Democratic and Republican leaders traded blame as they left for the Christmas holiday amid fading hope of an agreement to avert a year-end fiscal crisis that could lead to stiff tax hikes and drastic budget cuts.

Democrat and Republican lawmakers mulled their next move Saturday after leaving Washington for the Christmas holidays without an agreement on averting a year-end fiscal crisis that could lead to stiff tax hikes and drastic budget cuts.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is no longer the only Congressional Republican supporting repeal of DOMA. Florida Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is no longer the only Congressional Republican supporting repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the 1996 law which forbids federal agencies from recognizing the marriages of gay and lesbian couples. New York Rep. Richard Hanna on Friday announced his support for the measure. In a statement released to gay glossy The Advocate, Hanna announced his co-sponsorship of the Respect for Marriage Act. ?New York State allows all its citizens the freedom to marry the person they love,? Hanna said. ?Under the Tenth Amendment, the federal government has a Constitutional responsibility to respect New York's right to set its own laws. It's my job to see that it does. ?It is right to extend equal protection under federal law to all couples who are legally married without infringing upon religious freedom and beliefs. This legislation does not tell states who can b

With a Republican effort to raise taxes on millionaires shot down by conservatives in his own party, House Speaker John Boehner could be forgiven his thoughts Friday on how to avoid the fiscal cliff: "God only knows."

Oil prices fell on Friday amid worries that Washington will not act in time to stop the United States from going over the "fiscal cliff" by an end-of-year deadline.

Republican leaders, chastened by a failure to get conservatives to back a tax hike on millionaires, said Friday they were not walking away from negotiations with President Barack Obama on resolving a looming fiscal crisis.

A Republican plan to let tax breaks expire on US millionaires collapsed late Thursday when it failed to earn enough party support, leaving talks on averting the "fiscal cliff" up in the air.

A controversial Republican plan to let tax breaks expire on millionaires crashed to defeat Thursday when it failed to earn enough party support, leaving negotiations on averting the "fiscal cliff" up in the air.

Newt Gingrich's call for a Republican reality check on gay marriage lauded by gay GOP group Log Cabin Republicans. Newt Gingrich's call for a Republican reality check on gay marriage has been lauded by gay GOP group Log Cabin Republicans. Gingrich, the former House Speaker and a leading candidate for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination, told The Huffington Post on Thursday that he's prepared to accept ?a legal document issued by the state? for gay and lesbian couples. Gingrich added that momentum is on the side of supporters and that he fears the issue could hurt the Republican Party, whose official platform opposes the legalization of marriage equality. (Related: Newt Gingrich says it's time to accept the reality of gay marriage.) R. Clarke Cooper, executive director of Log Cabin Republicans, lauded Gingrich's change of heart on the issue. ?Log Cabin Republicans welcome former Speaker Newt Gingrich's remarks calling for a Republican reality check on marriage,? Cooper said in a statem

Candace Gingrich-Jones, half sister of Newt Gingrich, has applauded his shift on gay marriage. Candace Gingrich-Jones, half sister of Newt Gingrich, has applauded his shift on gay marriage. On Thursday, Gingrich, who earlier this year reiterated his support for a federal amendment defining marriage as a heterosexual union, told The Huffington Post that the Republican Party needs a reality check on the issue, adding that he personally was okay with civil, but not religious, marriage for gay and lesbian couples. (Related: Newt Gingrich says it's time to accept the reality of gay marriage.) Writing at the Human Rights Campaign's (HRC) blog, Gingrich-Jones said, ?Finally, something on which we can agree.? ?On a personal level, reading the interview made me proud of my brother,? she wrote. ?The time my wife Rebecca and I have spent with Newt has had an effect and he has evolved on marriage. I know this was just one interview and I don't imagine he'll be Googling PFLAG anytime soon, but it i

Robert Bork, Ronald Reagan's famously rejected conservative Supreme Court nominee, died Wednesday at age 85.

President Barack Obama on Wednesday warned Republicans he would veto their "Plan B" plan to avert the looming fiscal cliff crisis, saying it would dump pain disproportionately on the middle class.

Eleven LGBT groups on Tuesday called on House Speaker John Boehner to stop wasting money defending DOMA. Eleven LGBT groups on Tuesday called on House Speaker John Boehner to stop wasting money defending the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in court. After the Department of Justice announced it would no longer defend the law in court, Boehner, a Republican from Ohio, directed the so-called Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group (BLAG) to step in. BLAG hired former Solicitor General Paul Clement to argue more than a dozen cases challenging the constitutionality of DOMA, which bans federal agencies from recognizing the legal marriages of gay and lesbian couples. Last week, CQ Roll Call reported that Republican House leaders in September quietly raised the budget to defend the law from $1.5 to $2 million. In a letter addressed to Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, the groups joined in criticizing the Republican leaders' efforts. ?Despite the enormous economic ch

US House Speaker John Boehner unveiled his "Plan B" on Tuesday as Republican lawmakers wrangled with Democratic President Barack Obama over how to steer the economy past the so-called fiscal cliff.

Four suspected right-wing extremists allegedly plotting to kill South African President Jacob Zuma appeared in court on treason and terrorism charges Tuesday.

US President Barack Obama and Republican House Speaker John Boehner made strides towards a deal to avert a year-end tax and spending crisis that could spark a recession.

South African police have arrested four right-wing extremists, suspected of having weapons and planning attacks on undisclosed targets, a spokesman said Monday.

Diving off the so-called fiscal cliff with no Plan B at the ready is perilously risky, most Americans would agree. But what about a controlled, temporary fall?

The yen plunged in Asian currency markets on Monday after Japan's conservative opposition swept to victory in national polls, with promises from its leader to press for more central bank easing.

Silvio Berlusconi's re-election bid was thrown into fresh doubt on Sunday as his support among party stalwarts and a right-wing splinter group eroded ahead of a campaign for February elections in Italy.