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Host Michel Martin continues her conversation with President Barack Obama. He comments on the criticism his wife received for ordering a high-calorie meal, and shares his feelings about turning 50. Copyright 2011 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

As thousands of gay and lesbian couples are planning weddings in New York — and celebrating their hard-fought right to marry — others around the nation are fighting for the right to divorce.Since most states, and the federal government, don't recognize gay marriages, many same-sex couples are left w

If lemonade stands are symbols of the American Dream, and if lemonade stands are under attack in the United States, then the American Dream is under attack.Sure, it's a somewhat breathless syllogism, but there is truth in it.Arguably there is no catchier, kitschier symbol of the American spirit than

The trial of a teen accused of killing a gay classmate, 15-year old Lawrence King, is underway in southern California and bringing national attention to the problem of gay bullying.Prosecutors say the defendant murdered his classmate out of his hatred of homosexuals, but defense attorneys say their

In Boston, experience suggests that pent-up demand for marriage among gays and lesbians will drive a wedding windfall, but it's usually short-lived."When marriage is new in a state, there's a surge at the beginning, but then after about a year, that rate starts to slow down.

Denver is at the peak of a citywide pot boom.It all started after the U.S. Attorney General's office — in a shift of policy since the Bush administration — announced in 2009 that it would not prosecute marijuana users if their state permits use of the drug for medical reasons."

Firefighters in northern New Mexico were battling on Tuesday to stall a raging wildfire before it reaches the town that is home to the government laboratory that produced the first atomic bomb.The 44,000-acre Las Conchas wildfire burned in the mountains above Los Alamos as firefighters spent mu