Paul Ryan showed up at an Ohio soup kitchen where he posed for the cameras by scrubbing already-cleaned pots. Dan Amira snarks at New York Magazine: “[S]ome might conclude that Ryan’s appearance at the soup kitchen was nothing but a superficial, self-serving photo op designed to counter recent remarks from the GOP ticket that seem to show disdain for the …

Clip description: “An anti-gay ad in Washington is re-using discredited misinformation from other states. We’ll have a side-by-side comparison. New polling shows us with a healthy lead in several states, but some of the numbers don’t quite add up. And new protections from the Obama administration could save LGBT couples from forced deportation.”

Embiggen the images to see all the high-rollers or go here for a PDF of the full ad.

A coalition of soft drink manufacturers has filed suit to block New York City’s ban on “large sugared drinks.” The suit, filed in State Supreme Court in Manhattan, contends that the Board of Health did not have the authority to ratify the new rules unilaterally. The rules — approved last month and scheduled to take effect in March — limit …

“Our country might have been better off if it was still just men voting. There is nothing worse than a bunch of mean, hateful women. They are diabolical in how than can skewer a person. I do not see that in men. The whole time I worked, I’d much rather have a male boss than a female boss. Double-minded, you …

“As an Obama supporter, I remain committed, if deeply demoralized. The reason for that new ambivalence is not that the reasons for re-electing him have changed – we desperately need to raise revenues to tackle the debt, we cannot launch a new Judeo-Christian war against Islam in the Middle East without igniting an even more ferocious global religious conflict; it’s …

Beginning next year the Catholic Church will be forced to pay property taxes in Italy.  The new law came about due to pressure from the EU. The move could net Italy revenues of 500 million to 2 billion euros annually across the country, municipal government associations said. The extra income from previously exempt properties in Rome alone – including hotels, …

Aviva Shen writes at Think Progress: Fox News’ Medical A-Team delved into psychoanalysis of the vice presidential debate on Sunday, speculating that Vice President Joe Biden was either demented or drunk during his performance. Fox regular Dr. Keith Ablow declared, “from a physicianly perspective,” that Biden’s energetic demeanor suggested dementia. When another member of the A-Team pointed out that Biden …

Today at 2:30pm I’ll be on Michelangelo Signorile’s SiriusXM show to talk about some of the latest LGBT-related news items. The gays are on channel 108 and you can listen live online if you sign up for a freebie account. What are your top five gay news items of the last week?

Even though a judge overturned Pennsylvania’s attempt to require photo IDs at the ballot box, state-funded billboards continue to claim otherwise. The state-sponsored billboard’s message may leave some voters confused about what’s needed to cast a ballot this year, after a court ruling last week blocked a requirement to produce an approved photo identification at polling places. Television advertisements highlighting …

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From Maine’s Kennebec Journal: Protect Marriage Maine, the coalition opposing same-sex marriage, bases this ad in part on an interpretation of a state law passed in 2004 to allow gay couples to register as domestic partners. The ad says the law allowed rights that married couples have in “virtually all” circumstances. “Virtually all” should come with a pretty high standard. …

Stay out of the comments if you’ve not yet seen last night’s season premiere. Otherwise dive in and dish.

Hedge fund mogul Paul Singer has donated $250K to Marylanders for Marriage Equality.   HRC reacts via press release: “Paul’s leadership on marriage equality continues to amaze and sets an example for other fair-minded members of the Republican Party,” said Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, a founder of Marylanders for Marriage Equality. “His investment in the equality and …

Longtime Republican, recently turned Democrat, and friend to the LGBT community, former Sen. Arlen Specter has died at the age of 82. One of the few remaining Republican moderates on Capitol Hill at a time when the party had turned sharply to the right, Mr. Specter confounded fellow Republicans at every turn. He unabashedly supported Roe v. Wade, the Supreme …