A group of Republican lawmakers is urging California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to appeal a federal ruling that struck down the state’s same-sex marriage ban.
Twenty-seven members of the Assembly’s Republican caucus sent Schwarzenegger a letter Tuesday saying it was up to the governor to defend the rights of voters who passed Proposition 8 almost [...]

After a summer of firing campaign shots from afar, Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer and Republican challenger Carly Fiorina met on the same stage for the first time Wednesday over who best represents California’s economic interests for the next six years.
During the hourlong debate in which both women exchanged feisty jabs, Fiorina called Boxer [...]

Congress seems increasingly reluctant to let taxes go up, even on wealthier Americans.
Worried about the fragile economy and their own upcoming elections, a growing number of Democrats are joining the rock-solid Republican opposition to President Barack Obama’s plans to let some of the Bush administration’s tax cuts expire.
Democratic leaders in Congress still [...]

The U.S. Justice Department sued Sheriff Joe Arpaio on Thursday, saying the Arizona lawman refused for more than a year to turn over records in an investigation into allegations his department discriminates against Hispanics.
The lawsuit calls Arpaio and his office’s defiance “unprecedented,” and said the federal government has been trying since March 2009 [...]

After a summer of firing campaign shots from afar, Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer and Republican challenger Carly Fiorina met on the same stage for the first time Wednesday over who best represents California’s economic interests for the next six years.
During the hourlong debate in which both women exchanged feisty jabs, Fiorina called Boxer [...]

A group of Republican lawmakers is urging California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to appeal a federal ruling that struck down the state’s same-sex marriage ban.
Twenty-seven members of the Assembly’s Republican caucus sent Schwarzenegger a letter Tuesday saying it was up to the governor to defend the rights of voters who passed Proposition 8 almost [...]

A Nebraska newspaper is easing its ban on publishing gay marriage announcements to allow notices about legally recognized same-sex unions.
Omaha World-Herald Publisher Terry Kroeger announced the change Tuesday. The paper had been criticized online for its refusal to print a lesbian couple’s commitment notice.
Kroeger says the World-Herald may have been slow to [...]

Struggling to break decades of hostility, President Barack Obama convened a new round of ambitious Mideast peace talks Wednesday and told Israeli and Palestinian leaders they faced a fleeting chance to settle deep differences.
“This moment of opportunity may not soon come again,” Obama said at the White House before hosting Israeli Prime Minister [...]

Updated at 12:41 a.m. ET
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski was booted from office in the Republican primary Tuesday by a little-known conservative lawyer backed by former governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, in arguably America’s biggest political upset of the year.
Joe Miller, backed by Palin and the ultraconservative Tea Party Express movement, became the [...]

Updated at 12:41 a.m. ET
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski was booted from office in the Republican primary Tuesday by a little-known conservative lawyer backed by former governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, in arguably America’s biggest political upset of the year.
Joe Miller, backed by Palin and the ultraconservative Tea Party Express movement, became the [...]