McCain: Debt Bill Will Pass Senate

The bill is being debated on the Senate floor at this writing. The vote should take place within the hour. UPDATE: The Senate has passed the bill 74-26.

O'Donnell On Senate DOMA Debate

Sen. Chuck Grassley: My DOMA Witness Was Too Afraid Of Violent Gays To Testify

Think Progress has the transcript:

"The minority very much hoped to call a witness today at this hearing to testify in support of DOMA, I’m sure she would have done an excellent job. She declined, however, citing one reason the threats and intimidation that have been leveled not only her but her friends and family as a result of her support of DOMA. She will continue to write on the issue but will no longer speak publicly."

How convenient!

DOMA DEBATE: Sen. Al Franken PWNS Focus On The Family

Video courtesy of Think Progress.

LIVE VIDEO: Senate DOMA Debate

UPDATE: The live stream has concluded.

TODAY: Senate Considers DOMA Repeal

The U.S. Senate will today begin debate on the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act. Among those scheduled to testify are a long list of gay Americans who've suffered under DOMA.

On Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will consider a bill that would do that and — for the first time — give federal benefits to same-sex couples who marry. Those benefits would have made a big difference for Ron Wallen of Indio, Calif., who spent more than half a century with Tom Carrollo. Carrollo died in March after a long illness, a few months shy of their third wedding anniversary. Now Wallen's not only grieving for his husband, but he's also facing financial chaos. "It's hard to accept that it's the American government that's throwing me out of my family home," Wallen told NPR. Under the federal Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, a marriage must be between a man and a woman. So Wallen is not entitled to get his husband's small monthly pension or his Social Security survivor's benefits, which are double the payments Wallen gets on his own.

Yesterday President Obama endorsed the repeal attempt, which of course has virtually no chance of passage in the U.S. House.

WASHINGTON: U.S. Senate Confirms First Out Gay Man For Federal Bench

Yesterday the U.S. Senate confirmed J. Paul Oetken as federal district court judge, making him the first openly gay man to hold the position.

By a vote of 80-13, the Senate confirmed J. Paul Oetken, whom President Obama nominated in January to sit on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. A simple majority was required to confirm Oetken. Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, praised the Senate for what he said was a “historic vote” in confirming an openly gay male to the federal bench. “Confirmation of Paul Oetken serves as a role model for all LGBT people interested in serving on the judiciary and shows LGBT youth that hard work pays off,” Solmonese said.