Judge attacks forced marriage woman

Judge attacks forced marriage that put disabled woman 'at risk’

A judge has said the forced marriage of a Muslim woman with learning difficulties should be annulled and condemned the “insulated” families who arrange them.

The judge said the woman lived in a “very traditional family” in a “close-knit community” that was not integrated with other Bengalis in the area.

Her parents are very largely insulated from mainstream English society and are mistrustful of non-Bengalis. They do not communicate well in English: her mother understands and speaks almost none. They are devout Muslims.

Romney battles to get back on economic message

Likely Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney battled to get back on his economic message on Friday after being sidetracked by a debate over gay rights and a reported bullying incident from 1965.

Romney's drive to keep the focus on President Barack Obama's handling of the fragile U.S. economy took a back seat this week when Obama declared his support for same-sex marriage, a move that energized his liberal base and gave the Democratic incumbent a splash of news coverage.

Obama's decision on gay marriage, after resisting the step for two years, contributed to a big surge in fund-raising for his campaign. Obama hauled in $15 million at a single, star-studded event in Los Angeles where he played basketball on Friday with stars George Clooney and Tobey Maguire.

Far from Hollywood, Romney visited North Carolina, a state that will be central in determining whether he can defeat Obama in the November 6 election.

Romney skirted the same-sex issue in a visit to Charlotte and stuck to the economy, saying Obama represents "old-school liberals" who want to continue to borrow money from countries like China in order to spend it recklessly in Washington.

"This recovery's been the slowest, most tepid since Hoover," said Romney in a reference to Depression-era President Herbert Hoover from the 1930s.

Romney wants to avoid making same-sex marriage a major focus of the campaign because Obama is much more vulnerable on the economy. Polls show a growing number of Americans favor gay marriage, but the slow economic recovery is by far their major concern.

"There will come a day when Romney will need to debate Obama on stage, but we don't need to have that debate now," a Romney adviser said. "We want that debate to be about economy and jobs. And number two, we believe the net results of this will be to our benefit."

A new Gallup survey said 60 percent of Americans reported that Obama's support for same-sex marriage will make no difference to their vote. Twenty-six percent said it would make them less likely to vote for him.

Kelly Ripa has auditioned To Co-Host ‘Live!’

Kelly Ripa has auditioned "Live! With Kelly" co-hosts since Regis Philbin left the show in November 2011, but one name can be ruled out: Mark Consuelos, Ripa's husband.

“No one would make me happier than Mark, but he values our marriage and he says that he doesn’t see how we could stay married and both do that show," Ripa told George Wayne in a new Vanity Fair interview appearing in the June 2012 issue.

Kelly Ripa: My Husband Co-Hosting 'Live' Would End Our Marriage

Kelly Ripa has auditioned "Live! With Kelly" co-hosts since Regis Philbin left the show in November 2011, but one name can be ruled out: Mark Consuelos, Ripa's husband.

“No one would make me happier than Mark, but he values our marriage and he says that he doesn’t see how we could stay married and both do that show," Ripa told George Wayne in a new Vanity Fair interview appearing in the June 2012 issue.

When Kathie Lee Gifford left "Live!" in 2000, Philbin hosted the program solo with a rotating cast of guest co-hosts for a year before Ripa officially joined. The show is following a similar format this year.

"I've been through it from the other side," Ripa told the Associated Press. "I sort of understand how it works, and what it is they're looking for, and how this process can't be rushed."

Several famous faces have been making return appearances to "Live! With Kelly". Consuelo’s, "Saturday Night Live's" Seth Meyers, NY1's Pat Kiernan, comedian D.L. Hughley, actor Jerry O'Connell, former football player Michael Strahan and singer Josh Groban have all made several appearances at the desk alongside Ripa.

When Kathie Lee Gifford left "Live!" in 2000, Philbin hosted the program solo with a rotating cast of guest co-hosts for a year before Ripa officially joined. The show is following a similar format this year.

"I've been through it from the other side," Ripa told the Associated Press. "I sort of understand how it works, and what it is they're looking for, and how this process can't be rushed."

Ripa has been joined by an endless list of celebrities on the show since Philbin’s departure. Jerry Seinfeld, Neil Patrick Harris, Seth Meyers, Pat Kiernan, D.L. Hughley, Jerry O’Connell, and Josh Groban have all had their turn sitting beside Kelly, but Ripa said it could take some more time to find the right co-host.

Several famous faces have been making return appearances to "Live! »  - Chris Harnick

"Every day we come up with new ideas, and we get new revelations about who the new host should or shouldn't be," executive producer Michael Gelman said in January 2012. "The chemistry is key -- and not just with Kelly, but with the audience and the staff and the format."

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos are happily married. And if they want to stay that way Mark better stay away from the chair vacated by Regis Philbin.

Ripa has been auditioning potential co-hosts since Regis left Live! With Regis and Kelly last year and the show has considered giving Ripa’s husband the job. But Ripa said that she wouldn’t be able to handle working everyday alongside her husband.

Ripa said: “No one would make me happier than Mark, but he values our marriage and he says that he doesn’t see how we could stay married and both do that show.