• LAMBERTVILLE, N.J. (AP) -- Same-sex weddings have begun in New Jersey, which has become the 14th state to recognize nuptials between gay partners.
• Weddings were held in several cities and towns across the state in the first minutes of Monday morning, as soon as a court order requiring the state to recognize gay marriage went into effect.
• In Newark, Mayor and U.S. Sen.-elect Cory Booker choked up as he led the ceremony for seven gay couples, telling the audience, "This is very beautiful."
• The weddings there and elsewhere went ahead after the state Supreme Court on Friday denied Gov. Chris Christie's request to delay the date when a lower court mandated gay marriage be legalized.
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• WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democrats who gloat over Republicans' bad week in Congress might pause to recall that conservatives still own major victories from past budget showdowns. And these wins may again thwart Democrats' hopes of changing tax-and-spend policies in two-party talks beginning anew in the Capitol.
• Chief among them is Republicans' unified stand against tax increases, even in the name of deficit reduction.
• President Barack Obama wants more revenue from corporations and the wealthy for two goals: investing in areas such as education and infrastructure and enticing congressional Democrats to start curbing the growth of Social Security, Medicare and other "entitlement" programs.
• Congressional Republicans' adamant stand against revenue hikes, perhaps more than any other factor, has shaped budget negotiations over the past three years. That's why Republicans have a stronger record than many might suspect, especially given their pell-mell retreat last week on the government shutdown and debt ceiling.
• Prodded by tea party activists who deplored deficit spending under Republican President George W. Bush, today's GOP lawmakers repeatedly call for budget cuts. By that measure, they've had a respectable run.

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