This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/09/north-carolina-us-politics-live

The article has changed 14 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
North Carolina votes in favour of gay marriage ban – live US politics North Carolina votes in favour of gay marriage ban – US politics live
(40 minutes later)
9.45am: Good morning and welcome to our live blog coverage of the US politics day. Here's a summary of where we're at from Ryan Devereaux. 10.30am: On the subject of North Carolina's vote yesterday, Think Progress recalls the last time the Tar Heel state amended its constitution to define marriage....
• North Carolinians voted in support of a constitutional ban on any kind of legal same sex union Tuesday. The decision makes North Carolina the 30th state in the union to enshrine a ban on same-sex marriage in its state constitution. While same sex marriage has been illegal in the state for 16 years, conservatives feared growing support for legal equality threatened the existing legislation. Voters turned out in large numbers and the amendment passed by a margin of more than 20 percentage points. FACT: Last time North Carolina amended their constitution on marriage it was to ban interracial marriage twitter.com/thinkprogress/…
• Veteran Republican senator Richard Lugar was defeated by Richard E Mourdock in Indiana on Tuesday Some have suggested Lugar's loss may foreshadow months in which other incumbent candidates could find their positions threatened. With a career spanning six terms and half a dozen presidents, Lugar had developed a reputation for working with Democrats, a quality that has become a liability within some GOP quarters. Mourdock, Indiana's state treasurer, enjoys strong support from Tea Party groups and presents himself as a man devoted to ceasing bipartisanship. So some things have improved. Since 1875.
• The FBI director director Robert Mueller will testify at the House judiciary oversight committee today. He's likely to be questioned about alleged FBI entrapment practices. And althought the foiled "underwear bomb" plot was a CIA operation, that may come up too. 10.14am: The New York Times is reporting that President Obama "will sit down for an interview with ABC News on Wednesday during which he is likely to be questioned about his 'evolving' views on the issue," with more detail:
• Massachusetts senator Scott Brown has called for a closer look at Elizabeth Warren's applications to law schools and personnel files from the universities where she has taught. Brown believes there are "legitimate questions" surrounding whether or not Warren, his likely Democratic opponent, cited American Indian heritage in order to advance her career. Last month the Boston Herald revealed that Harvard University, where Warren in employed, once listed her as American Indian. The disclosure came at a time when the school was facing criticism for a lack of diversity. On Tuesday Brown accused Warren of "changing stories, contradictions and refusal to answer legitimate questions". The interview, to be conducted by Robin Roberts, an anchor on ABC's "Good Morning America," is scheduled for 1.30pm and was secured in the wake of a declaration by Mr Obama's vice president, Joseph R. Biden, on Sunday that he was "absolutely comfortable" with same-sex marriages.
• ABC News has revealed American taxpayers have dished out $3m to support the living expenses of the last four living presidents. According to ABC, "In 2010, taxpayer-financed expenses included $15,000 for Jimmy Carter's postage, $579,000 for Bill Clinton's rent and a whopping $80,000 for George W. Bush's phone bills." The White House and the president's re-election campaign declined to comment on Wednesday.
• Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton will be meeting Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Nato's secretary-general, in the Oval Office today. The subject of conversation will be the Nato summit meeting in Chicago at the end of the month. The meeting will pull together many of the world's most high-profile military and political leaders. The G8 was originally scheduled to take place in Chicago during the same period, but the plan was scrapped at the last minute amid anticipation of massive protests. Interesting timing, given the result in North Carolina last night. Portions of the interview will be released later today, with the full interview airing on Good Morning America tomorrow.
9.45am: The fallout from North Carolina's landslide vote to ban gay marriage is dominating the political headlines, with President Obama said to be about to "clarify" his views on the subject of same-sex marriage in an interview with ABC today.
After a round of primary voting, Indiana's long-time US senator Richard Lugar was ousted by a Tea Party favourite, a man in prison won 41% of the vote in West Virginia's Democratic presidential primary, and Wisconsin prepares for the recall election over controversial governor Scott Walker.
Here's a summary of where we're at today from Ryan Devereaux.
• North Carolinians voted in support of a constitutional ban on any kind of legal same sex union Tuesday. The decision makes North Carolina the 30th state in the union to enshrine a ban on same-sex marriage in its state constitution. While same sex marriage has been illegal in the state for 16 years, conservatives feared growing support for legal equality threatened the existing legislation. Voters turned out in large numbers and the amendment passed by a margin of more than 20 percentage points.
• Veteran Republican senator Richard Lugar was defeated by Richard Mourdock in Indiana on Tuesday With a career spanning six terms and half a dozen presidents, Lugar had a reputation for working with Democrats, a quality that has become a liability within the GOP grassroots. Mourdock, Indiana's state treasurer, enjoys strong support from Tea Party groups and presents himself as a man devoted to rejecting bipartisanship.
• FBI director Robert Mueller will testify at the House judiciary oversight committee today. He's likely to be questioned about alleged FBI entrapment practices. And although the foiled "underwear bomb" plot was a CIA operation, that may come up too.
• Massachusetts senator Scott Brown has called for a closer look at Elizabeth Warren's applications to law schools and personnel files from the universities where she has taught. Brown believes there are "legitimate questions" surrounding whether or not Warren, his likely Democratic opponent, cited American Indian heritage to advance her career.
• ABC News has revealed American taxpayers have dished out $3m to support the living expenses of the last four living presidents. According to ABC: "In 2010, taxpayer-financed expenses included $15,000 for Jimmy Carter's postage, $579,000 for Bill Clinton's rent and a whopping $80,000 for George W Bush's phone bills."
• Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton will be meeting Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Nato's secretary-general, in the Oval Office today. The subject will be the Nato summit in Chicago at the end of the month. A meeting of the Group of Eight was scheduled to take place in Chicago at the same time, but the site was moved to Camp David amid anticipation of protests.