Barry 'Doing Well' After Kidney Transplant

'I’m tired of being pawn in political game,' grumbles Vince Gray

(NEWSER) - Washington Mayor Vincent Gray and several city council members were among 41 people arrested at a Capitol Hill protest against the budget deal yesterday. Gray and his colleagues were charged with unlawful assembly for blocking passage on the street and were taken to a Capitol Police facility before being released late last night, Politico reports. More»

High cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes common

(NEWSER) - Nearly 50% of Americans have either high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes, putting them at significant risk of heart disease, and many don't even know it, according to a new CDC report. Among those with only one risk factor, 15% are undiagnosed. “That's a huge wake-up call,” the American Heart Association tells the LA Times . There are lots of people “who think they are healthy... but are working under a terrible misconception.” More»

Bill passes 11-2, could be struck down by Congress

(AP) - The Washington, DC, City Council voted today to legalize gay marriage in the nation's capital, handing supporters a victory after recent defeats in Maine, New York, and New Jersey. Mayor Adrian Fenty has promised to sign the bill, which passed 11-2, and gay couples could begin marrying as early as March. Congress, which has final say over Washington's laws, could reject it, but Democratic leaders have suggested they are reluctant to do so. More»

See, Kanye, this is an interruption the crowd actually liked

(NEWSER) - A stuffy DC city council hearing might not be most people’s idea of a romantic place to get engaged, but maybe the chance to be a YouTube celebrity made it all worth it for Andy Hertzberg and Andy Rollman. That, or they were hoping to drum up sympathy for the cause of gay marriage, which both were there to give public testimony about. Either way, it worked. More»

(NEWSER) - Americans eat more than twice as much added sugar as doctors recommend, and they should cut back to battle obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease, researchers say. Added calories from processed sugar should total no more than 150 for men and 100 for women, the American Heart Association said today. Soft drinks are the top factor in added dietary sugar, and the recommendations are sure to rile their producers, Reuters reports. More»