GOP primary ad wars continue GOP primary ad wars continue

In case you missed the Headline item earlier, Mitt Romney came out with a whopper today: Rick Santorum’s light-hearted “Rombo ad,” Romney said, was “the most negative ad” he’s seen.“He was the first person in the campaign to run negative ads, attacking me,” [Romney said.] “He did that through his campaign in South Carolina, his PAC also ran negative ads against me, and then he’s got the most negative ad I’ve seen, so far — the...

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Obama Raises $29M for Campaign, Dem Party

(WASHINGTON) — President Barack Obama raised more than $29 million for his campaign and for the Democratic Party in January, a strong fundraising month that put him ahead of the pace he set in the last quarter of 2011.In a Twitter message Friday morning, the Obama campaign announced the president raised the money for his re-election effort, for the Democratic National Committee and related committees. The campaign raises money directly from donors or through a Victory Fund that splits proceeds with party efforts devoted...

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Three Pieces of Advice Mitt Romney Should Ignore

I’ve always thought that one of the most annoying parts of running for president must involve the amount of unsolicited advice you get. Everyone thinks they’re a political genius who sees the obvious angle no one else “gets.” A story in Thursday’s New York Times featured an anecdote in which the right-wing news mogul Christopher Ruddy complained that Romney showed an obvious “lack of interest” in his advice about how to schmooze...

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Chinese Navy Steps up Anti-Piracy Training

(BEIJING) — China's fast-modernizing navy is stepping up training for anti-piracy patrols off the coast of Somalia in a sign of its growing long-term commitment to overseas missions.The first two-week course for 84 leading officers began this week at the Naval Command College in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing, the website of the military newspaper Liberation Army Daily said Friday. The officers will run drills and discuss military theory and experiences from China's previous anti-piracy missions,...

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China detains hundreds of Tibetans, group says

BEIJING (AP) — China has detained and forced into re-education classes hundreds of Tibetans who went to India to receive religious instruction from the Dalai Lama, a U.S.-based human rights group said.It is the first time since the late 1970s that Chinese authorities have detained large numbers of ordinary Tibetans and placed them into re-education classes, Human Rights Watch said in an online statement. Tibetan monks and nuns are routinely made to attend patriotic education classes.The statement posted Thursday said...

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Bollard’s Speech Boosts NZ Dollar, Positive Market Sentiment Adds Support

The New Zealand climbed today as positive news from the United States and Europe created a favorable trading environment for currencies with higher yield, while Alan Bollard, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Governor, further bolstered the currency as he suggested that the New Zealand is performing better than was thought.The United States showed signs of robust economic recovery, while the European Central Bank kicked can down...

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Just what you want to hear: Planned Parenthood works around the clock to hook your kids on sex

Recently, American Life League came out with a six-minute exposé of Planned Parenthood that was so appalling that I would have had a hard time believing it was true had it not been about Planned Parenthood. The video included clips and images from PP educational materials — cartoons and the like — and the gist of the clips was that teens should learn to pleasure themselves and each other as soon as possible.At the time, I was...

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Pelosi: Yes, of course, the Catholic Church should be forced to cover contraception — even if it’s self-insured

Remember, the “compromise” is that insurance companies will foot the bill for contraception themselves so that religious institutions technically aren’t paying for it. That’s a minor concession given that the plan will still cover birth control — and it’s a nonexistent concession if premiums end up rising to pay for the contraception — but that was the compromise. One wrinkle: What happens if the religious institution is the insurance company, i.e. if it self-insures? Surely they get a conscience exemption in that...

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In Kansas, a bill to protect religious freedom angers gays

The Department of Health and Human Services has states spooked. At least, legislators in Kansas cited the administration’s contraception mandate as a reason to expedite passage of a bill to protect religious freedoms:    Supporters of a proposal in Kansas that’s described as an attempt to protect religious freedoms told state legislators Tuesday that President Obama’s ill-fated mandate for insurance coverage of...

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Republicans in Washington need to stop acting like Democrats, says … Mitt Romney

It was a veiled swipe at Rick Santorum and a bit rich coming from him, but Mitt Romney is right: Republicans in Washington do need to stop acting like Democrats.    At the business roundtable in Monroe, Romney did not mention surging rival Rick Santorum at the roundtable, but his critique echoed the charges he’s been leveling at Santorum in their pitched battle to win the Feb. 28 primary in the state where Romney...

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You mean it’s not possible to provide contraception insurance at no cost to … anybody?

Well, duh. What’s crazy is that the administration has ever tried to say otherwise. Fortunately, insurers aren’t afraid to state the obvious. Hidden — or not-so-hidden — in the administration’s insistent mandate that insurers provide coverage for contraception to the employees of religiously-affiliated organizations is a very real cost:    The administration has said insurers should ultimately make up any initial...

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USA & Europe Bring Good News, Benefiting Canada’s Currency

The Canadian dollar jumped today against its US counterpart and the Japanese yen on positive macroeconomic data from the United States and good news from Europe. The currency posted losses against the euro.Virtually all economic reports from the USA were good today, particularly unemployment claims that fell, even though analysts predicted an increase. The European Central Bank began swapping Greek bonds, allowing private bondholders...

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GOP senators introduce new plan to overhaul Medicare

Republicans Sens. Tom Coburn (Okla.) and Richard Burr (N.C.) today unveiled a plan to revamp Medicare that would accelerate a transition to private insurance, raise the benefit eligibility age and up the premiums paid by middle-class and upper-income seniors. (Avik Roy calls it “the best Medicare reform proposal yet.”)Coburn said it best when he explained to The Washington Times why they decided to release the plan in an election...

