Gay marriage won't be legal in the state until June, but two Chicago women have been granted permission to marry immediately because one of them has terminal cancer.

For the first time, three women were among the more than Marines who graduated Thursday from the two-month combat training course. The U.S. lifted the ban on women in combat earlier this year. Now, the Marines are conducting tests to see if women have what it takes to actually serve in the infantry.

Lewis Henry Bailey was freed from slavery in Texas and began his journey home back to Virginia by foot 150 years ago. The jail where he was sold to slave dealers as a child is now a museum and the offices of a local Urban League chapter just outside of the nation's capital.

The Republican leaders of the Indiana General Assembly said Monday they won't control the fate of the proposed marriage amendment but will leave the decision about how to proceed on the controversial measure up to their GOP members.

France is deep in debate, wondering if there's a resurgence of an old colonial racism, or if people have just become more tolerant of bigots. The questions stem from a series of race-based taunts against Justice Minister Christiane Taubira, who is black.

Citing high rates of sexual harassment and female genital mutilation, a new survey finds that women in Egypt face the worst treatment in the Arab world. Other countries with high levels of unrest - Iraq and Syria - are also among the worst for women, according to a new survey.

Veteran guard Richie Incognito is alleged to have left intimidating messages and texts on the phone of second-year offensive tackle Jonathan Martin, who left the team last week. The NFL and the Dolphins have transcripts of some of the messages.

The question this time is not whether race can be a factor in college admissions, but rather whether state voters can ban affirmative action altogether by referendum. In 2006, Michigan voters did just that with a ballot initiative amending the state's constitution.