(BBC) US President Barack Obama has ended months of hedging on the issue of gay marriage by saying he thinks same-sex couples should be able to wed.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans rolled to victory in Virginia and New Jersey governor's races on Tuesday in a sharp blow to Democrats that showed the limits of President Barack Obama's political clout.

(Al Jazeera English) The Palestinians have accused the US of destroying any chance of peace talks after backing Israel over the building of illegal settlements on occupied land.

(BBC) The US Senate has voted to continue to allow Guantanamo inmates to be tried on US soil, removing a hurdle as the Obama administration seeks to close the camp.

(BBC) US President Barack Obama has said he will end the ban on gay people serving openly in the military.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House has been presented intelligence estimating Taliban-led forces battling U.S. troops in Afghanistan have nearly quadrupled since 2006 and are increasingly independent of leaders in Pakistan, officials said on Friday.

(Democracy Now!) The administration has asked lawmakers to extend powers allowing the government to collect a wide range of financial and personal records, as well as monitor suspects with roving wiretaps.

(NPR) Tens of thousands of people marched through Washington Saturday to protest President Obama's proposed health care plans. The rowdy pilgrimage capped a series of conservative "Tea Party" rallies across the country.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama sought to rally Americans behind the war in Afghanistan on the eighth anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the United States as polls show faltering public support for the conflict.

(Washington Post) The Senate confirmed Eric H. Holder Jr. as the nation's first African American attorney general by a vote of 75 to 21 yesterday, opening a new chapter for a Justice Department that had suffered under allegations of improper political influence and policy disputes over wiretapping and harsh interrogation practices.

(VOA) Aides to President Barack Obama say he will sign an executive order Thursday to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba within one year.

(Washington Post) The White House is working to enact a wide array of federal regulations, many of which would weaken government rules aimed at protecting consumers and the environment, before President Bush leaves office in January.

(BBC News) The "Showdown in St Louis" between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin might more accurately be called the "Showdowns in St Louis". It really was the Tale of Two Debates.

(Los Angeles Times) Tax breaks are added to the Wall Street package, but House passage is far from certain.

(Washington Post) When Gov. Sarah Palin flew home to Alaska for the first time since being named the Republican vice presidential nominee, she brought along at least half a dozen new advisers to conduct briefings, stage-manage her first television interview and help her prepare for a critical debate next month.

WASHINGTON (New York Times) As Congress prepares to debate expansion of drilling in taxpayer-owned coastal waters, the Interior Department agency that collects oil and gas royalties has been caught up in a wide-ranging ethics scandal — including allegations of financial self-dealing, accepting gifts from energy companies, cocaine use and sexual misconduct.

(Guardian) Historic handshake in desert tent signifies ending half-century of hostilities.

(Los Angeles Times) The Alaska governor has ascended on good fortune, grit and force of personality.

DENVER, Colorado (CNN) -- On a historic night in U.S. politics, Barack Obama secured the Democratic Party's nomination for president and emerged for the first time on stage in Denver with running mate Sen. Joe Biden.

DALLAS (IHT) U.S. presidential rivals Barack Obama and John McCain target religious voters on Saturday when as guests of one of America's foremost evangelists they discuss faith in public life, AIDS, the environment and other issues.

(BBC News) Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama has called for the US to dip into its strategic oil reserves to lower fuel prices in the short-term.

WASHINGTON (International Herald Tribune) Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, a legendary political figure closely tied to the rough-and-tumble history of his home state, and who wields outsize influence over U.S. government spending, was indicted on Tuesday on seven felony counts of failing to disclose gifts that he received from an oil services company.

PARIS (New York Times) Senator Barack Obama arrived at the Elysee Palace on Friday afternoon, stepping out of a black sedan in the stately courtyard and walking up to greet French President Nicolas Sarkozy who stood in the palace doorway.

(France 24) White House hopeful Barack Obama is due to touch down in Berlin, Germany on Thursday to kick off his European tour, expecting a rapturous welcome before delivering what is expected to be a major speech on foreign policy.

(Washington Post) Mortgage programs that helped nearly 79,000 people buy homes using government-insured loans last year would be eliminated as part of a broader housing package that Congress expects to pass this week, key lawmakers said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) A U.S. watch list of terrorism suspects has passed 1 million records, corresponding to about 400,000 people, and a leading civil rights group said on Monday the number was far too high to be effective.

(New York Times) As anyone not living under a rock likely knows by now, the latest New Yorker has a cover by the artist Barry Blitt depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as a couple of flag-burning, bin-Laden loving terrorists.

(Washington Post) The Senate easily approved legislation to overhaul government eavesdropping rules in terrorism and espionage cases and effectively granted immunity to telecommunications companies that participated in a secret domestic spying program, ending a contentious debate that has raged for more than two years.

(Guardian) The US Democratic presidential candidate, Barack Obama, called for tighter sanctions on Iran today after it fired nine test missiles that were capable of hitting American and Israeli bases.

WASHINGTON (Los Angeles Times) - In a historic 5-4 ruling, the justices say the 2nd Amendment protects individuals' right to bear arms.