Senior aides said today that controversial Attorney General John Ashcroft was likely to step down before January's inauguration, citing exhaustion and stress. Possible replacements include Ashcroft's former deputy, Larry Thompson, who would become the first African-American attorney general; Marc...

In the wake of Tuesday's election, which saw 11 states ban gay marriage, two Oklahoma lesbian couples have filed a federal lawsuit challenging both their state's ban and the federal Defense of Marriage act. The plaintiffs--one couple that has...