Gay Marriage Approved by N.Y. Senate  —  ALBANY — Lawmakers voted late Friday to legalize same-sex marriage, making New York the largest state where gay and lesbian couples will be able to wed, and giving the national gay-rights movement new momentum from the state where it was born.

GOVERNOR SARAH PALIN TO ATTEND PREMIERE OF THE UNDEFEATED AT PELLA OPERA HOUSE IN PELLA, IOWA  —  SANTA MONICA, Calif. (June 25, 2011)- Victory Film Group VictoryFilmGroup.com and ARC Entertainment announced today that Governor Sarah Palin and her husband Todd will attend the premiere …

Queen of the Tea Party  —  The presidential campaign of Michele Bachmann  —  If she'd fallen backward, she'd have been killed.  It was September 2009, during her second term in Congress, and a magazine had sent a photographer to shoot Michele Bachmann.  He escorted her to the third floor rotunda …

Michelle Obama: “Fortunately, We Have Help From The Media”  —  In an interview with CNN, First Lady Michelle Obama thanks the media for their “support” and “kindness.”  CNN reporter: “How's the family ready for this [the election]?  It's going to be quite vicious, isn't it?  How do you prepare for that?”

The Failure of Al Gore: Part One  —  It must be as perplexing to his many admirers as it is frustrating to himself that a man of Vice President Gore's many talents, great skills and strong beliefs is one of the most consistent losers in American politics.  —  “All political careers end in failure …

Speechworld vs. Realworld  —  The Democrats seem to have given up on budgets.  Hey, who can blame them?  They've got a ballpark figure: Let's raise $2 trillion in revenue every year, and then spend $4 trillion.  That seems to work pretty well, so why get hung up on a lot of fine print?

Report: Bushehr experts killed in Russian plane crash  —  Iranian nuclear efforts suffer major setback as five leading figures in design of its nuclear facilities perish in crash  —  Five Russian scientists who assisted in the design of Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant were among …

GOP Rep. McCarthy to Obama: ‘Get off the golf course’ and ‘get engaged’  —  The No. 3 Republican leader in the House took President Obama to task Friday, claiming he should put the golf clubs down and get directly involved in the budget talks with Congress.  —  “He's got to get off …

Lebanon Sunni clergy reject domestic abuse law  —  BEIRUT — Lebanon's highest Sunni Muslim authority on Friday rejected a bill aimed at protecting women against domestic violence and marital rape, saying it would lead to the demise “of the family as in the West.”

First look: Fear over Greece grows - New this morning: Bernanke numbers drop - Hot this morning: Oil bounces back - Boehner under pressure  —  MIND MELD: WHY WALL STREET HATES WASHINGTON - Bring up Washington's understanding of financial markets around Wall Street and you get rolled eyes and four-letter words.

Reaping what they've sown  —  Georgia Republicans recently passed a very harsh anti-immigrant measure into law, successfully driving a lot of undocumented workers out of the state.  Republicans who championed the measure said the new law would improve Georgia's economy.

Bachmann Takes Swipe At Romney On Abortion … WASHINGTON — Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) said Friday that the 2012 elections was not the time for Republicans to nominate someone with a wavering record on abortion, alluding to one of her competitors in the race.

Photo: Stonewall.  Right now. 42 years later.  —  From G-A-Y pal Scott Wooledge:  —  [@Clarknt67]  —  Chills.  —  Another view, courtesy of Mel England:  —  [@melengland]