Argentina legalized same-sex marriage Thursday, becoming the first country in Latin America to declare that gays and lesbians have all the legal rights, responsibilities and protections that marriage brings to heterosexual couples.

WASHINGTON (NNPA) - The D.C. mayor's race has undergone a shift in recent weeks with the incumbent on the defensive in his bid for re-election and his primary challenger racking up endorsements across the board.

According to one of the nation's Federal Reserve Banks, 30 million American households -- nearly one in four -- are either unbanked or under-banked. These families instead turn to alternative financial services for their monetary mainstays.

WASHINGTON — Earthquakes are so rare in the Washington area that even a geology student wasn't quite sure what was going on when a minor one hit early Friday. Was it a truck passing by? A low-flying plane?

NEW YORK — Bank of America said Friday its second-quarter net income rose 15 percent to $2.78 billion as improvements in the company's consumer loan businesses made up for a drop in trading revenue.

Here is a summary of events Friday, July 16, Day 87 of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill that began with the April 20 explosion and fire on the drilling rig Deepwater Horizon

WASHINGTON — Congress on Thursday passed the stiffest restrictions on banks and Wall Street since the Great Depression, clamping down on lending practices and expanding consumer protections to prevent a repeat of the 2008 meltdown that knocked the economy to its knees.

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — Rory McIlroy set the standard at the British Open today posting 63, while John Daly hit 66 and Tiger Woods 67.

WASHINGTON — A sweeping crackdown on banking and high-finance broke through a Senate Republican blockade Thursday, setting the stage for Congress to send the massive regulation overhaul to President Barack Obama.

NEW ORLEANS — BP's work to cap its Gulf of Mexico gusher was in limbo Wednesday after the federal government raised concerns the operation could put damaging pressure on the busted well and make the leak worse.