Supreme Court Lifts Hold on Same-Sex Weddings in Idaho

Source: Associated Press

@AP: BREAKING: Supreme Court lifts hold on same-sex weddings in Idaho.

High court lifts hold on gay marriage in Idaho
OCT. 10, 2014 5:26 PM EDT
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court says same-sex marriage can go ahead in Idaho.

The court issued an order Friday that appears to remove the last legal obstacle keeping gay and lesbian couples from getting married in the conservative state.

The federal appeals court in San Francisco on Tuesday declared gay marriage bans illegal in Idaho and Nevada.

Justice Anthony Kennedy temporarily blocked same-sex weddings in Idaho a day later after the state asked for a delay. Idaho officials said county clerks would be forced to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples almost immediately without the high court's intervention.

Kennedy offered no explanation for his order, but indicated it would not be lasting. The court issued no explanation for its order Friday, either.


Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/3cb3ce24a34c4b779d28b4e1be2f5c71/high-court-lifts-hold-gay-marriage-idaho

'Saturday Night Live' Star Jan Hooks Dead at 57

Source: Huffington Post

@BreakingNews: 'Saturday Night Live' star Jan Hooks dies at age 57 - @HuffingtonPost http://t.co/d16OZc11oV/s/L7Zg

'SNL' Star Jan Hooks Dead At 57

Jessica Goodman The Huffington Post 10/09/14 05:58 PM ET

Former "Saturday Night Live" star Jan Hooks died on Thursday. Her representative confirmed the news to HuffPost Entertainment, but had no further comment on Hooks' death. She was 57 years old.

Hooks appeared on "SNL" from 1986-91 and most recently appeared on "30 Rock" as Jenna Maroney's mother, Verna. She was also a regular on "Designing Women." While on "SNL," she was known for her recurring character Candy Sweeney of "The Sweeney Sisters," and impersonated Bette Davis, Betty Ford, Nancy Reagan, Sinéad O'Connor, Jodie Foster and Hillary Clinton.

Read more: http://t.co/d16OZc11oV/s/L7Zg

Study: Voter ID Laws Cut Turnout by Blacks, Young

Source: Associated Press

@AP: Study finds voter ID laws in US reduce election turnout, disproportionately impacting black, young: http://t.co/GLshoBJk7W/s/LLQv

m.twitter.com/AP

Study: Voter ID laws cut turnout by blacks, young

BY ALAN FRAM
OCT. 8, 2014 11:38 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — States that toughened their voter identification laws saw steeper drops in election turnout than those that did not, with disproportionate falloffs among black and younger voters, a nonpartisan congressional study released Wednesday concluded.

As of June, 33 states have enacted laws obligating voters to show a photo ID at the polls, the study said. Republicans who have pushed the legislation say the requirement will reduce fraud, but Democrats insist the laws are a GOP effort to reduce Democratic turnout on Election Day.

The report by the Government Accountability Office, Congress' investigative agency, was released less than a month from elections that will determine which party controls Congress.

The office compared election turnout in Kansas and Tennessee — which tightened voter ID requirements between the 2008 and 2012 elections — to voting in four states that didn't change their identification requirements.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/1dba56c5f8f7430f859748aff4405b10/study-voter-id-laws-cut-turnout-blacks-young

Gay Marriage Licenses Allowed in Kansas County

Source: Associated Press

@AP: MORE: Kansas county judge orders Johnson County clerk's office to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples: http://t.co/64gat8uBPE/s/qtTo

Gay marriage licenses allowed in Kansas county

OCT. 8, 2014 5:12 PM EDT

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A judge in northeast Kansas has ordered a county to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples following actions earlier this week by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Johnson County Chief District Judge Kevin Moriarty issued the order Wednesday. He says it was meant to avoid confusion about the legal climate surrounding gay marriages.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear appeals from five states seeking to preserve their bans on gay marriage. One of them was Utah, which is in the same federal appeals court circuit as Kansas.

The Kansas Constitution has banned gay marriage since 2005.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/525af8dc8530440bb8a2cc2a142bb457/gay-marriage-licenses-allowed-kansas-county

Twitter Sues FBI, DOJ to Release More Info About Government Surveillance

Source: CBS News / Associated Press

@CBSEveningNews: JUST IN: Twitter is suing the U.S. gov't, says it's been prohibited from "reporting on the actual scope of surveillance of Twitter users."

@AP: Twitter sues the FBI, Department of Justice to release more information about government surveillance of its users: http://t.co/2MuenWo0Zh/s/XLHE

Twitter sues FBI, DOJ to release more info about government surveillance

CBS/AP
Oct 7, 2014 2:15 PM EDT

NEW YORK -- Twitter is suing the FBI and the Department of Justice to be able to release more information about government surveillance of its users.

Twitter Inc. filed a lawsuit Tuesday in a California federal court to publish its full "transparency report," which documents government requests for user information. The published report does not include national security requests because Twitter, along with other Internet companies, has been prohibited from disclosing that information.

The San Francisco-based social media company says it believes that it's entitled under the First Amendment to "respond to our users' concerns and to the statements of U.S. government officials by providing information about the scope of U.S. government surveillance."

