HIV-positive man in Minn. found guilty of assault for not using condom

He was convicted under exact wording of the statute, although the man’s attorney said he will challenge the verdict.

Heavy metal minister Bradlee Dean sues Rachel Maddow, Minnesota Independent

Controversial pastor and rock musician Bradlee Dean filed suit Wednesday in federal court alleging he was defamed by reporting from the Minnesota Independent as well as MSNBC star Rachel Maddow and her show.

Obama backs federal marriage equality legislation

The White House announced Tuesday that President Barack Obama is throwing his support behind legislation which would effectively kill the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

Federal study: HIV meds cut infections by 96 percent

The National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C., announced Thursday that a study of the impact of anti-retroviral medications on the infectiousness of those infected with the virus found the medications cut infections by 96 percent.

Tea Party, LGBT groups respond to shooting of Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords

Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head Saturday afternoon at a Congressional meet and greet in her Tucson district.

Doctors says the shot went through her head, through her brain and out the other side. She has undergone surgery and is currently listed in critical condition. Police say at least 18 were shot during the attack, and five of them have been confirmed dead by hospital officials. The shooting victim are hospitalized in serious or critical condition.

Bachmann’s Michigan visit a prelude to a presidential bid?

Rep. Michele Bachmann was in Michigan on Tuesday to stump for Robert ‘Bobby’ Schostak in his bid to become the chair of the Michigan Republican Party. Bachmann is the chair of the Tea Party Caucus in the House and was recently appointed to the House Intelligence Committee, which will be chaired by Michigan Republican Mike Rogers (R-Brighton).

Bachmann to stump for insider choice to lead Michigan GOP

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minnesota) will be in Michigan Tuesday stumping for Robert “Bobby” Schostak in his bid to become the Michigan Republican Party’s new chair. Schostak has the backing of Gov.-elect Rick Snyder and is a considered a political insider, which may explain why he’s said to be courting Tea Party support.

House passes DREAM Act

The DREAM Act — the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act — passed the House by a 216-198 margin Wednesday. CNN reports the vote was mostly along partisan lines. In Minnesota that was true, except in one case: Blue Dog Democrat Collin Peterson sided with Republicans Michele Bachmann, John Kline and Erik Paulsen in opposing the bill.

Michigan oil spill echoes Minnesota leak in 2002

Remarkable similarities between a 2002 leak in an Enbridge oil pipeline known as Line 4 in Minnesota and the recent leak in Enbridge pipeline 6B in Michigan’s Calhoun County — and marked differences in the way the company responded to the two incidents — are raising new questions for the company and for investigators looking in to the cause of the spill.

U.S. researchers discover effective AIDS antibodies