Are such Internet sensations pirates or hactivists?

Copyright law and its enforcement have dominated the news lately, first with the Internet blackout protests against SOPA, and more recently with the arrest of Kim Dotcom in New Zealand. Here are five international file-share players who have been targets of copyright enforcement.

Global News Blog
State of the Union speech, as heard by China, India, France, Israel...

State of the Union coverage in the world's newspapers says as much about the specific concerns of other countries as it does about what President Obama actually said.

Gabrielle Giffords to attend State of Union before stepping down (+video)

Gabrielle Giffords will attend President Obama's State of the Union Tuesday before resigning from Congress. Gabrielle Giffords vows to return to work for Arizona after her recovery.

Five major SOPA supporters

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and its Senate counterpart, the Protect IP Act or PIPA, would allow the US government to seek a court order and even shut down websites that contain content or links “committing or facilitating online piracy.”  Moreover, advertisers and Internet service providers would be banned from doing business with violators.

However, payment and advertising networks, search engines or service providers that take voluntary action to redress detected violations – by terminating businesses with transgressor sites or comply with the law – will be granted immunity from liability charges.

On Sept. 22, 2011, more than 350 trade associations, professional and labor organizations, and businesses signed a letter urging Congress to enact legislation to stop “rogue sites” from copyright infringement.

Here are five key SOPA and PIPA supporters:

Horizons
SOPA blackout: How to get around the Wikipedia protest

Wikipedia imposed a SOPA blackout today, redacting its English encyclopedia in protest of the US bill. Don't worry. Here are five ways to get around the blackout.

Global News Blog
Aid groups: With new Africa drought looming, donors must speed response

Aid groups warned that a drought was coming to the Horn of Africa in 2011, and say now that a late response by donor nations unnecessarily cost thousands of lives. 

Latin America Monitor
What Guatemala's new president wants from the US

Former Gen. Otto Perez Molina, who will be inaugurated as Guatemala's president today, plans to push for renewed US military aid, raising concerns among critics of his legacy from Guatemala's civil war.

Supreme Court justices face tangled mess with Texas redistricting plan

Supreme Court justices heard oral arguments Monday over competing plans for redrawn legislative districts in Texas amid allegations the state Legislature was diluting Latino political power.

Latin America Monitor
Fidel Castro death rumor shows paradoxes in Cuba

As 2012 kicks off, blogger Anya Landau French weighs in on the Cuban economic and social developments that she will assess as she visits Havana next week.