Twitter said in a blog post that it has "tried to achieve the level of transparency our users deserve without litigation, but to no avail."

"This is an important issue for anyone who believes in a strong First Amendment, and we hope to be able to share our complete Transparency Report," the company said.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/twitter-sues-fbi-doj-to-release-more-info-about-government-surveillance/

TOM TOMORROW: Do Your Part

BREAKING: U.S. Supreme Court Refuses to Rule on Gay Marriage

Source: Bloomberg News

@BloombergNews: ALERT: U.S. Supreme Court refuses to rule on gay marriage, allowing same sex marriage in up 11 new states

@BloombergNews: Number of gay-marriage states now likely to rise to 30 plus the District of Columbia: http://t.co/4moWBXCmra/s/YshI http://t.co/D1VT2HXbFb/s/jdVQ

@SCOTUSblog: Appeals court decisions striking down SSM bans remain in effect. Other challenges continue. SCOTUS review waits for another day.

@SCOTUSblog: Practically, today SCOTUS recognized a right to SSM. Implausible that later it will undo marriages, absent a big change in Ct's membership.

U.S. Supreme Court Refuses to Rule on Gay Marriage

By Greg Stohr
October 06, 2014 9:43 AM EDT

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected calls for a nationwide ruling on same-sex marriage, a rebuff that lets gays marry in as many as 11 new states and leaves legal uncertainty elsewhere.

The denial today of seven pending appeals defied predictions. Advocates on both sides had urged the justices to resolve the issue following a wave of lower court rulings that the Constitution guarantees same-sex marriage rights.

The rejection lets three federal appeals decisions take effect, legalizing same-sex marriage in Utah, Oklahoma, Virginia, Wisconsin and Indiana. Six other states -- Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, West Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina -- will likely follow because they fall under the jurisdiction of those appellate courts.

Those additions will bring the number of gay-marriage states to 30, plus the District of Columbia.

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-10-06/u-s-supreme-court-refuses-to-rule-on-gay-marriage.html

Patient Hospitalized in D.C. With Possible Ebola Symptoms

Source: CBS News

@CBSNews: A person with possible Ebola symptoms has been hospitalized in Washington, D.C., out of "an abundance of caution." http://t.co/Fhi77AsmFB/s/QF31

Patient hospitalized in D.C. with possible Ebola symptoms

CBS NEWS
Oct 3, 2014 12:05 PM EDT

A person with possible Ebola symptoms has been hospitalized in Washington, D.C. out of "an abundance of caution," the hospital confirmed in a statement.

The patient, who traveled to the U.S. from Nigeria, has been hospitalized at Howard University Hospital in Washington.

"We can confirm that a patient has been admitted to Howard University Hospital in stable condition, following travel to Nigeria and presenting with symptoms that could be associated with Ebola," hospital spokesperson Kerry-Ann Hamilton said in a statement Friday.

"In an abundance of caution, we have activated the appropriate infection control protocols, including isolating the patient. Our medical team continues to evaluate and monitor progress in close collaboration with the CDC and the Department of Health.

"For privacy reasons, we cannot share additional details about the case. We will continue to provide key updates as the situation warrants."


Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ebola-outbreak-patient-hospitalized-in-d-c-with-possible-ebola-symptoms/

Sweden (to Become First EU Country) to Recognise State of Palestine

Source: Reuters

Sweden to recognise state of Palestine
STOCKHOLM Fri Oct 3, 2014 8:50am EDT

(Reuters) - Sweden's new center-left government will recognise the state of Palestine in a move that will make it the first major European country to take the step, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said on Friday.

The U.N. General Assembly approved the de facto recognition of the sovereign state of Palestine in 2012 but the European Union and most EU countries, have yet to give official recognition.

"The conflict between Israel and Palestine can only be solved with a two-state solution, negotiated in accordance with international law," Lofven said during his inaugural address in parliament.

"A two-state solution requires mutual recognition and a will to peaceful co-existence. Sweden will therefore recognise the state of Palestine."

For the Palestinians, Sweden's move will be a welcome boost for its ambitions.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/03/us-sweden-politics-palestinians-idUSKCN0HS0XN20141003

UPDATE: Controversial Colorado History Plan Still Alive

Source: Associated Press

@AP: BREAKING: Colorado school board approves review of U.S. history class changes that sparked protests

@AP: Correction: Colorado school board expands curriculum committees; history proposal still on the table: http://t.co/3UVIkLAieq/s/RhdT

Controversial Colorado history plan still alive

BY COLLEEN SLEVIN
OCT. 2, 2014 11:31 PM EDT

GOLDEN, Colo. (AP) — A suburban Denver school board under fire for proposing a review of Advanced Placement U.S. history has voted to include students, parents and administrators in its curriculum reviews, but isn't backing off the original history proposal that has sent waves of students into the streets to protest.

Hundreds of students, teachers and parents packed the Thursday evening school board meeting and watched live video on a screen set up outside.

Some in the audience yelled "resign" and "recall, recall" as the board voted 3-2 to expand the membership on two existing curriculum review committees. They will now include students, parents and administrators and their meetings will have to be held in public.

It's not immediately clear whether the committees will review the history course.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/5638f9e60740470db9db30b204b33a1a/history-fight-coming-head-suburban-denver