Undaunted by ridicule from the leader of his own party, an Indiana lawmaker is standing by his allegations that the Girl Scouts is a radical organization that promotes abortions and homosexuality.

President Barack Obama is proposing to cut the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 28 percent and wants an even lower effective rate for manufacturers, a senior administration official says, as the White House lays down an election-year marker in the debate over tax policy. In turn, corporations would have to give up dozens of loopholes and subsidies that they now enjoy.

WASHINGTON — The United States appeared to open the door yesterday to eventually arming the Syrian opposition, saying that if a political solution to the crisis becomes impossible, it might have to consider other options.

ANNAPOLIS, MD. -- A Maryland Senate committee approved a gay-marriage bill yesterday, sending it to the full Senate and moving Maryland closer to becoming the eighth U.S. state to legalize same-sex nuptials.

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed yesterday to hear a politically charged challenge to affirmative action at the University of Texas. The court’s decision gives conservatives another chance to reconsider the use of race in college admissions, and it further drives the court into the middle of the presidential campaign.

WASHINGTON — Ron Paul might not win the Republican nomination for president — he has yet to win a single state — but his strategy of trying to amass delegates in caucus states could land him a prominent role at the party’s national convention.

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama spoke yesterday with his Afghan counterpart to discuss regional support for Afghan-led reconciliation, the White House said.

SEATTLE — Federal fishing officers in Seattle bought a $300,000 luxury boat to spy on whale-watching tours — but didn’t go through an appropriate bidding process, held barbecues on board, ferried friends and family members across Puget Sound to restaurants and resorts and used the boat for what one visitor called “a pleasure cruise.”

EL PASO, Texas — If the controversy over Planned Parenthood is a problem for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, it didn’t seem to keep people away yesterday from the first race since the dispute erupted this month.

FLORENCE, Ariz. — A nationally known sheriff resigned from presidential hopeful Mitt Romney’s Arizona committee and acknowledged he is gay amid allegations of misconduct made by a man with whom he previously had a relationship.