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The record $640 million lottery prize that sent the United States into a gambling frenzy reportedly had at least one winner early Saturday as local media said the winning ticket had been sold in the state of Maryland.

A winning ticket for a record $640 million US lottery prize was sold in the state of Maryland, MSNBC television reported early Saturday.

A Mitt Romney state political action committee gave $10,000 to the anti-gay marriage group National Organization for Marriage (NOM). ?A Mitt Romney state political action committee gave $10,000 to the anti-gay marriage group National Organization for Marriage (NOM). According to documents released Friday by gay rights advocate Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the Free & Strong America PAC Alabama, a state-level PAC that has raised and distributed money on behalf of Romney, made the donation in 2008. At the time, NOM was working to approve Proposition 8, California's gay marriage ban. Internal documents released this week in connection to a Maine court case outline NOM's strategy to pit minority groups against supporters of gay marriage. ?Mitt Romney's funding of a hate-filled campaign designed to drive a wedge between Americans is beyond despicable,? said HRC President Joe Solmonese. ?Not only has Romney signed NOM's radical marriage pledge, now we know he's one of the donors that NOM has

Maggie Gallagher of NOM has defended memos which reveal that the group pursued a strategy to pit minorities against gay marriage supporters. ?Maggie Gallagher of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) on Friday defended memos which reveal that the group pursued a strategy to pit minorities against gay marriage supporters. Appearing on MSNBC, Gallagher said, ?I don't apologize for any of them,? in reference to roughly 15 projects the group outlined in 2009. One project titled Not a Civil Right sought to ?drive a wedge between gays and blacks ? two key Democratic constituencies? and establish opposition to marriage equality as ?a key badge of the Latino identity ? a symbol of resistance to inappropriate assimilation.? Another sought to ?recruit glamorous but unintelligent celebrities? to their cause. Gallagher denied her group used race in its efforts against marriage equality. ?It's insulting to suggest that these African-American or Latino leaders are standing up because NOM is m

A US man who lost his lips, nose and teeth in a 1997 gun accident has received the most extensive face transplant to date, according to doctors at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Police in Florida initially sought an arrest warrant for the neighborhood watch guard who shot and killed unarmed black teen Trayvon Martin, but were overruled by prosecutors, media reports said.

Police in Florida initially sought an arrest warrant for the neighborhood watch guard who shot and killed unarmed black teen Trayvon Martin, but were overruled by prosecutors, media reports said Wednesday.

A US man who lost his lips, nose and teeth in a 1997 gun accident has received the most extensive face transplant to date, according to doctors at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Former Senator Arlene Specter has said Rick Santorum is 'too far out of the mainstream'. Just days after Rick Santorum said he regretted endorsing former Senator Arlene Specter's 1996 bid for the presidential nomination, Specter has hit back, saying Santorum is ?too far out of the mainstream.? Specter, a former Republican, endorsed the fellow Pennsylvanian's 1994 Senate campaign. Specter switched to the Democratic Party in 2009 and has since come out in favor of gay marriage, reversing his previous opposition. But last week, Santorum said he regretted his decision. ?I certainly knew that Arlene Specter was going nowhere and I certainly disagreed with a lot of things that he said,? Santorum said Sunday on ABC's This Week. ?It was something I look back and wish I hadn't done.? ?That certainly wasn't one of my prouder moments that I look back on,? he added. During an appearance Tuesday on MSNBC's Hardball, Specter swiped back at Santorum, saying, ?When rick takes position that women don't

Country music singer Chely Wright has said love bloomed after she left the closet. Country music singer Chely Wright has said love bloomed after she left the closet. The 41-year-old Wright came out gay in her 2010 memoir Like Me: Confessions of a Heartland Country Singer, becoming the first openly gay country music star. In an interview with The Washington Post, Wright says finding love as a closeted lesbian wasn't possible for her. ?If you try to find your life's mate in a dark, small closet, you tend to find a lot of unhealthy people,? Wright said. ?And that was the experience I was having in the closet. It wasn't until I came out that I was able to find a healthy, happy relationship. Wright married her wife Lauren Blitzer in a ceremony in Connecticut last summer. The Single White Female singer's LIKEME non-profit will open its first LIKE Lighthouse LGBT center in Kansas City, Missouri on Friday, March 9. The center includes an LGBT library, a meeting space and conference rooms. Serv

Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley has said he thinks voters will uphold a gay marriage law. Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley has said he thinks voters will uphold a gay marriage law. O'Malley, who championed marriage equality in his annual State of the State address and at committee hearings debating the bill, said at a signing ceremony held in Annapolis that he supports gay nuptials because the state has an obligation to protect all children, including those of gay couples. Opponents of the law have vowed to repeal it through a voter referendum. Appearing last night on MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show, O'Malley conceded that the challenge to the law was real, but added that he believes voters will side with ?human dignity,? a phrase he's used often during the debate. (Related: Martin O'Malley on gay marriage: Even 4-year-old values human dignity.) ?There has been a conversation that has been taking place among our elected representatives over the last year, and the fruit of that conver

O507 GMT: "Republicans are not turning out in large numbers," opined CNN analyst Donna Brazile, a Democratic activist. "I think it this is a weak field." Republican David Gergen, who has advised four US presidents, was not impressed by Romney's victory. "I think psychogically ... he dodged a bullet," Gergen said on CNN.

