Ireland poised to legalize gay marriage as votes tallied

DUBLIN — Ireland was poised Saturday to become the first country to legalize same-sex marriage by national referendum, a vote that has highlighted the dramatic pace at which this traditionally conservative Catholic nation has changed in recent times. No tallies or results have been officially released yet in the nation, which only decriminalized homosexuality 22 years ago. However, leading figures from both sides said voting patterns signal a major victory for the "Yes" vote. "We're the first country in the world to enshrine marriage equality in our constitution and do so by popular mandate," Leo Varadkar, Ireland's health minister, told state-broadcaster RTÉ before the results were declared. "That makes us a beacon, a light to the rest of the world of liberty and equality. It's a very proud day to be Irish," he said. More

David Letterman Finale Draws Almost 14 Million Viewers in Ratings

David Letterman closed out his 33 years in late-night television on Wednesday with one of the highest-rated shows of his career. “The Late Show” brought in 13.7 million viewers, Mr. Letterman’s biggest audience since February 1994. It also beat every network show in prime time on Wednesday. The finale represents his fourth-most-viewed show since Mr. Letterman joined CBS in 1993. Mr. Letterman had no formal guests on Wednesday night but the show featured a star-studded Top 10 list, with appearances from, among others, Chris Rock, Bill Murray, Tina Fey and Peyton Manning. Mr. Letterman delivered his final words from his desk (“The only thing I have left to do for the last time on a television program: thank you and good night”) and handed it over to the Foo Fighters. As the band performed the song “Everlong,” hundreds of still-images and clips from Mr. Letterman’s shows on NBC and CBS played on screen. Continue here