“I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married,” President Obama told Robin Roberts in an interview with ABC News yesterday. The comments mark an apparent end to Obama’s two-year, self-described “evolution” on the issue. An openly gay minister from North Carolina and a spokesperson for the Christian-values group American Family Association share their reactions.

Since the financial collapse in 2008, Americans have become accustomed to hearing grim news about the state of the economy. But author and economics editor Daniel Gross has a more optimistic take. In his new book, "Better, Stronger, Faster: The Myth of American Decline and the Rise of a New Economy," Gross argues that the country's initial reaction to the economic hardships have paved the way for a brighter, stronger future.

One of the most heated debates about education these days largely revolves around the fallout of the recession: with higher unemployment and fewer jobs available, many are quick to blame college education for its lack of practical applications in the workforce. But is this fair? Liz Coleman, President of Bennington College, is trying to reorient what we expect of education, and how that relates to employment.

It’s been 50 years since women started walking out of the kitchen and into the workplace en-mass. Yet yesterday we heard about another study that shows women aren’t making themselves heard when men are present in the office. That's true even when those woman have the same level of power at work as the men. We asked you to weigh-in and tell us about the gender divide at your work place. Haley Mitchell, from Augusta, Georgia, says the men in her office still expect her to get the mail and coffee, even though she is a marketing and communications manager.

In a landmark moment for the gay rights movement in America, President Barack Obama announced, for the first time, his support of gay marriage. This comes years after Obama’s views on the issue have "evolved." In an interview with ABC News on Tuesday, Obama told Robin Roberts, "I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married." Many gay rights leaders have long compared their fight to the black civil rights movement of the 1950s and '60s. But do the two compare?

President Obama’s public declaration of his support for same-sex marriage in an interview with ABC News’ Robin Roberts yesterday, could have a polarizing effect this campaign season, invigorating some voters and potentially alienating others. Gay campaign political activists and campaign donors are among those with a strong reaction to the news. The Takeaway spoke to one top Obama bundler, Dana Perelman, who said he was "exhilarated" by the President’s announcement. From the other end of the gay community came a slightly different reaction. R. Clarke Cooper, Executive Director of Log Cabin Republicans called the timing of the president's announcement "callous."

In 1987, Wall Street came to be personified by the Oliver Stone film of the same name, by Michael Douglas’s Gordon Gekko. "The point is, ladies and gentlemen, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good," Gekko famously preached. Today, the Occupy Wall Street Movement seems to be fighting against this same idea. How, exactly, does the one percent feel about that? Edward Conard, former managing director of Bain Capital, offers his opinion.

Blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng's daring escape from house arrest late last month set off a round of diplomatic tug-of-war between Chinese and American officials attempting to conduct high level strategic talks. After at first agreeing to stay in China, Chen changed his mind, publicly declaring his desire to leave the country last week. Details of Chen’s travels to the U.S. have not been finalized, but behind the scenes, intense negotiations and preparations continue. Jerome Cohen has been working to help make arrangements for Chen to travel to the US to study at NYU, and has been in touch with Chen regularly.

The Syrian capital has gotten used to the sound of sirens, but this morning's two bomb blasts stand out as perhaps the most deadly in the capital. Syria's health minister says at least 50 people are dead, at least 170 wounded. The blasts were so powerful, a facade of a military intelligence build was ripped off. Today's bombing calls into question the entire UN peace plan. It's current mission inside the country is to monitor the peace, but seemingly there is very little peace to monitor. Ahmad Fawzi, spokesman for Kofi Annan, Joint Envoy for Syria responds. We are also joined by correspondent for The World Laura Lynch from inside Syria.

In 1978, author John Irving rocketed to stardom with a sweeping, complex novel called "The World According to Garp." It featured several characters unfamiliar to most Americans, including Roberta Muldoon, the former Philadelphia Eagles tight-end living as a transsexual. Irving often grapples with bisexuality and non-heterosexual relationships in his novels. His new novel "In One Person" details the story of Bill Abbott, a bisexual boy growing up in the Irving-esque small New England town of First Sister, Vermont.