New York City's first gay hotel, THE OUT NYC, opened for business on Thursday. New York City's first gay hotel, THE OUT NYC, opened for business on Thursday, MSNBC Travel reported. Located in Hell's Kitchen between 10th and 11th Avenues, THE OUT NYC, designed by Paul Dominguez, includes 105 rooms and is part of a $30 million renovation of a former three-story Travel Lodge. The complex will also house a gym and a restaurant ? KITCHIN ? three courtyards and an 11,000-square-foot nightclub ? XL Nightclub. The hotel will be moderately priced, starting at $250 a night, and offer eight ?sleep shares,? shared rooms with privacy curtains from $99 per person. The project is being financed by Parkview Developers, which was founded in 2003 by gay couple Ian Reisner and Mati Weiderpass. ?I had a vision five years ago,? to create a conveniently located gay hotel that would also ?be a relaxing home base resort-style retreat where guests can stay, eat and play,? Reisner told MSNBC. Henry H. Harteveld

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Friday argued that a gay marriage bill he recently vetoed was not about rights. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Friday argued that a gay marriage bill he recently vetoed was not about rights. Christie, a supporter of the state's civil unions law, vetoed the bill as promised the day after lawmakers approved it. The governor has also called for a public vote on the issue. (A recent poll found that 57 percent of respondents favor marriage equality and 67 percent approve of Christie's proposal to let voters decide the issue at the ballot box.) When a 15-year-old female student at Fort Lee high school asked Christie about his veto during a town hall broadcast on MSNBC, he argued that the rights of gay and lesbian couples are ?aggressively? protected in his state. ?Recently you passed an anti-bullying law, which I really am appreciative for, because bullying should not be allowed in the state of New Jersey, so I really thank you for that. However,

Marine Sargent Brandon Morgan on Wednesday advised struggling gay teens to be true to themselves. ?Marine Sargent Brandon Morgan on Wednesday advised struggling gay teens to be true to themselves. A homecoming kiss photo between Morgan and his partner Dalan Wells received thousands of comments and likes after it was posted on the Gay Marines Facebook page. Most commenters left notes of encouragement thanking Morgan for his dedicated service. During an appearance on MSNBC, anchor Thomas Roberts asked, ?For kids around this country that may be struggling with their own sexual identities ? afraid, ashamed, maybe even being bullied as we speak ? what's your message to them?? ?My message to them would be to not be afraid to be yourself,? Morgan answered. ?I went through my whole life wondering who I was. And it only took the recent mistakes I made in my life to finally figure out that who I was is who I really am. You should never be afraid to be yourself. If you are afraid and you're not t

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mitt Romney's narrow win in Michigan is unlikely to ease lingering doubts about his candidacy or head off the possibility of a long and divisive presidential nominating fight that is damaging Republican chances in November's general election.

A boy opened fire on classmates early Monday in a high school cafeteria in Ohio, killing one and wounding four before fleeing and being apprehended, police and witnesses said.

A student at an Ohio high school opened fire in the cafeteria early Monday as children prepared for class, injuring five classmates before fleeing and then turning himself in, police said.

Maryland Senator Steny Hoyer on Thursday said he thinks President Barack Obama would applaud passage of gay marriage in Maryland. Maryland Senator Steny Hoyer on Thursday said he thinks President Barack Obama would applaud passage of gay marriage in Maryland. During an appearance on MSNBC, anchor Luke Russert asked Hoyer for his reaction to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's call for Obama to publicly discuss his position on gay nuptials. Appearing earlier on MSNBC's Morning Joe, Christie defended his recent veto of a gay marriage bill by saying he held the same position on the issue as the president. ?Let's have the President of the United States show some courage, come on this program, look into the camera, like I'm looking into the camera, and state his position. He won't because he wants to have it both ways. I'm not looking to have it both ways, I vetoed the bill. ? This is the type of cowardice that we don't want,? Christie said. ?I think the president's response would be Maryl

Alan Cumming, Hal Sparks and Chely Wright will attend the March 9 opening of an LGBT center in Kansas City, Missouri. Alan Cumming, Hal Sparks and Chely Wright are among the celebrities expected to attend the March 9 opening of an LGBT center in Kansas City, Missouri. Wright's LIKEME non-profit announced plans for its first LIKEME Lighthouse last year. The center includes an LGBT library, a meeting space and conference rooms. Services such as suicide prevention and STD testing will be offered. The 41-year-old Wright came out gay in her 2010 memoir Like Me: Confessions of a Heartland Country Singer, becoming the first country music star to come out. ?I've learned since coming out that community is everything,? said Wright in a statement. ?The LIKEME Lighthouse's purpose is to further education, safety, comfort and progress for LGBT folks, for their families and for their friends. When the community is truly served and connected, we will know that the Lighthouse is providing the people i