A federal appeals court ruled that California’s ban on same-sex marriage. It became the first in the United States to conclude that a state has no convincing legal or social justification to deny gay and lesbian couples the right to wed. The ruling brings the issue closer to the US Supreme Court. The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals declared that the voter-approved Proposition 8 is unconstitutional.... 

A new tell-all book will be released by Random House on Wednesday that would detail the 18 month affair of a White House intern with President John F. Kennedy. The former intern was 19 when she first met the president and has kept her secret for more than 40 years. The book is titled Once Upon a Secret: My Affair with President John F. Kennedy and its Aftermath. It is written by Mimi Alford, who was... 

Although it looks like an impossible mission, Republican hopefuls would try to get the support from the Hispanic communities as they push their campaigns in key states of New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado and Florida. Critics say that the Republicans’ campaign has an anti-Hispanic tone. Political watchers and immigrant-rights groups say that the damage has already been done. Hispanic votes could decide... 

The Los Angeles police advice people to be alert on Sunday as several cars were set on fire. Fire officials said that at least five accidents were reported in Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve and early Sunday. Two arsons were reported in West Hollywood. On Saturday, an arson attack was reported in Burbank, which brought the total number of arson incidents to 39 since Thursday. No arrests have been made... 

A reward of $30,000 was offered for any information that could lead to the missing Maine toddler Ayla Reynolds. Police confirmed that they don’t believe the 20 month old child has the capability to leave her home on her own. The last time Ayla was seen was at her father’s home in Waterville, Maine around 10:00pm on December 16. The father reported that she was missing just before 9:00am the next... 

First lady Michelle Obama helped answer phone calls from children who were tracking Santa Claus around the world. She took calls from Hawaii where the first family spent their Christmas vacation. She tracked Santa’s route through a Google map created by the North American Aerospace Command or NORAD. A small Santa icon showed his current location while a countdown timer below the map shows where he’ll... 

President Barack Obama surprised shoppers and employees of Best Buy and PetSmart last Wednesday to buy Christmas gifts for his daughters as well as a rubber chew toy for his dog. The shopping expedition started in PetSmart where the president bought a rubber toy amounting to $24.99 plus another item. He brought his dog Bo along and played with another dog that was also at the store while President... 

Ron Paul has been known as an isolationist on foreign policy and this was seen in last Thursday’s Republican debate. He was applauded at some points but he could have lost the votes from the conservatives when he picked a fight with other Republican candidates regarding US policies on Iran. Political analysts said that Paul sounded crazy. There’s a clear division in the Republican Party with regards... 

Progress is seen in the talks over government funding and payroll tax extension as House Speaker John Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell met for an hour in the Capitol last Wednesday. They didn’t say whether a compromise was met but the meeting is a good sign that the leaders are working with each other in an attempt to solve the issues that threaten... 

Compromise on tax and spending legislation got more complicated when the Republican members of the house passes a controversial version of the payroll tax cut extension despite a veto threat from President Obama. This latest move could derail the deal that would fund the government until next September. This raised the chances of a possible government shutdown this weekend if the conflict is not solved...