Associated Press - page 608

One year ago, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a pair of landmark rulings, one striking down the statute that denied federal recognition to same-sex marriages and the other clearing the way for gay couples to wed legally in California. In the 12 months since then, the ripple effects of those rulings have transformed the national debate over same-sex marriage, convincing many people on both sides that its spread nationwide is inevitable. From the East Coast to the Midwest and the…

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 With 2 1/2 years remaining in his term, President Barack Obama has been blocked by Congress and is running out of steps he can take on his own to achieve his goals. So the White House is trying to maximize Obama’s exposure to “real Americans,” hoping that more intimate and less scripted interactions will remind struggling citizens why they voted for him in the first place. A poignant letter from one of those Americans prompted Obama to fly to Minnesota…

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Good thing she doesn’t need a password to get into heaven. That’s what Donna Spinner often mutters when she tries to remember the growing list of letter-number-and-symbol codes she’s had to create to access her various online accounts. “At my age, it just gets too confusing,” says the 72-year-old grandmother who lives outside Decatur, Illinois. But this is far from just a senior moment. Frustration over passwords is as common across the age brackets as the little reminder notes on…

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Thomas Mueller scored his fourth goal of the World Cup on Friday as Germany defeated the United States 1-0 to win Group G ahead of the Americans, who also advanced to the knockout stage of the World Cup despite losing. With two wins and a draw, Germany topped the group with seven points, while the U.S. progressed with four. Portugal beat Ghana 2-1 but both were eliminated. Portugal also finished with four points but the U.S. had a better goal…

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The Supreme Court on Thursday limited the president’s power to fill high-level vacancies with temporary appointments, ruling in favor of Senate Republicans in their partisan clash with President Barack Obama. The high court’s first-ever case involving the Constitution’s recess appointments clause ended in a unanimous decision holding that Obama’s appointments to the National Labor Relations Board in 2012 without Senate confirmation were illegal. Obama invoked the Constitution’s provision giving the president the power to make temporary appointments when the Senate…

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A woman has been bitten by a cobra at a Florida wildlife sanctuary. Capt. Albert Borroto of Palm Beach County Fire Rescue says a call was received at about 5:45 a.m. Thursday regarding the cobra bite at McCarthy’s Wildlife Sanctuary in Loxahatchee. The woman was transported to Palms West Hospital in stable condition. The circumstances of the bite were not immediately known. The sanctuary boasts of “the coolest collection of snakes around” on its website.

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It’s the last day of the group stage at the World Cup, and seven teams are still vying for the last three spots in the Round of 16. While most teams are either on their way home or preparing for the knockout stage, there’s still everything to play for in the finely balanced Group G, where all four teams still have a chance to go through. The biggest matchup of the day pits the United States against Germany in a…

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