WASHINGTON (AP) _ As Hillary Rodham Clinton mulls a second presidential bid, liberals are closely watching whether the onetime supporter of the Iraq war moves to the left or straddles the center.

2016 will go down in the LGBT history books as a year of sobering pushback against the many gains won in the years prior. In the space of 12 months, the community has gone from having the most pro-LGBT president in history to bracing for a new president who has, so far, nominated a line of cabinet secretaries who are mostly hostile to equal rights for LGBT people. It has seen the largest mass shooting in U.S. history target an LGBT nightclub and an unprecedented number of anti-LGBT bills in state legislatures.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – Some Alabama counties are using a segregation-era law to avoid issuing marriage licenses for same-sex couples.

Hillary Rodham Clinton revised history in the Democratic debate when insisting she's not a flip-flopper on a trade deal she promoted as secretary of state but turned against as a presidential candidate.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Democrats appear to be rallying around Hillary Rodham Clinton after her command performance in the party's first presidential debate, with strong majorities viewing her favorably and more saying she can win the White House than any of her rivals, a new Associated Press-GfK poll shows.

After raising the operating millage rate from 6.06836 to 6.26836, commissioners unanimously voted to lower it back to 6.02836 – the original level recommended by city staff. Combined with the millage from the city’s debt service on its parks and city hall bonds, the total millage is 6.72256. That millage, along with other sources of revenue, resulted in a budget of $31.2 million.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Rand Paul is demonstrating how he could disrupt the Republican presidential field if he seeks the nomination, sparring with potential rivals over Iran, Cuba and the Pentagon's budget in a face-to-face forum that offered an early preview of the feisty policy debate to come.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Oregon Court of Appeals affirmed a ruling that a Portland bar owner must pay about $400,000 in damages to patrons he told to stay away.

If Jeb Bush decides to run for president in 2016, he's going to have to get crafty with the naming of the URL for his campaign website.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Ben Carson said Sunday Muslims seeking public office must first renounce some central tenets of Islam. Otherwise, Carson said, "Why in fact would you take that chance?"

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- For the first time in months, Ben Carson on Tuesday was on top in a newly-released national poll.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- When Bernie Sanders launched 2016 presidential bid, he swore off negative campaigning.

But not all candidates came out on top

Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday she opposes construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, breaking her longstanding silence over a project criticized by environmentalists as a threat to the planet's climate.

Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday she opposes construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, breaking her longstanding silence over a project criticized by environmentalists as a threat to the planet's climate.

Pot smokers busted by cops in Broward County with a joint or a baggy of marijuana could walk away with a civil fine and a clean criminal record.

MIAMI -- Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush escalated his feud with Donald Trump on Tuesday, betting big he can re-energize his stalled campaign by challenging the billionaire businessman head on.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer announced Thursday that he will not enter the race to succeed U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer in California, a move that reshaped the early contest that has attracted a pack of potential candidates.

Republican presidential hopeful Carly Fiorina is backpedalling on comments she reportedly made earlier this year regarding the Supreme Court's landmark ruling legalizing same-sex marriage in all 50 states.

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Rand Paul may only yet be a candidate for re-election to the Senate in 2016, but the first-term Kentucky Republican already is sprinting toward the race for president.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - In wake of criticism from advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals, the Cheyenne City Council has decided to abandon plans for a human rights advisory council.

Gov. Chris Christie appears confident in his presidential prospects despite the ongoing bridge scandal that has tarnished his national reputation.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Hillary Rodham Clinton on Tuesday credited women with making a difference at all levels of government, asking an audience of female Democrats, "Don't you someday want to see a woman president?"

TEMPE, Arizona (AP) _ Hillary Rodham Clinton says she is ``very much concerned'' about the direction of the U.S. but says she is still considering her future plans.

WASHINGTON -- CNN on Tuesday amended its criteria for the next Republican presidential debate, giving former technology executive Carly Fiorina a better chance at appearing in the Sept. 16 primetime affair.

Adam4Adam? Scruff? The bars? The beach? The Publix at Five Points? Exactly where does a gay man, particularly of a certain age, find that "special someone" in South Florida?

WICHITA — Court documents are offering a glimpse at the early impact of the gay marriage ruling in Kansas.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is lashing out at the "outrageous" criminal charges filed against him and defending the veto that led a grand jury to indict him on two felony counts of abuse of power.

Turkey, which shares borders with several conflict zones has recently absorbed millions of people, among them sexual minorities, who have officially become outcasts from their own communities. LGBT refugees, escaping the wrath and destruction of ISIS, from this volatile and conservative region have made Istanbul a sanctuary of sort.

One of Ghana's presidential candidates promises to execute all gay people via firing squad if he's elected, Gay Star News reports.