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NATO will emerge stronger from economic crisis: Rasmussen

ATHENS, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- Through collaboration, NATO will emerge stronger from the difficult economic conditions, the alliance's Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said here on Thursday."We all face difficult economic conditions and we have to make difficult choices. But NATO is a family where members help each other and I am certain we will emerge stronger from this crisis," Rasmussen said when addressing an event in Athens to mark the 60th anniversary of Greece's membership in the military bloc."We need to...

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Syrian government, opposition must listen to people’s demands: ambassador

BEIJING, Feb. 16 (Xinhuanet) -- The Syrian government and Syrian opposition must listen to the people’s demands, asserted Syrian ambassador to China Dr. Imad Moustapha, “this can only take place through free elections, only when the Syrian people say their word, then can we move forward. "In an interview with Xinhuanet Tuesday, the newly-appointed ambassador said his government has amended the constitution and allows the opposition...

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N. Korea’s late Kim Jong-il gets military birthday tribute

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — Army trucks loaded with artillery rolled by the memorial palace for North Korea’s late leaders as Kim Jong-un presided over a military birthday commemoration for his father Thursday.Kim Jong-il died of a heart attack in December, and North Koreans marked what would have been his 70th birthday by remembering him and showing support for his young son and successor.Across Pyongyang, they bowed before...

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US Dollar Gains Against Euro, Falls Against Pound

US dollar is mixed against major European currencies today as good news out of the United States contrasts with continued uncertainty out of the eurozone. Concerns about what’s next for Europe are weighing on the euro, while a general feeling of risk appetite is helping the pound.Good economic data out of the United States is helping risk appetite right now. Jobless claims have fallen to four-year lows, with first-time claims...

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Euro Drops on Greek Debt Deal Delay

Once again, a decision about a Greek debt deal has been delayed. As a result, markets are jittery and the euro is dropping. Indeed, at one point the euro fell to three-week lows on the news that eurozone leaders are unable to reach a decision about how to handle Greece. The situation is becoming dire at this point, as Greek leaders, led by Lucas Papademos, insist that a debt swap must be initiated by the end of this week...

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Three new MI polls show Santorum with lead

National pollsters have already released surveys showing Rick Santorum taking a lead over Mitt Romney in Romney’s native state of Michigan. Today, three state-based polls concur, showing leads from just under four points to ten points in the key battleground state. The Detroit News poll shows the tightest margin (via Politico’s Morning Blast e-mail): Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum has a slim lead over Mitt Romney, an...

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Great news: Deal struck on extending temporary tax cut that hasn’t boosted the economy at all

Yeah, I know I’m supposed to feel all warm and fuzzy about the fact that Democrats and Republicans didn’t play this out to the 11th hour, like they do with every other dispute these days. We’re supposed to cheer because the system worked and it produced a bipartisan result in a year that will see precious few of them. Too bad that it sucks money out of an already-ailing trust fund while delivering none of the economic impact...

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Romney: You know who’d make a good running mate?

Mitt Romney’s campaign and his super-PAC have begun ramping up their ad buys in Michigan to hit Rick Santorum where they believe he is weak — by painting him as an unreliable conservative, a big spender, and too much of a social conservative to win. They need to undermine his credibility in a hurry if they want to reverse his momentum and bring Santorum back down to the second tier. Santorum will have to find a way to defend...

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Video: First campaign ad on HHS mandate in MO Senate race

Sarah Steelman hits the air first in using the HHS mandate on religious organizations as a billy club in the upcoming elections. Steelman will run for the chance to replace Claire McCaskill in a tough Republican primary, one in which she will almost certainly get outspent by John Brunner. With only $84,000 cash on hand at the moment, Steelman rolls the dice by hammering McCaskill over her support for the mandate, and vows to fight...

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The strange budget priorities of Obama: Subsidizing car purchases for the 1% over poor children and airline safety

In my column for The Fiscal Times today, I remind readers that budgets are statements of priorities. Barack Obama’s budget shows his priorities on many levels, both at the macro and micro level. Given the large amount of new spending and higher taxes, it’s very easy to conclude at the macro level that Obama doesn’t think that spending reductions are a priority at all. How about on the micro level? Changes to three different...

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Pound Climbs with Consumer Sentiment

The Great Britain pound jumped against the Japanese yen as the index of UK consumers’ confidence reached the highest level in five months. The currency dropped versus the US dollar.The Nationwide consumer confidence index rose to the five-month high of 47 in January after it reached the record low of 38 in December. The improving sentiment eased concerns that the UK would suffer from a double-dip recession. The problems in Europe...

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Swedish Krona Falls After Riksbank Cuts Main Rate & Growth Forecast

The Swedish krona declined today after the nation’s central bank cut its main interest rate and lowered its growth forecast for 2012 as the negative developments in the eurozone hurt the country’s economy.The Riksbank (Sweden’s central bank) lowered its main interest rate by 25 basis points to 1.50 percent. The central bank explained its reasons for decreasing the rate and hinted that more reductions are possible: There is considerable...

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Spain's economy shrinks 0.3% in fourth quarter

The struggling Spanish economy shrank 0.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011, stoking concerns that a weak first quarter this year will see it back in recession, official data showed Thursday. For 2011 as a whole, the economy expanded a meagre 0.7 percent, according to the figures which confirm initial estimates given January 30.The slump, in a country where unemployment runs at nearly 23 percent, reflected a continued slowdown...

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N. Korean military stages mass parade for late leader

North Korea's military paraded Thursday to mark the birthday of late leader Kim Jong-Il, pledging to defend his son and successor Jong-Un with their lives and crush enemy forces if attacked. Battles can break out without warning, military chief Ri Yong-Ho told the televised ceremony, vowing to "wipe out US imperialists and South Korean puppet traitors" and reunify the peninsula in case of war."Kim Jong-Un! Protect him with all...

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