Most Popular Top Stories

1US Politics

Healthcare Bill Passes!!!

The House passed its $1 trillion healthcare overhaul late Saturday by the thinnest of margins, becoming the first chamber to vote on such a significant expansion of healthcare since Congress passed Medicare in 1965. The 220-215 vote late Saturday was a victory for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Barack Obama, who came to Capitol Hill to rally his fellow Democrats in the hours before the vote. The bill includes a requirement for individuals to have health insurance and for larger businesses to provide it to their employees. It also includes a public health insurance option that is not tied to Medicare. But most of the $1.052 trillion cost of the bill comes in the form of subsidies to help low- and middle-income people purchase insurance. Supporters called the passage a historic moment on par with the New Deal and the creation of Medicare. They said the bill will finally guarantee health coverage to nearly every American. "This legislation will mean affordability for the middle-class, security for our seniors, and honors our responsibility to our children, adding not one dime to the deficit," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

2Gay/Lesbian

Osteen: Gays Aren't "God's Best"

View cohost Whoopi Goldberg asked megachuch pastor Joel Osteen whether gay people are welcome at his Lakewood Church in Houston. Osteen said he welcomes people of different religions and sexual orientations, but that "homosexuality is not God's best."

3Watches

Private Health Insurance the "Worst Product in American History": Former Industry Shill

He's not the first former health insurance company ex-employee to speak of the extent to which the health insurance industry will go to ensure its profits, but he's the latest. Andy Cobb, a former Blue Cross spokesman, is fed up and has teamed with Brave New Films for a new ad.

4US Army

What Might Have Set Off Fort Hood Gunman?

Mental health professionals are scrambling to explain what could have prompted a gunman to go on a rampage in Texas' Fort Hood Thursday, killing 13 people and wounding 30, before being shot by a female police officer who was among the first to arrive on the scene.

5Laura Bush

George W. Bush makes secret visit to mourning families at Fort Hood; Laura Bush goes too

Last night former President George W. Bush and his wife Laura made a secret visit to the devastated military families at Fort Hood. Fox News broke news of the visit this afternoon. Other sources said the former first couple spent about two hours meeting with the wounded, family and soldiers, talking quietly and at times hugging them as they did in private at other times of crisis such as post-9/11.

6Maine Government

Mob rule

The repeal of Maine’s marriage equality law was excruciatingly disappointing, but not altogether surprising. As Jesse Ventura put it bluntly, "You can't put a civil rights issue on the ballot and let the people decide … If you left it up to the people, we'd have slavery, depending on how you worded it." Indeed, history has proven that when individuals are given the power to legislate issues directly, the majority invariably terrorizes the minority. Time and time again, the mob has used referenda to repeal existing legislative protections such as Maine’s same-sex marriage law and to ensure that elected representatives are unable to pass new civil rights laws by amending state constitutions to define marriage as being between one man and one woman.

7US News

Why won't Obama give you a job?

The White House thinks the stimulus is working, and it doesn't want you on its payroll To hear President Obama tell it, he's been busy creating jobs since taking office. The $787 billion stimulus package, he said last winter, would "save or create 3.5 million jobs." The White House is touting reports from recipients of stimulus funds asserting that they have created or saved 640,000 jobs so far. Yet the national unemployment rate has now hit 10.2 percent, helping explain why Republicans won the governors' races in Virginia and New Jersey last week, just a year after the party's 2008 drubbing.

8Louisville, KY

Miley Cyrus: "You're Vaine, You're Gay"

Pop star Miley Cyrus from the hit Disney show Hannah Montana has changed the lyrics of one of her popular songs '7 Things' in a recent Louisville, Kentucky concert from 'You're Game' to 'You're gay'.

9Orlando, FL

Shooting reported at Orlando high-rise

A gunman was at large after firefighters and police responded to a reported shooting Friday at a high-rise building in Orlando, Florida, authorities said.

10Opinion

Why Gay Marriage Is Such A Big Deal

In the grand scheme of American politics, the gay marriage issue seems like it should really be a footnote. It affects so few people, how could it be so important?